Lunas’ Rocha-Islas is MIL’s Top Rusher, Scorer

Lahainaluna’s Jared Rocha-Islas (23) breaks open a big run against Maui High and Andre Pierman (8) last Saturday. Rocha-Islas won the 2013 MIL rushing and scoring titles. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

The 2013 Lahainaluna High School football team is one win away from matching the school’s record 11-game win streak from 1997.

The Lunas finished the Maui Interscholastic League regular season with a perfect 8-0 record and is ranked No. 1 in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Football Power Rankings. The team averaged 42 points and 400 yards in offense per game.

Kamehameha Maui’s Chase Newton was the MIL’s top passer with a league best 1,521 yards. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Lahainaluna celebrated its homecoming with a 42-14 rout of Maui High last Saturday, securing its probable No. 1 ranking in the upcoming Division II state playoffs. As the top-seeded team the Lunas would host the No. 4 seed at War Memorial on Saturday, Nov. 16.

ScoringLive/OC 16 Division II Football Power Rankings have Kaiser No. 2 at 9-1, followed by unbeaten and third-ranked Kauai at 8-0 and perennial Division II state champion Iolani at 7-4 is ranked No. 4.

Lahainaluna quarterback Makoa Filikitonga threw two touchdown passes in the Lunas’ win over Division I MIL opponent Maui High. Filikitonga, who intercepted a pass for a 51-yard touchdown, also scored on a 78-yard touchdown run, extending his TD rushing streak to 10 games.

Meanwhile, junior running back Jared Rocha-Islas won the MIL rushing and scoring titles. Rocha-Islas finished with 814 yards and a league best 12.7 yards per carry. Rocha-Islas finished with 124 points, more than Filikitonga (54) and Christian Whitehead (54) combined and almost as many points as the pair from kicking extra points (46) only.

Baldwin’s Kawela Kaeo-Mata was the league’s top receiver, hauling in 42 passes and five touchdowns for 457 yards (10.9 yards per catch). Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Defensively the Lunas allowed fewer than six points per game and an average of 130.4 yards per game.

Kamehameha Maui’s Chase Newton won the MIL passing title, throwing for a league high and new school record 1,521 yards. Newton, however, had the league’s third best quarterback rating at 88.74. Baldwin’s Jeremiah Badillo had a league best 149.73 quarterback rating, followed by Filikitonga’s 97.10.

Baldwin’s Kawela Kaeo-Mata was the league’s top receiver, hauling in 42 passes and five touchdowns for 457 yards (10.9 yards per catch). Kamehameha Maui’s Joshua Hiwatashi finished No. 2 with 35 catches and 439 yards (12.5), followed by KS-Maui teammate Keoni Keanini’s 29 catches for 485 yards (17.3).

MIL 8-Man Football

Seabury Hall capped its second straight unbeaten season by virtue of its 25-14 victory at Hoolehua, Molokai on Saturday.

The win gave the Spartans the MIL championship and extended their win streak to 12 over two years. Seabury Hall outscored its opponents 232 to 53 in 2013.

Molokai fell to 3-2 and will finish its season with a make-up game against St. Anthony. The date and time for the game has not been determined.

Seabury quarterback Jaxson Stinger ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns on runs of 55 and 30, respectively. He also threw for 96 yards, completing 5 of 12 passes, including a touchdown toss to Nyck Yashiro.

Running back Cayde Omura finished with 80 yards rushing, 55 coming on a touchdown run, on 10 carries.

Molokai’s David Rapanot returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

Graphic by MauiNow Sports