WAIPAHU, Hawaii — The rubber match is on.
Defending champion Mililani and recent postseason rival Iolani overcame their opponents in the Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Division I boys soccer semifinals and advanced to Saturday night’s championship at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
The OIA and ILH champions met in the last two state finals, with Iolani winning 2-1 in 2023 and Mililani responding with a 1-0 win last year.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., following the 4 p.m. Division II final between Kamehameha-Hawaii and Kapaa.
Friday’s first D-I semifinal between Iolani and Campbell was a competitive affair for a half. But Kahi Apao, Kama Kane and captain Devin Lee netted balls in the second half in a 3-0 decision.
Drama endured in the second semifinal between Mililani and Kamehameha through 80 minutes of scoreless regulation until Tyler Tamashiro put in the golden goal in the 88th minute.
Iolani, coached by Chris Lee, seeks its 11th all-time championship, while Mililani, led by first-year head coach Alika Cosner, is in pursuit of its eighth.
In Division II, top-seeded Kamehameha-Hawaii beat MIL champion Seabury Hall 1-0 in overtime on William Henderson’s penalty kick goal two minutes into the extra period. And KIF champion Kapaa topped ILH champion Le Jardin, 2-1, in a marathon match capped with an 8-7 penalty kick shootout.
It is an all-Warriors final. KSH has three titles, including two in the last three years, and Kapaa also owns three, most recently in 2019.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.