Lunas advance to state tourney

With a 35-0 win over the Baldwin Bears on Oct. 14, the Lahainaluna High School varsity football team earned a ticket to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) Division I Tournament and a home game at Sue D. Cooley Stadium at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11. PHOTO BY GLEN PASCUAL.
LAHAINA — The Lahainaluna High School varsity football team captured its 15th consecutive Maui Interscholastic League championship in a methodical 35-0 win over the Baldwin Bears on Senior Night, Oct. 14, at Sue D. Cooley Stadium on the West Side campus.
The victory over Baldwin assured the Lunas of a ticket to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) Division I Tournament slated for Nov. 11-29.
As the third seed in the six-team D-I field, the Red Tide will host a first round, quarter-final match-up with the Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-up on Nov. 11 at the Lunas’ home field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Iolani retains the number one seed in the D-I seedings followed by Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Hilo or Konawaena.
The OIA championships began last week with Waipahu, Farrington, Aiea and Kailua battling for the league’s two slots in the tournament.
Lahainaluna will host the runner-up of the OIA playoffs in the quarterfinal contest at the Lunas’ campus. The winner of this game will advance to the semifinals to play the Big Island champion — either Konawaena or Hilo — on Nov. 18, site to be determined.
After finishing their 15th consecutive MIL championship season spanning D-II and D-I titles, the Lunas await the OIA and BIIF playoff results to see who their first round opponent will be.
Lunas Co-head Coach Dean Rickard said, “Over the next three weeks, we really want to stay healthy and, hopefully, get our injured players back as we prepare for the state tournament.”
“No matter which OIA opponent we’ll face in the quarterfinals, we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent. Every team in this state tournament put in the hard work and effort to get here, and now it’s more important than ever to make sure we stay fundamentally sound in all three phases of the game –offense, defense and special teams.”
“We’ll have an opportunity to scout our opponents over the next couple of weeks before the quarterfinal game. This allows us time to break down our opponents’ tendencies and prepare our best game plan moving forward. Of course, having a well-disciplined and positive mindset always helps, and right now we really need to concentrate on staying physically and mentally focused on the task at hand and getting it done,” he continued.
“Another positive note: our seniors will have one more opportunity to play at home, and we’re excited to do so in front of our incredible fans who have supported us all through the season and throughout the years. Mahalo nui to all here on the West Side. There is nothing better than the Luna Nation and the unconditional support of our West Side community,” Coach Rickard concluded.
In related news, the Lahainaluna junior varsity team also captured its 15th straight MIL title with a 34-0 win over Baldwin. The victory assured the Lunas of the championship going into their final MIL match-up against King Kekaulike last week. Go Lunas!