CJ Caraang | SL

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Faafetai Failauga

Waipahu football  •   #21    

In the Samoan language, Faafetai translates to ‘thank you,' which is certainly fitting in the case of Waipahu junior Faafetai Failauga.

Failauga, a 6-foot, 185-pound running back, carries around with him – at all times – an attitude of gratitude. It's part of what sets Failauga apart from many others, Marauders coach Bryson Carvalho shared.

"What makes him special is him as a person," Carvalho said.

"I've never coached a kid that, when he comes to practice, he shakes every coach's hand – every single coach – and asks, ‘Hey coach, how are you doing today?' Just the nicest kid ever. He's the most respectful kid, he was always really just a good kid and to me, that's what stands out way more than the football part," he added. "He's just a really good kid and you just love having guys like that, it makes coaching him so much more fun, more enjoyable, more worthwhile and then, of course, his capability on the field, that definitely helps."

Failauga's got plenty of on-the-field talents that can standalone, but he turned his production up a notch or two in the postseason for Waipahu, which finished off the season with an emphatic 53-28 win over defending champion Konawaena Saturday night in the title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Championships.

In six non-league or regular-season games this fall, Failauga totaled 32 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns, or an average 5.3 rushes for 21 yards per contest. In the Marauders' four postseason games, however, Failauga amassed 90 carries for 463 yards and four TDs – an average of 22.5 attempts for 115.8 yards per game.

"I couldn't be more proud of him and the deeper we got into the playoffs, the more we got back to being a little bit more balanced on offense, which to me, is ideal because it keeps defenses guessing and they can't cheat against the run or the pass because we have the ability to do both. We have weapons at receiver, but to have a running back of his caliber, that means defenses can't sell out on the pass and forget about our run game and when we incorporate more of a balanced, it showcased his capability and showed how our offense can benefit from his talent," Carvalho said.

Failauga opened postseason play with a 17-carry, 98-yard performance in an OIA semifinal win over Leilehua back on Oct. 27. A week later, he tallied 112 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in the league championship game against Farrington. Two weeks after that, in the state semifinal round, Failauga posted 21 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown in another win over the Govs.

But, Failauga saved his best for last. In Saturday's state championship game, he registered career-highs of 29 carries and 153 yards. Failauga accounted for two touchdowns of his team's four fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Wildcats; He caught a 7-yard TD pass from Elijah Mendoza midway through the period and ran for a 32-yard score a few minutes later.

"To see him have a game like that and how he did it in the most important game of his life up until this point, it really meant a lot," Carvalho expressed.

Failauga's three receptions for 24 yards were also season-high marks and provide a snapshot of his capabilities beyond carrying the football.

"He has the capability to sneak out of the backfield and catch footballs and I think that really helps us and it expanded the plays in our offense. Being able to incorporate him in the passing game is one thing that his skillset allows us to do and when he has the football in his hands, his vision is great," Carvalho said.

Failauga overcame a first-quarter fumble that directly led to the game's first score when the Wildcats returned Failauga's miscue for a 65-yard scoop-and-score.

"The first thing he did after that fumble was come up to me and say, ‘Sorry, coach, it won't happen again,' and just the look in his eyes showed me how determined he was to not let it happen again," Carvalho recalled. "He was extremely focused, he wasn't too down, but he was just ready to get back on the field and prove what he could do."

Failauga, who goes by the nickname ‘Taigah' amongst teammates, averaged 5.3 yards per carry and accounted for 11 total first downs (nine by rush and two via pass reception) Saturday.

"I guess you could say he's slippery, he's elusive. He breaks a lot of tackles by his moves, whether it be a juke move or a jump cut, he finds the right time to do that. A few times in the game on Saturday, you would see him completely stop on a dime then jump cut and pick up another five to 10 yards – stuff you don't normally see too much from running backs," Carvalho said.

Even from the time Failauga was in middle school, Carvalho could see that the he had a world of potential. On top of that, being the younger brother of Alfred Failauga, the state's all-time leading rusher, certainly doesn't hurt.

"I know he looks up to Al a lot and I remember Al making him do workouts and get stronger during that weird, COVID time. I remember seeing on social media how Al would always have him in their backyard, working out with him – Al was on him constantly and didn't allow him to get lazy or jump on video games – but you could tell from when he was in the seventh and eighth grades, playing in youth leagues, that he had the same kind of vision as his brother, but he has his own unique style which he brings to our offense," Carvalho said.

Carvalho said it is through his work ethic and positive attitude that Failauga has endeared himself to his teammates.

"I think he's very well-respected in the locker room. Although he didn't have the title of a captain, he carries himself well and he represented his team well. He's Waipahu through and through – I coached his family and they're all great football players – and he carries that pride of his last name and again, although he doesn't have that title of captain, he definitely fills the role by his actions on and off the field," Carvalho said.

Giving Failauga the ball early and often was a big part of the Marauders' offensive game plan, which sought to limit the time that Konawaena's prolific offense had the ball.

"He was huge for us. The first drive was 22 plays and although he ended up fumbling on that first drive, shoot, he picked up ton of yards for us and then throughout the game and when we really wanted to stay balanced and keeping them guessing and not so much stretching the ball down the field, he pulled through for us big time, picked up some big-time yards for us and then he sealed the deal, I think, in the fourth quarter with his long (touchdown) run down the sideline," Carvalho said.

Failauga's TD run came on his last carry of the night and capped a six-play, 69-yard drive that gave Waipahu a 46-28 lead late in the contest.

