VIDEO: Iolani wins third straight D2 football title

The state title is the fourth in the past five years for the Raiders, who finished the season at 11-2.

"It feels great," said 'Iolani quarterback Jarrett Arakawa, a left-handed senior who was intercepted three times in the first half but finished with 22 completions in 30 attempts for 251 yards and one touchdown. "This was the goal we set from the beginning, and it's my last game, so there's no other way I'd want to go out."

The victory was not a routine one for the Raiders, who committed an uncharacteristic six turnovers in the first half. Kaua'i safety Cameron Largusa intercepted three passes, and 'Iolani lost three fumbles, including two in the red zone in the final two minutes of the first half.

Kaua'i also suffered from costly turnovers, as Raiders cornerback Reid Saito stepped in front of a long swing pass by Trey Shimabukuro on the game's first play from scrimmage and returned the interception 36 yards for a touchdown. Andrew Skalman's extra point made it 7-0.

Kaua'i cut it to 7-3 midway through the first quarter on a 40-yard field goal by Shea Shimabukuro, but Skalman's 28-yard field goal with 1:04 remaining stretched the lead to 10-3. The Red Raiders then tied it at 10-10 after Trey Shimabukuro's 9-yard TD pass to Jamen Kealoha-Albarado with 4:58 left in the half and Shea Shimabukuro's PAT.

That drive was set up by Kalena Rodero-Workman's recovery of a punt-return fumble caused by Travis Koga. 'Iolani then twice reached the Kaua'i 20-yard line, only to lose the ball on fumbles.

The score remained tied at 10-10 at halftime, with the teams combining for 10 turnovers.

'Iolani, a team usually known for its mistake-free football, lost three interceptions and two fumbles in last week's 21-7 semifinal victory over 'Aiea.

"Twelve turnovers in two games — that's unheard of for us," said Raiders coach Wendell Look. "It's not something we talk about a lot, because the guys understand they gotta take care of the ball. But give Kaua'i credit, they made us turn it over. They were relentless and really came after us."

Koga made another interception on the third play of the second half, but Skalman returned the favor by picking off a pass at his own 9.

'Iolani then marched 91 yards in 11 plays, capped by Ammon Baldomero's 1-yard TD plunge with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter. Skalman's extra point made it 17-10.

"We felt good at halftime, we were creating turnovers and even though we made some, too, it was the same amount," Red Raiders coach Derek Borrero said. "I thought it was anybody's ball game, but then that last interception killed us. If we had scored, it would have created some momentum, but then they got the ball and scored instead. That was the turning point in the game."

'Iolani then put together another long scoring drive, this one going 86 yards in 15 plays, capped by Arakawa's 3-yard pass to 315-pound Sealii Epenesa.

Skalman's PAT made it 24-10 with 8:25 left in the game.

"We just had to come out as a different team in the second half," Arakawa said. "We were sloppy in the first half, and a lot of that was me. But we just had to calm everybody down and do what we did all season. (Kaua'i) changed up their coverages pretty well, they kept us off-balance, so I just had to take what they gave me. They have some athletes, and they made plays."

The Red Raiders closed it to 24-17 with 2:02 remaining after Trey Shimabukuro's 8-yard TD pass to Kealoha-Albarado and Shea Shimabukuro's extra point.

But 'Iolani recovered the ensuing onside kick, and with Kaua'i having used all of its timeouts, the Raiders were able to run out the clock.

Look said he did not need a paint-peeling halftime speech to get his team straightened out.

"This was all them," Look said. "The coaches went in and we said, 'This is your game, you know what you need to do.' And then we walked out. (The players) talked it over themselves, settled themselves down, and took care of what they needed to do in the second half.

"They got it done, and that was nice to see."

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