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Michael Lasquero | ScoringLiveOctober 29, 2023, 7:10am
Sat, Oct 28, 2023 @ Mililani [ 6:30 pm ]
MILILANI — Davyn Joseph is a certified playmaker.
The senior wide receiver scored three first-half touchdowns as No. 2 Mililani pulled away from No. 3 Campbell, 55-37, in an OIA Open Division semifinal at John Kauinana Stadium Saturday night.
Joseph caught five passes for 94 yards and two scores, but his biggest contribution came on special teams when he returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD as time expired in the first half to give the Trojans a 35-22 advantage at the break.
It was an atoning moment for the Mililani senior, who fumbled on the previous kickoff return. The Sabers then recycled the turnover into a score that made it a one possession game with 11.4 seconds remaining in the first half.
"I really wanted to redeem myself in all honesty," said Joseph, "All the boys was telling me to keep my head up and make a big play. We had couple of seconds on the clock so I just wanted to make up for that mistake. I told my boys I just need a couple of blocks and let me handle the rest and they went out and performed."
It was Joseph's second special teams TD in as many games.
"The game is about momentum and he definitely changed the momentum," Mililani coach Rod York said of Joseph. "We executed, but Campbell is tough. The game was so wild. It was a crazy game. We got lucky."
The Trojans (9-1) now turn their attention towards reigning state and league champion Kahuku, who defeated Mililani in the previous three OIA title games. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. next Saturday at Farrington's Skippa Diaz Stadium at Kusunoki Field.
"We've been waiting for this game. We've been preparing the whole year for this," said York. "Kahuku is always tough because they got great coaching, great players and they play with heart."
With Kini McMillan behind center, the Trojans were firing on all cylinders in the first half as they scored on every possession before the break.
McMillan's 74-yard bomb down the right sideline to Onosai Salanoa got the scoring started before McMillan found Joseph in the back corner of the end zone for a 12-yard score that gave Mililani a 14-7 lead with 2:13 to play in the first quarter.
Campbell turned it over on downs inside its own 30 on the ensuing possession which led to McMilllan's 5-yard TD run on the first play of the second stanza. The Sabers settled for a 31-yard field goal on the next series before McMillan and Joseph connected on a 35-yard TD pass on fourth-and-6 to make it a 28-10 game.
On the first half execution McMillan said: "honestly it's just the offseason work and the chemistry we have with one another. I trust these guys, they trust me, that's what happened tonight."
An 89-yard catch-and-run by Nakoa Kahana-Travis and a 34-yard field goal by Lyric Sarae in the third quarter increased Mililani's lead to 45-22 heading into the final period of play.
But the Sabers (8-3) would not go down quietly.
Rusten Abang-Perez's 17-yard reception from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele stopped Mililani's run with 8:03 left in regulation.
After a Mililani punt, Campbell needed just one play, a 77-yard pass to Rowen-Ray Bucao to reach the end zone. Sagapolutele's pass to Zayden Alviar-Costa on the 2-point conversion cut the deficit to eight points with 6:01 left in the game.
The Trojans needed to punt again on the following series, but that's when Joseph showed his worth again with a 48-yard punt that was downed by Isaiah Padello at the Campbell 8-yard line.
"Just part of my job," said Joseph, who also functions as the team's holder on PATs and field goals. "I just got to put the ball where it needs to be. Give my team the best chance and that's just what I went out and did."
Mililani's defense then turned it up a notch with a sack and two forced incompletions to force a Campbell punt.
The Sabers never got a chance to score the rest of the way as the Trojans netted 10 more points and came down with an interception on Sagapolutele on Campbell's next play from scrimmage.
"Defense had a few kinks, but at the end of the day when it came down to it they balled out," McMillan said of the Trojans defense.
Ejay Tapeni had two sacks, Chevy Robinson and Elton Sue also had quarterback takedowns and Kayden Thomas Anzaldo had the fourth-quarter interception that helped lead to a 50-yard field goal by Sarae for Mililani's final points of the night.
Both Mililani and Kahuku have locked up berths into the Open Division state tournament. Campbell will play Kapolei at a neutral site next weekend to determine who will be the third and final OIA team in the tourney.
Two-time Super Bowl champion and Mililani alumnus Maa Tanuvasa holds up a hand-drawn image of himself during his NFL career while a member of the Denver Broncos.
Trojans retire Tanuvasa's jersey
Mililani honored two-time Super Bowl champion and Mililani alumnus Maa Tanuvasa with a jersey retirement ceremony during the pregame and halftime of the Trojans' playoff game against Campbell. Tanuvasa wore No. 55 during his time at Mililani before going on to play collegiately at the University of Hawaii. He also spent time in the NFL, with his longest stint being with the Denver Broncos.
"Coach Maa, he always says stay humble and stay hungry, that's from him," said York. "We put it on our shirts and it's because of him."
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