"I'm super proud of him and how far he's come, with the decisions he's made, he has made me very, very proud and I look forward to his senior year and what that entails, but I know his future is bright. He and this senior class and the team in general has overcome a lot of adversity, so I couldn't be more proud of them, too," Carvalho said.

After an 0-3 start to the season, the Marauders won eight of their final nine contests to finish with an 8-4 record. Along the way, they captured their second straight and 14^th overall OIA title and second state crown since 2018.

FOOTBALL

Tai Aipia-Barrett, Waipahu — Caught nine passes for 127 yards and a touchdown in a win over Konawaena 

Kameron Apilado, Waimea — Ran eight times for 75 yards and a touchdown, made 2 1/2 tackles on defense and broke up a pass in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Kaili Aradaki, Waimea — Ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Zedekiah Campbell — Ran for 110 yards on 13 carries in a loss to Waimea 

Kenson Casil, Waipahu — Forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in a win over Konawaena

Aaron Dumaslan, Waipahu — Made 2 1/2 tackles and scored on a 27-yard interception return for touchdown in a win over Konawaena 

Kody Erdmann, Waimea — Made 8 1/2 tackles, including one sack, in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Carmine Fautanu-Taetuna, Konawaena — Made eight tackles, including one for a loss, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes in a loss to Waipahu 

Vaaimalae Fonoti, Kahuku — Ran for 116 yards on 28 caries in a win over Mililani 

Keegan Gantala, Kamehameha-Maui — Had 182 all-purpose yards, including six kickoff returns for 108 yards and three receptions for 72 yards, in a loss to Waimea 

Isaiah Iosefa, Waipahu — Made eight tackles in a win over Konawaena 

Davyn Joseph, Mililani — Caught four passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kahuku 

Diezel Kamoku, Kahuku — Scored on an 86-yard punt return for touchdown and caught six passes for 68 yards in a win over Mililani 

Arjay Kelemete, Waipahu — Had five tackles and two sacks in a win over Konawaena 

Kanekoa Maielua-Kekiwi, Kamehameha-Maui — Made 6 1/2 tackles and forced a fumble in a loss to Waimea 

Elias Malapit, Konawaena — Made seven tackles, including one for a loss, in a loss to Waipahu 

Kini McMillan, Mililani — Threw for 264 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-27 passing with an interception and ran for 75 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in a loss to Kahuku 

Elijah Mendoza, Waipahu — Threw for 415 yards and four touchdowns on 39-of-59 passing without an interception in a win over Konawaena 

Keawe Navas Loa, Konawaena — Ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, caught two passes for 74 yards and a touchdown and made four tackles, including one for a loss and scored on a 65-yard fumble return for touchdown in a loss to Waipahu 

Elijah Nua, Mililani — Made eight tackles, including a sack, and recovered a fumble in a loss to Kahuku 

Eric Stephens, Waipahu — Caught 12 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, made two tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another on defense and scored on a 75-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a win over Konawaena 

Tulilele Tagovailoa-Amosa, Kahuku — Threw for 132 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-19 passing without an interception and ran for 26 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in a win over Mililani 

Austin Takaki, Konawaena — Made 8 1/2 tackles and broke up a pass on defense and caught six passes for 41 yards in a loss to Waipahu 

Keona Tam, Waimea — Scored on a 92-yard kickoff return for touchdown and made five tackles in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Allimalu Tan, Konawaena — Made 10 1/2 tackles and scored on a 71-yard kickoff return for touchdown in a loss to Waipahu 

Paani Yap, Kamehameha-Maui — Made seven tackles and recovered a fumble in a loss to Waimea 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Alika Ahu, University Lab — Scored 22 points in a win over Roosevelt 

Levi Damo-Agcaoili, Damien — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kapaa 

Kaine Hahn, Kaiser — Scored 16 points in a win over Le Jardin 

Miles Hornage, Campbell — Scored 27 points in a win over Kaimuki and scored 18 points in a loss to Beckman

Daysen Lupica, Kaimuki — Scored 16 points in a loss to Campbell 

Keaka Kauhane, Kapaa — Scored 18 points in a win over McKinley and scored 30 points in a win over Damien 

Shane Kitty, Le Jardin — Scored 24 points in a loss to Kaiser 

Hunter Marumoto, Maryknoll — Scored 16 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Zion Milllare, Maryknoll — Scored 16 points in a win over Aiea, scored 24 points in a win over Beckman 

Vince Obreros, McKinley — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kapaa 

Giovanni Olivia, Le Jardin — Scored 22 points in a win over Radford 

Maurice Patton, Aiea — Scored 17 points in a win over Kaiser 

Kenna Quitan, University Lab — Scored 18 points in a win over Beckman 

Noah Takahata, Hanalani — Scored 20 points in a win over McKinley 

Jeremiah White, Kaimuki — Scored 16 points in a loss to Campbell 

Caden Williams, Radford — Scored 31 points in a loss to Le Jardin and scored 20 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Maela Honma, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 26 points in a win over Keaau 

Keanu Huihui, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 27 points in a win over Keaau 

Justice Kekauoha, Iolani — Scored 14 points in a win over Kapaa and scored 14 points in a win over Foothill 

Shailoh Liilii, Moanalua — Scored 22 points in a loss to Foothill and scored 14 points in a loss to St. Anthony 

Olivia Malafu, Kapaa — Scored 14 points in a loss to Iolani and scored 29 points in a win over Mililani 

Jolie Mantz, Waiakea — Scored 16 points in a win over Kealakehe and scored 18 points in a win over Kohala 

Brooke Samura, Hawaii Prep — Scored 33 points in a loss to Konawaena