Greg Yamamoto | SL

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CJ Villanueva

Iolani football  •   #10    

If last weekend's season opener was any indication of what to expect from CJ Villanueva, the future looks bright for the Iolani sophomore. 

Villanueva, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound quarterback, led the Raiders to a 59-26 win over Kaimuki Saturday with 286 passing yards and five total touchdowns. He completed 27 of his 28 pass attempts in an afternoon to remember in the 58th annual Father Bray Memorial Classic. 

Longtime Iolani coach Wendell Look noted that while it was Villanueva's first career start, it was far from his first taste of the varsity level. As a freshman last year, Villanueva was part of a three-man rotation at quarterback for the Raiders with now-graduated Micah Hoomanawanui and then-junior Kualau Manuel. 

"We did that for a while, so they all took series in the scrimmages and the preseason games and even kinda going into the (Interscholastic League of Honolulu) season and then CJ got banged up, so he missed a couple of weeks," Look recalled. 

Villanueva posted impressive outings before his injury. He threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns against Kaiser and a week later, threw for 141 and another TD against Radford. Villanueva was out for three games and had his best game of the year against PAC-5, when he threw for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 7-of-8 passing. 

"He came back and played and having that experience, I think it was super beneficial for him seeing the varsity speed and size and having more of a veteran group help support him, so it helped him this year and now he's the veteran guy and he's the guy who has to get the other guys up to speed," Look expounded. 

Look explained that while the offensive line was a veteran unit a year ago, it — along with the team as a whole — lacks game experience. The offense has just two returning starters in juniors Keon Preusser, a wide receiver, and Tyler Hayashi, a slotback. 

"The team in general is very young, but (CJ's) got some weapons there, but up front we're a little thin and young, so it's his job to make that o-line be right and be good and he can do that by making the right decisions and getting the ball out on time, by doing that you can boost their confidence, too," Look said. 

Villanueva was a member of the Raiders' track and field team last spring, but his focus is largely centered on football. 

"I think he wants to be a football junkie," Look stated. "I think he goes to all the camps and tries to better himself by going to all these things on the mainland, so he's gonna be a good one if he keeps progressing. He's gonna be one of those guys that are gonna improve every year."

The dedication and promise that Villanueva showed over the offseason gave Look and his coaching staff enough confidence in the sophomore to move Manuel to the defensive secondary, which lost a bevy of starters from a season ago. 

"We moved Kualau to defense knowing that we had CJ kinda ready to go and we needed some secondary guys and with Kualau having had a lot of playing time at quarterback, we knew we had a seasoned backup in him and so we had to utilize him on defense rather than just have him stand on the sideline," explained Look, who also pointed out that the Raiders' roster is also on the smaller side this fall. 

"We gotta maximize our numbers. Our numbers are a little bit down, so it's just a matter of moving the right pieces in the right place and hopefully the pieces stay upright," Look chuckled. 

Look described his young quarterback and the skillset that he brings to the heavily-scrutinized positioned. 

"I think just his demeanor is very even-keeled and that's what you want kinda in a quarterback. You want someone who's gonna stay calm in situations and not get too high, not get too low. You want someone who's in command of the offense and is in control," he said. 

In addition to all of the intangibles, Villanueva can flat out throw the rock, his coach said. 

"He works hard, just comes out and wants to get better every day. He works at his craft, he's working on his delivery and you're gonna see a guy that can deliver the ball on time and accurately," Look gushed. "He makes throws that I'm amazed at sometimes for such a young guy."

'Accurate' is a pretty spot-on description for Villanueva's performance against the Bulldogs Saturday. Although, Look admitted that several of his completions came via short under-handed forward tosses in the Raiders' version of the jet sweep. 

"In our offense it's taking what the defense gives you and he's been able to do that so far. He has all the makeup to be a really great quarterback and for being a sophomore, I think he has that ‘it-factor' for being a quarterback; He displayed that," Look said. 

Villanueva's 4-yard TD pass to Hayashi opened the scoring. He then capped another first-quarter Iolani scoring drive with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone. Villanueva and Hayashi hooked up once more in the second stanza for a 25-yard scoring strike that extended their team's lead to 28-0. 

He threw his third and fourth TD passes before halftime — a 35-yard touchdown to Preusser and a 7-yard pitch-and-catch to Kekama Kane — to make it a 42-6 cushion for the home team by the intermission. 

"If you go back and watch the film, he had a (dropped pass) so he could have been perfect for the day," Look pointed out, "but again, it's just what we want from him is just to get the ball out on time and be accurate and make good decisions and for the most part that day he was — again, the numbers don't lie."

