The combination of a tenacious defense and an opportunistic offense spelled championship for 'Iolani Saturday night as the outsized Raiders outplayed the Damien Monarchs at Kaiser High School Field to win the ILH Division II football title.
'Iolani caught a break last week when the heavily favored Monarchs lost to Pac-5 by the slim margin of a missed extra point, a weakness that would again haunt them against 'Iolani. That Damien loss forced the Saturday playoff.
The Raiders opened with a bang, scoring twice, first after a Peter Takara interception and a long pass to Aaron Fong, then on an 80-plus yard gallop by Ryan Dung.
A 35 yard field goal by Kody Adams made it 16-0 before Damien got on the board after a long drive. The Monarchs missed the PAT, and the score stood 16-6 at the half.
The gods seemed to favor Damien at the start of the third quarter as 'Iolani saw a promising drive halted by a penalty, settling for another Adams field goal. Then, an error on a Damien punt returned the ball to the Monarchs who took it for the score, closing to within six points, 19-13.
It was then that the Raiders showed championship spirit as they scored two big TD's to open up a twenty point lead, 33-13 with ten minutes remaining.
Forced to pass, Damien lost the weapon of its Bailey running game, and 'Iolani's defense rose to the occasion, shutting down the Monarchs until a meaningless score late in the fourth quarter made it 33-19.
The passing, scampering Ryan Dung threw and rushed for over 100 yards in both departments on his way to scoring three touchdowns.
Before the game, Coach Wendell Look said that the keys to victory were controlling the Damien running back, Kama Bailey, and taking care of the ball on offense. Although Bailey gained an impressive 150 yards, the 'Iolani defense did prevent him from running wild, and the offense did indeed control the ball.
Justin Yamamoto led the 'Iolani ground attack, plunging for over 100 yards
A banged-up but determined band of 'Iolani warriors will enter the state Division II championship tournament with a game against Kaimuki High on Saturday, November 18 at 2:30 p.m. at 'Iolani School. 
Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The baseball field and parking structure will be available for football parking ONLY after 1 p.m. Stadium gates will open at 1 p.m.
