Damien’s thrilling
comeback win sets up
title match against Iolani
One drama leads to another.
Weekend schedule
All times 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Tomorrow
ILH
Damien at Iolani, 3:15 p.m.
OIA Red (Division I) semifinals
Farrington vs. Kahuku, at Aloha Stadium, 5 p.m.
Kailua vs. Mililani, at Aloha Stadium
BIIF
Keaau at Honokaa
Kealakehe vs. Waiakea, at Wong Stadium
KIF
Waimea vs. Kauai, at Vidinha Stadium
MIL
Pac-Three vs. Baldwin, at War Memorial Stadium
Saturday
ILH
Saint Louis vs. Kamehameha, at Aloha Stadium
Pac-Five vs. Punahou, at Aloha Stadium, 4:45 p.m.
OIA White (Division II) semifinals
Kalaheo vs. Kapolei, at Mililani H.S., 6:30 p.m.
Radford at Aiea, 6:30 p.m.
BIIF
Hawaii Prep at Konawaena, 7 p.m.
Kohala vs. Hilo, at Wong Stadium, 7 p.m.
MIL
Maui vs. King Kekaulike, at War Memorial Stadium
Damien wouldn't be in tomorrow's championship situation had it not been for its thrilling 42-40 comeback victory over Pac-Five last week.
The Monarchs (2-5 overall, 2-4 ILH) visit Iolani (4-5-1, 2-3-1) at 3:15 p.m. for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's Division II title and lone berth into the new D-II state tournament.
Neither team is accustomed to playing for a postseason spot, a role that's been dominated by Saint Louis and Kamehameha for the last 20 years of ILH competition.
"Playing for the championship is better than the alternative," Damien coach Dean Nakagawa said. "We're very fortunate to be where we're at.
"Coming back the way we did was something I've never seen before. But we're focusing on our big challenge now -- Iolani."
The game could come down to which defense can stop the other's premier back.
Powerful Ranson DeCosta is the Monarchs' biggest offensive weapon, and Iolani's shifty Raynold Stowers proved he's fully recovered from a shoulder injury, rushing for 197 yards in a loss to Saint Louis.
"It's our challenge to stop Raynold," Nakagawa said. "But we also need to score some points. We didn't score until the end of the game last time."
Iolani coach Wendell Look knows the Monarchs gained a lot of momentum by beating the Wolfpack on QB Tevita Williams' touchdown with three seconds left, and he knows they're determined to beat his Raiders.
"We hold our own destiny," Look said. "We started our season well and hit a lull in the middle, but we're regrouping and coming back. It's nice to have Stowers back, but we won two games without him and the team was able to gain confidence in themselves without relying on him."
Kiran Kepoo has provided steadiness at quarterback for the Raiders, and the Iolani defense has been a cohesive unit all year.
"Our goal is to play in and win the D-II tournament," Look said. "And we have the chance to get there right in front of us, so we have to go and take it."
The Raiders beat the Monarchs 21-6 on Sept. 26 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
The Monarchs can thank Pac-Five for tying Iolani 13-13 on Oct. 10. If the Raiders had won that one, Damien wouldn't be in the race.
Big Isle hunt continues: Five teams have qualified for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation's six (three D-I and three D-II) playoff berths.
Last week, Kealakehe (7-1, 7-0) clinched the top D-I seed and a first-round bye. Hilo (5-2, 5-2) and Waiakea (6-2, 5-2) are also in the league's D-I playoffs, which ultimately yield one qualifier for the state D-I tourney.
Hawaii Prep (5-4, 5-2) visits Konawaena (5-3, 5-2) on Saturday to decide the top seed in the league's D-II playoffs.
Three teams -- Honokaa (2-7, 2-5), Kohala (2-6, 2-5) and Keaau (2-7, 1-6) -- are vying for the last seed in the D-II playoffs, which ultimately determine one qualifier for the state D-II tourney.
Honokaa can qualify for the final playoff spot by beating Keaau tomorrow night, but a three-way tie (and ensuing tiebreaker) for the last spot is possible.
