Since the days he played for Eddie Hamada, Iolani coach Wendell Look knew his calling.

"The influence he had on me, I think, was a big factor in me choosing my career," Look said.

It turned out to be a great career choice for Look. On Friday night, he became the 22nd high school coach in Hawai'i to reach 100 career coaching wins. The timing was perfect. It came with a 34-20 win against Radford for the state Division II football championship at Aloha Stadium. It was the Raiders' first state title.

"The kids came up to me after the game telling me 'Congratulations on your 100th win,' " Look said. "But I told them, 'You guys made it memorable.' You couldn't ask for a better way."

Look's record is 100-73-2 in 15 seasons.

Fittingly, Hamada is Iolani's only other coach in the 100-win club. In 27 seasons from 1960 to 1968 and 1971-1988, Hamada's record is 156-137-6. His wins are tied for fifth all-time with Hugh Yoshida (156-58-6), an Iolani graduate, who coached at Waialua and Leilehua.

"That was my goal," said Look, a 1978 graduate, of returning to his alma mater. "To come back and give back what I was able to receive (from Iolani as a student). That's the neat thing, to come back and carry on the legacy."

He is the second coach this season to break the century mark. Kahuku's Siuaki Livai reached his 100th when his team won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red championship. After winning the thrilling Division I state title against Punahou, 28-21, on Friday, the 10th-year coach improved his record to 102-20.

Look said the road to the state title started in February with offseason weight training and participation in the summer pass league.

"To see their hard work pay off, that's our satisfaction as coaches," Look said.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.