If both teams follow their season scripts, Friday's First Hawaiian Bank Division II State Football Semifinal on Maui should be a thriller.

Defending champion Iolani visits the Valley Isle to play King Kekaulike, 7:30 p.m., at War Memorial Stadium. Na Ali'i (6-3-1) are making their tournament debut, while the Raiders (6-5-1) are in their third consecutive tournament, having made the finals the last two years.

Each team has had heart-thumping wins, heart-breaking losses and heart-numbing ties. Yet, each is a win away from the championship game.

"The kids are excited to go," Iolani coach Wendell Look said of having to travel for the first time in the team's three tournament appearances. "It's something different."

This is the first meeting between the schools. The Maui Interscholastic League Division II champion Na Ali'i played varsity football for the first time in 1997.

First-year King Kekaulike coach J.W. Kenton and his staff scouted the Raiders the last two weekends in games against Damien and Kaimuki. Look said he has only seen video of a King Kekaulike game from earlier in the season.

On paper, they are similar, but Na Ali'i have a slight size advantage.

"They're not overly big," Look noted. "But they execute real well."

"We're the smallest of the physical teams on Maui," Kenton added.

Both rely on their quickness to finesse opponents.

King Kekaulike has a dangerous running back in Shannon Kamakaokalani, who has rushed for 1,102 yards and leads the state with 143 points. The 5-foot-4, 140-pound senior also plays on all special teams and occasionally some defense.

"He's our Mr. Everything," Kenton said. "He plays everywhere."

Kenton said his team uses a hybrid version of a wing-T. As the season has gone along and the players have picked up on the intricacies of the offense, Kenton said he has been able to add more plays.

"We've started opening up a little more," he said.

That probably accounts for Na Ali'i's second-half surge in which they combined for 151 points in wins against Pac-Three, Maui and Kamehameha. They nearly tied MIL Division I champion Baldwin, only to lose in the closing seconds on a 46-yard field goal from the free-kick formation (no defensive rush), 25-22. Na Ali'i then played Lahainaluna to a 14-14 tie.

"That offense is very deceptive," Look said. "They run the ball well. We have to stop the run."

The Raiders' defense is epitomized by their under-sized linemen in Christian Siania and Scott Elliott. Both are 5 feet 9, yet hold their ground. Linebackers Bryce Kato, Carl Gibson and Jarom Baldomero will have their linemen control the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Kela Marciel and free safety Daniel Takami have been consistent defenders of the pass.

Offensively, the Raiders still run-and-shoot their opponents. Quarterback Ryan Dung (2,044 yards passing and 15 TDs) spreads his throws to Lionel Fujioka (47 receptions for 677 yards, 6 TDs), Ronnie Hirokawa (30 for 562, 4 TDs), Aaron Fong (24 for 453, 3 TDs) and Reid Furukawa (26 for 212, 1 TD).

"They're a smaller version of Baldwin basically," Kenton said of the Raiders. "On Maui, Baldwin is the only one that throws the ball consistently well. But Iolani's more balanced. They run more, especially with the quarterback and their running back."

Na Ali'i are looking for big games from linebackers Randen Abafo and Daniel McKeague, as well as from defensive backs Jesse Henderson (6-3, 190) and Michael Douglas (5-9, 170).

King Kekaulike has been been off the last two weekends.

"We haven't hit anybody (else) for three weeks," Kenton said. "They're eager to hit somebody besides themselves."

Meanwhile, the Raiders held on for dear life against relentless Kaimuki in a 41-40 win in last week's opening round.

"We learned a lot from Kaimuki about toughness, about never giving up," Look said. "They taught us a few things."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.