Farrington QB Montana Liana gets set to pass the ball against Kamehameha. Liana will sit out Friday's game against Castle due to a knee surgery. Eugene Tanner | SL

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Farrington will be without starting quarterback Montana Liana for Saturday's game at Castle.

Liana, a junior and two-year starter, underwent a minor procedure Wednesday on his knee, Govs' coach Randall Okimoto confirmed. According to Okimoto, Liana sustained the injury nearly a month ago.

"We didn't know, but he took a shot in the knee during our Saint Louis scrimmage, so he was hurting in the Kamehameha game, but he's been trying to fight through it," Okimoto said.

An MRI showed a small tear to Liana's meniscus, but Okimoto sounded optimistic about the "10-minute procedure" and said that he hopes to have Liana back for a Sept. 7 game against Kailua.  

Sophomore Jathen Chaffin or senior Roger Boyd will start at quarterback against Castle, Okimoto said. Chaffin relieved Liana in the Govs' 38-3 loss at Kamehameha and completed 2 of 4 pass attempts for 37 yards. Boyd, a starting safety on defense, has yet to take a snap in a game.

Kickoff between Farrington and Castle is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised live statewide on OC16.

Miano looks forward to Kaiser-Radford game

In a key OIA White Conference game Friday, reigning league champion Radford (3-0 overall, 2-0 league) hosts Kaiser (1-1 overall, 1-0 league).

The showdown features two of the top four teams in the inaugural ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Football Power Rankings. The Cougars, under second-year coach Rich Miano, earned a No. 4 ranking. The Rams, in coach Fred Salanoa's 11th season, is second, just behind No. 1 Lahainaluna.

Both Kaiser and Radford finished 7-1 in conference play last year, but the Rams went on to win its first White title since 2005 while the Cougars' season ended abruptly after they were upset by Nanakuli in the semifinal round.

We caught up with Miano this week to get his thoughts on his team, the game and the OIA White.

ScoringLive: How would you describe your team's current situation in one word?

Rich Miano: "Building. We're trying to build a foundation. We're trying to build on what we've done so far and each and every week we're trying to get better, trying to establish consistency. It's a never-ending challenge to try and get better every week."

SL: When your teams played last year, Kaiser won, 33-14. How is your team different this year?

RM: "I thought Radford was the most athletic team in division last year. I think we're more athletic this year and we have a chance to be real good football team. It's still really early in the season and last year we got better as the season progressed. We have better athletes this year and that hopefully will be a good thing for us in terms of trying to get better."

SL: What have you learned about your team through the first three weeks this season?

RM: "That there's potential to be a very good football team. We just have to possess the ball and take it away defensively, cut down on our mistakes and we have a chance to be a really good football team."

SL: How important is Friday's game to the OIA White race?

RM: "I think it's an important game because us and them (were) the two best teams last year and it's early in season, but it looks like that could be the same scenario this year. To get respect statewide – especially being a White team – we need to come out with victory. At the same time, if we don't win, hopefully we'll have a shot in playoffs. The difference this year is that it's at their stadium, they're 3-0 and playing well, so it's going to be a hostile environment and a great test for us early in the year. We would have liked to play later in the year, but this is a good opportunity to see where we're at in this division."

SL: What can we expect from Friday's game?

RM: "Hopefully good football. I think good, clean, hard-hitting physical football where there is execution and I think that both Radford and Kaiser are Red (Conference)-type teams and have enough talent, so we expect it to be a really good football match up."

Salanoa declined comment when reached by phone Tuesday.

State champ, No. 1 team hit the road

The reigning Division I state champion, Kahuku, and runner-up, Punahou, will be playing out-of-state this weekend.

The Red Raiders, ranked fourth in this week's ScoringLive/OC16 Division I Football Power Rankings, travels to Utah for a non-league game at Salt Lake City's East High School. East, the sixth-ranked team (regardless of division) in the state by The Deseret News, is coming off a 42-24 win over No. 12 Alta last week. The Leopards are also ranked No. 1 in Class 4A in The Salt Lake Tribune.

East High School is located just one-half mile Southwest of the University of Utah campus. It finished 2012 with a 7-6-1 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Region 6, losing to Timpview in the Class 4A state semifinals at the Utes' Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Meanwhile, No. 1-ranked Punahou, heads to Southern California for a non-league contest against Helix High. The Highlanders were tabbed the fourth-ranked team in the CIF San Diego Section in a preseason poll by The San Diego Union-Tribune and will be making their season debut. Helix, which went 10-1 overall and 5-0 in division last year, was picked to repeat as champion of the Grossmont Hills League by the Union-Tribune.

Helix High, whose notable alumni include former NBA great Bill Walton and current NFL players Reggie Bush and Alex Smith, is a charter school located about 10 minutes Southeast of the San Diego State University campus. The Highlanders won a CIF Division II state championship in 2011.

Both games are Saturday.

Jenks to start at QB for Mules Friday

Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda rewards hard work. That's why he plans on starting backups at most positions for Friday's non-league game against Vincent Massey of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Among those in the starting lineup is last year's starting quarterback, Justin Jenks, who has split time at receiver and back-up quarterback after transfer Mack Eberhardt seized the starting job this summer.

"We'll use all three quarterbacks, (but) I think we'll start with Justin (Jenks), just to reward him for his attitude and how he's embraced his role," Tokuda said. " There are opportunities for all our scout guys – they never get their names announced, they never get into games – it's an opportunity for us to start them. The first three or four plays, we'll have those guys in. They deserve it. They're part of the team, no matter what, so we're going to have their names announced."

Tokuda expects a stiff challenge from the visiting Trojans, who compete in the top division (AAA) in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

"I went to see them, they looked like adults," Tokuda said. "We're going to have our work cut out for us."

The game between Leilehua and Vincent Massey kickoffs at 7 p.m. and will be televised live statewide on OC16.

Breaking the habit

A total of ten teams statewide remain without a win after the first three weeks of the season. Among the winless teams are traditional OIA power Farrington (0-2) and perennial BIIF frontrunner Kealakehe (0-1).

The Govs and Waveriders are back in action Saturday with a chance to break through with league games at Castle and Keaau, respectively.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, there are still eight teams that remain undefeated entering the weekend. That includes five teams in the SL/OC16 D1 power rankings and two from the D2 power rankings.

One thing is certain: there will be at least one less unbeaten after Friday night when the second-ranked Crusaders meet the third-ranked Warriors at Aloha Stadium.