Iolani, the No. 10 team in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings, will face a tougher task this week in a matchup against another opponent from the Oahu Interscholastic Association in No. 14 Farrington, which got five sacks and four takeaways from its defense in a 44-14 thumping of Radford last week. 

"This week is gonna be a real good test because now we're gonna see how he can handle being under some pressure," Look said of the Govs. "They're solid all the way across the board and so that will be not only a good test for him, but a test for our offense and defense to matchup with their physical size and ability, but as a young quarterback, he's gonna face some pressure this week, I think, so we'll see how he's gonna progress this week."

Kickoff between the Governors (1-0) and Raiders (1-0) is set for 3 p.m. Saturday at Kozuki Stadium on the Iolani campus. 

 
FOOTBALL

Tai Aipia-Barrett, Waipahu — Had 175 all-purpose yards and caught two touchdown passes in a loss to Campbell 

Liatama Amisone, Kapolei — Threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-38 passing in a loss to Saint Louis 

Keola Apduhan, Saint Louis — Ran for 115 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries in a win over Kapolei 

Timothy Arnold, Leilehua — Caught eight passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Kailua 

Armenio Blanco, Konawaena — Caught nine passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Long Beach Poly 

Kaimana Carvalho, Kahuku — Scored on an 80-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Waianae 

Trey Dacoscos, Pearl City — Threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns on 24-of-35 passing without an interception in a win over Kauai 

Ikaika Gouveia, Kealakehe — Recorded four tackles and three interceptions in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Astin Hange, Punahou — Caught seven passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in a win over Mililani 

Ioane Kamanao, Roosevelt — Threw for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 8-of-14 passing without an interception in a win over McKinley 

Kaina Kamohalii, Kapolei — Caught 11 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown and returned six kickoffs for 195 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown return in a loss to Saint Louis 

Diezel Kamoku, Kahuku — Caught seven passes for 92 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Waianae 

Ryder Kapuwai-Mapu, Castle — Intercepted two passes and broke-up two others in a win over Kaiser 

Kaimana Kaui, Kauai — Scored on an 84-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a loss to Pearl City 

Iosefa Letuli, Kaimuki — Threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-29 passing without an interception and also ran for 72 yards and another touchdown on 12 carries in a loss to Iolani

Lauititi Liufau, Farrington — Recorded four tackles, forced a fumble and scored on a 20-yard fumble return for touchdown in a win over Radford 

Treston McMillan, Mililani — Threw for 240 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-33 passing without an interception in a loss to Punahou 

Nainoa Melchor, Kamahemahea — Ran for 69 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in a win over Moanalua 

Sitani Mikaele, Farrington — Ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in a win over Radford 

Hyrum Moors, Kahuku — Scored on a 45-yard blocked punt return in a win over Waianae 

Micah Neizmen, Damien — Scored on a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown in a loss to Villa Park (Calif.)

Jordan Nunuha, Saint Louis — Caught six passes for 134 yards in a win over Kapolei 

Abraham Ogata, Konawaena — Caught eight passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Long Beach Poly 

Moe Passi, Kamehameha — Ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in a win over Moanalua 

Everest Rodriguez, Farrington — Recorded four tackles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, including one that he returned 35 yards for a touchdown, in a win over Radford 

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Campbell — Threw for 431 yards and five touchdowns on 27-of-39 passing without an interception in a win over Waipahu 

Chainton Saldebar, Kalani — Recorded five tackles, three for losses, including two sacks, in a win over Waialua 

Noah-Lee Santos, Kailua — Recorded two sacks in a loss to Leilehua 

Jesse Shinagawa, Kaiser — Caught 11 passes for 112 yards in a loss to Castle 

Blayne Shiraki, Punahou — Recorded 7 1/2 tackles, including five for losses and four sacks in a win over Mililani 

James Steffany-Flame, Campbell — Ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in a win over Waipahu 

Eric Stephens, Waipahu — Caught eight passes for 146 yards in a loss to Campbell 

Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa, Kahuku — Threw for 151 yards and four touchdown on 11-of-18 passing without an interception in a win over Waianae 

Austin Takaki, Konawaena — Caught 12 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Long Beach Poly 

Taniela Taliuli, Iolani — Scored on an 18-yard blocked punt return in a win over Kaimuki 

Kaipo Tautala-Kupukaa-Takasugi, Kapolei — Scored on a 41-yard interception return for touchdown in a loss to Saint Louis 

Ezekiel Totten, Castle — Ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and recorded two tackles for loss and a sack in a win over Kaiser 

Jordan Tugaoen, Leilehua — Recovered two fumbles in a win over Kailua 

Chandon-Paul Yuen, Campbell — Recorded two sacks and forced a fumble in a win over Waipahu