Sanele Lavatai may have scored the teams' lone touchdown in the Governors' win over Campbell last Thursday, but it was their defensive line that dominated the whole night.

The Sabers' offense was averaging an astounding 354.3 yards of total offense in nine games before running into the buzz saw that is the Farrington front four. Campbell only managed 119 yards of total offense in the game, way below their season average. The defensive line was the main reasons why Campbell was held scoreless for the first time this season.

Studs on the Govs' defensive line are seniors Motu Heimuli, Nolan Eseroma, and Aaron Kesi. The lone junior on the defensive front is tackle Breiden Fehoko, someone who Okimoto says plays like a senior.

"They played well and they're improving every week," said Farrington coach Randall Okimoto on his defensive line. "The key is as big as they are, they're able to play the whole game; credit to them because they conditioned well."

Campbell quarterback Isaac Hurd -- triggerman of the Saber run-and-shoot offense – found himself avoiding pressure for most of the night. Hurd averaged 232.5 yards passing during the regular season, but he only passed for a measly 65 yards against the Govs. The 6-foot-1, 195-lb senior quarterback can also take off for big runs on the ground, but the Farrington defensive line contained that as well.

"We knew that (Campbell) had a good quarterback, very mobile," said Okimoto on Hurd. "They've been scoring a lot of points over the season; we just wanted to contain (Hurd). That was our goal and our defense really stepped up tonight. A lot of seniors on our defense so they have a lot invested in this (game). They didn't want this game to be their last and final chance at an OIA championship game."

The entire Saber running game was a neutralized for most of the night, finishing with only 54 yards on 22 carries. Out of those 22 carries, ten were for loss with nine made by the defensive front four. Hurd led the team in rushing with 39 yards, but he needed 12 carries to do so.

"Ike (Hurd) had some runs here and there, but we weren't able to get the ball off," said Campbell coach Amosa Amosa after the loss. "They were really strong up front, very active; we haven't seen that kind of front, those types of players all year long. That kind of gave us some problems on the offensive line."

Hurd was limited to just 19 pass attempts, with six of those thrown under duress. A third of those pass attempts could have been sacks if it weren't for Hurd's athleticism extending some plays in the pocket. The senior quarterback managed to only get sacked twice, despite getting hounded all night.

"They got size up front, they got strength, they got speed," said Amosa on the Governors' defensive line. "Their defense did a real good job against us; I give my hats off to Farrington. We had some guys open in the beginning, but we just weren't consistent enough (for it) to help us."

The only member of the front four to bring Hurd down in the backfield was Heimuli. The 6-foot-2, 266-lb defensive lineman had two sacks on the night, unofficially giving him ten on the year.

"It was outstanding," said Heimuli on the impact the defensive line had on the game. "This was the most pressure we put up in the last few games. I felt like I did pretty good (even though) I missed a couple of tackles and sacks, but I came back strong."
The Governors are hoping that this strong defensive effort can carry over into the OIA Red championship game against Mililani this Friday.

"All of them get along, that's the key; this team gets along," said Okimoto about his team after the win. "To go from 0-2 to get into the championship game, it says something about these guys. What a blessing for us; God is with this team and just I got to say thank you to my Lord and Savior."