"I just love it," Damien senior safety Fehi Sevelo said. "I'm so happy. I just want to thank everybody. Coaches, the seniors. It's just unbelievable."

The Monarchs (3-4 ILH, 3-5 overall) will represent the ILH in the inaugural Division II state tournament. Ironically, the Raiders (2-4-1, 4-6-1) won the ILH Division II title the last two years, but with no Division II state tournament, they really had no fanfare.

"This is good for the league," said ILH executive secretary Don Botelho, who was Damien's first coach from 1965-1973. "This is good for Damien."

Added Damien senior receiver Andrew Canoy: "We finally got respect."

Williams threw touchdown passes of 8 and 16 yards to Canoy. The first tied the game and the second gave the Monarchs the lead with no time showing on the clock to end the third quarter.

Iolani made a last-ditch effort when it took over the ball with 1:52 left in the game from its own 14. The Raiders moved until it had fourth-and-12 at the Damien 47 with five seconds left, but quarterback Kiran Kepoo's Hail Mary pass was incomplete as time expired, sending the Damien players scrambling onto the field. A helmet was tossed high in the air, as players ran aimlessly around. A penalty flag was thrown, but it was against Iolani, officially ending the game.

"The kids did a wonderful job," Damien co-coach Rudy Alejo said. "It's just rewarding to them, knowing their hard work paid off."

The Raiders took a 14-7 lead into the third quarter until defensive end Soane Sevelo returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown. Defensive back Cory Mullen blitzed from the right and drilled the left-handed throwing Kepoo on the front side, jarring the ball loose. Mullen's PAT tied the game at 14.

But the Raiders struck quickly, scoring on their ensuing possession on a 36-yard TD pass from Kepoo to Lee Korenaga as Iolani regained the lead 21-14 with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

But Damien moved 77 yards in nine plays before Williams hit Canoy on an out-route in the end zone for an 8-yard TD pass. Two plays before the TD, Williams spun out of a tackle to complete a 19-yard pass to Ranson DeCosta to the Iolani 11 to keep the drive alive.

The Raiders fumbled on first down after the ensuing kickoff at the Iolani 30. Seven plays later, Williams hit Canoy on a similar pattern for a 16-yard TD pass. On the play, there was contact between Canoy and the Iolani defender, but the Damien receiver still managed to grab the ball.

"I thought I wasn't going to get to the ball," Canoy said. "I saw it at the last minute and I just made an effort to get it."

Two of three turnovers hurt Iolani, but it could not capitalized on two interceptions it got against Williams (one by Kyle Muraoka and the other by Shaun Agustin). But the Monarchs were hurt when Milo Kalama recovered a pooch kickoff at the Damien 25, where Korenaga's 25-yard TD reception from Kepoo gave Iolani a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.

"Anytime you have turnovers that lead to scores, you don't give your defense a chance to save you," Iolani coach Wendell Look said.

Damien's defense held Iolani to 305 yards, including 75 yards to running back Raynold Stowers, who scored Iolani's first TD of the game on an 8-yard run. The Monarchs had four sacks, as well as an interception by Fehi Sevelo.

"They're a scrappy team," Look said of Damien. "They have a lot of character. I've never seen them quit. They play hard. They go out and make plays when they need to."

Damien used three quarterbacks. After his last TD pass, Williams left the game after feeling dizzy, he said. Backup Zach Shimizu hurt his ankle. Running back DeCosta moved to QB, until later in the fourth quarter when Williams was able to return.

It was a heart-breaker for Iolani, which had its homecoming spoiled.

"It was a struggle," Stowers said. "I guess we weren't lucky this time aroud."

He praised Damien for its success.

"They deserve it," Stowers said. "They came from way at the bottom and worked their way up."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.

• Damien (3-4, 3-5) 7 0 21 0—28
• Iolani (2-4-1, 4-6-1) 0 14 7 0—21

Dam—Ranson DeCosta 3 run (Cory Mullen kick)
Iol—Raynold Stowers 8 run (Nicholas Wong kick)
Iol—Lee Korenaga 25 pass from Kiran Kepoo (Wong kick)
Dam—Soane Sevelo 52 fumble return (Mullen kick)
Iol—Korenaga 36 pass from Kepoo (Wong kick)
Dam—Andrew Canoy 8 pass from Tevita Williams (Mullen kick)
Dam—Canoy 16 pass from Williams (Mullen kick)

RUSHING—Damien: Williams 6-7, DeCosta 18-61, Va'a Faualo 7-21, Zach Shimizu 1-1. Iolani: Kepoo 10-(minus 2), Stowers 25-75, Karl Motoyama 1-8, Mike Hirokawa 1-0.

PASSING—Damien: Williams 11-17-2—132, Shimizu 0-2-0—0. Iolani: Kepoo 16-27-1—224, Peter Heimerdinger 0-1-0—0.