Streaks at stake as Bears, Lunas clash tonight

The record for Maui Interscholastic League football wins in a row is 20, set by Baldwin High School from 1968 to 1971.

The Bears have come close to that mark three times in their 59-2-1 league run that dates back to 2004, including a current streak of 17 straight wins that grew with a season-opening 25-5 victory over Maui High last week. But that run could be put in jeopardy tonight at War Memorial Stadium.

Without third-team All-State quarterback Keelan Ewaliko or MIL All-Star linebacker Jordan Hoiem available, Baldwin takes on a Lahainaluna team that has torn through its first two league opponents by a 65-0 count.

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Lucas

Reinhardt

The Lunas, who beat Keaau 35-14 on the Big Island in nonleague play, is the only MIL team without an overall loss this season.

"It should be a good game, I mean, Lahaina is coming in 3-0," Baldwin coach A.J. Roloos said. "They are one game up on us in the MIL. ... It should be fun."

Ewaliko is nursing a broken rib suffered in a 46-0 loss to Saint Louis at Aloha Stadium two weeks ago. Roloos said his two-time MIL Offensive Player of the Year could be back next week - one week earlier than expected - but is definitely out for tonight.

Hoiem, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior, is still battling a flu bug that kept him out of the Maui High game and is also out for tonight, according to Roloos.

Ryan Graham, a 5-7, 150-pound senior transfer from Kamehameha Maui, will get his second straight start in place of Ewaliko. Last week, Graham was 19-for-28 for 151 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions - six Bears caught passes.

Lahainaluna's defense leads the MIL, allowing just 72 yards per game after a 29-0 win over King Kekaulike and a 36-0 victory over Kamehameha Maui, when the Lunas forced six turnovers.

"Their defense, they fly around, they move around," Roloos said. "They are really quick on defense. Their secondary, their linebacking corps - they fly to the ball."

Baldwin has beaten the Lunas four times in a row, including shutouts of 14-0, 40-0, and 41-0 in the last three meetings. But Lahainaluna was also the last MIL team to beat the Bears, 28-14 on Nov. 6, 2009.

The Lunas-Bears game is always interesting, Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada said "depending on what year. Last year, we couldn't give them any kind of competition. Hopefully, we can do that this year, get them ready for the state (tournament)."

Baldwin has been to seven straight Division I state tournaments, including a semifinal appearance last season. Lahainaluna has been to five straight D-II tournaments, including the semifinals last year.

The Lunas depend on "six or seven" two-way starters, while Baldwin has one - Abraham Reinhardt, who returned a Maui High fumble 59 yards last week to give the Bears a 6-2 lead they would not surrender.

"I saw the ball on the ground and just thought to myself, 'This is a chance to change to the momentum of the game,' " Reinhardt said. "So, I just picked it up and ran to the touchdown."

Conditioning is a key for the Lunas, who have a roster of 37. Baldwin lists 64 varsity players.

"The key was our offseason," Tihada said. "We had a nice core group of kids in the weight room, working hard. We haven't had that in a number of years."

Connor Mowat, Joshua Coston, Hercules Mataafa and Lovai Hong all start both ways on the lines, while Jared Rocha-Isalas, Semisi Filikitonga and Tytus Lucas all see significant time in both backfields.

Lucas is the third-leading rusher in the MIL with 104 yards and is tied for second in scoring (12). Against Kamehameha, Lucas had two interceptions, 78 return yards on four touches, rushed six times for 23 yards and a touchdown, caught a pass for five yards and punted twice for 75 yards.

Rocha-Isalas, Filikitonga and Lucas are 1-2-3 in MIL rushing, but the bottom line has been the defense.

"They practice very hard all week on their schemes defensively," Tihada said. "It has worked out great so far for the first two games."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com