Bears, Lunas clinch MIL grid titles

By Fred Guzman

Although three weeks remain in the regular season, the MIL football races are already locked up with the usual suspects taking their respective division titles and earning berths in the state tournament.

On Friday, Baldwin clinched the D-I crown with a 52-14 road victory over a Kekaulike squad that had just 22 players in uniform because of assorted illnesses and injuries.

The eighth-ranked Bears improved to 6-0 in the MIL and 7-1 overall, capitalizing on another strong defensive performance and three TD passes by Keelan Ewaliko. Ro Wilson and Brad Naeole each contributed a pair of scores for Baldwin.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lunas nailed down a fourth straight D-II title with a 37-19 win over Kamehameha. It was the first varsity football game on the new rug at The Imu.

Given additional touches because of injuries, junior running back Jacob Kenolio-Dusenberry rushed for 133 yards on 12 carries as the Lunas rolled up 298 yards on the ground

Baldwin draws a bye this week. The matchups: On Friday, Kamehameha visits down-the-street rival Kekualike. On Saturday, Lahainaluna faces Maui High at War Memorial.

Both games will be aired on Maui’s ESPN 550 and espn550.com.

STATE: No. 3 Mililani squandered a 28-0 lead and needed a 20-yard TD pass by Trent McKinney to DeShawn Benson in the second overtime to pulled out a 42-35 victory over No. 4 Leilehua. … No. 1 Kahuku used its superior power on both the sides of the ball to steadily pull away for a 52-23 win over No. Castle. … No. 2 Saint Louis pulled away in the 2H for a 41-14 win over No. 8 Iolani. … No. 5 Punahou beat Damien 27-8. … No. 7 Kamehameha struggled to a 21-17 win over Pac-Five, needing a TDP in the final minute to avoid a huge upset. … No. 9 Farrington beat Moanalua 28-7. … Pearl City, which got off to a school-best 6-0 start, suffered its second straight loss – 13-6 to Kalaheo. … Anuenue beat Kalani 30-27. …