Farrington fans cheer on their team in the first half against Kahuku. Evan Asato | SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

Farrington got into the rhythm early against Kahuku.

I'm not talking about the early lead the Governors put on the defending O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red champion Red Raiders. I'm talking about when they sang the Kalihi school's alma mater.

For maybe three decades, it has been tradition for the Farrington football players lead the student cheering section in the alma mater. For whatever reason, not that it was wrong, the players sang it as if they were double parked. They would begin in accelerando and end in vivace (lively and fast).

But Farrington's alma mater is supposed to be performed in adagio, or at ease. That is how the student cheering section sang their alma mater Thursday night. If you don't believe that's song's pace, go to the school's website at farringtonhighschool.org. It has a band recording of the alma mater.

"Maybe that's why we won," Farrington principal Al Cargonilla said.

It was homecoming and the student body showed tremendous interest in attending the Thursday night game at Aloha Stadium. Cargonilla said the school rented five buses just for the students.

Governors' coach Randall Okimoto said the students asked if they could lead the alma mater. He thought that was an omen.

"The fact that they wanted to do it, it was a good sign," Okimoto said.

With the win, Farrington secures the Red East's top seed and will draw a first-round bye to the OIA Red Tournament. It will host a quarterfinal against the winner of the East 4-West 5 first-round game the weekend of Oct. 18-19.

So will the Governors continue to sing their alma mater the way it's supposed to be?

"We'll try," Okimoto said.