HHSAA Football
Mililani dominates Campbell, 41-7; advances to first title game


   



Fri, Nov 15, 2013 @ Aloha Stadium [ 4:30 pm ]


Final 1 2 3 4 T
Campbell (9-4-0) 0 0 0 77
Mililani (11-2-0) 7 21 7 641
McKenzie Milton 170 yd 2 TD
Isaac Hurd 127 yd
Vavae Malepeai 76 yd 1 TD
Isaac Hurd -8 yd 1 TD
Bronsen Ader 30 yd 1 TD

No drama this time around.

Mililani sprinted out of the blocks and dominated Campbell, 41-7, Friday night in a semifinal of the First Hawaiian Bank Division I state football tournament at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

The Trojans (11-1), second in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Division I Power Rankings, will play No. 1 Punahou (10-0) next Saturday for the championship. Mililani will take a 10-game winning streak into its first trip to the title game; its only loss was to the Buffanblu, 24-14, in preseason. The all-time series is tied at 2.

The No. 6 Sabers (9-4) end their season with their highest finish in Division I; they won the Division II state title in 2004. Two of their losses were to Mililani, which rallied from a 21-7 half-time deficit in a 42-21 win during the regular season.

Last year, Punahou ended Mililani's season in the semifinals, which the Trojans also lost in 2010.

"Last year, we took third place," Trojans guard Andru Tovi said. "This year, we're going to take it all the way."

A bold statement, but bold is how the Trojans played all night in frustrating the Sabers. The Trojans rolled up 348 yards of offense and their defense was equally effective, containing the Sabers to 155 yards. Quarterback Isaac Hurd was just 9 of 24 for 127 yards. He was sacked 11 times, but scored the team's only touchdown on a 31-yard run.

"Overall, they're an awesome team," Campbell coach Amosa Amosa said. "That's a great team right there, offensive, defensively."

The Sabers were without senior offensive guard Adam Amosa, one of the top linemen in the state, with a knee injury he sustained last week in the Hilo game. Also, another lineman, Boss Tafai, saw limited action because a similar injury.

"That doesn't take away from Mililani," Amosa said. "They were awesome on defense."

Strangely, the Trojans turned over the ball four times, three by fumbles, including one at the Sabers' 2. But Campbell was unable to capitalize on any of the gifts.

"Everything's on our defense," Mililani coach Rod York said. "Our defense played well and our offense played good enough to win."

Indeed, as Mililani's first three scores began with good field position because its defense pinned the Sabers deep in their territory. The Trojans scoring drives started at their 43 and at Campbell's 46- and 44-yard lines.

A tell-tale sign came early for the Trojans. They faced fourth-and-12 from the Sabers' 44 when sophomore QB McKenzie Milton dropped back to pass, could not find a receiver, and scrambled for 14 yards and a first down. Four plays later, he hit tight end Kalakaua Timoteo on a fade into the end zone to complete a 12-yard TD pass. Marc Matas' PAT gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead with 5:38 in the first quarter.

"We're fortunate enough where we have playmakers," York said. "Our quarterback has turned into a playmaker this year and sometimes we get lucky and we'll take the play."

"I knew I needed a couple more yards, so I lowered my shoulder and go the first down," Milton said.

Milton, who was sacked once (by Isaiah Gibson) and intercepted once (by Abiel Taito), was awarded the OC 16 player of the game award, which he desperately tried to give to his offensive line. But the linemen weren't having any of it, as they kept giving it back to their quarterback.

"They're unbelievable," Milton said of his offensive linemen. "They kill themselves for me every day at practice, every game. I love these guys to death."

"We have to win the trenches," sophomore right guard Andru Tovi said. "We have to beat them off the ball. As coach says, 'It starts up front, ends up front.'"

After taking the 7-0 lead, the Trojans stalled a bit when tailback Vavae Malepeai fumbled at the Sabers' 2 on the 13th play of the drive, which started at the Trojans' 16.

It didn't matter. The defense forced the Sabers to punt from their 12 and the Trojans took over at the Sabers' 46. Five plays later, Milton connected with wide receiver Bronson Ader, a transfer from Campbell, on a 24-yard TD pass to make it 14-0 with 8:07 in the half.

Campbell punted after its ensuing series from its 10 and Mililani took over at the Sabers' 44. After pass completions of 18 and 23 yards, fullback Dayton Furuta banged his way into the end zone from the 3 to make it 21-0 with 6:55 in the half.

The Sabers punted again, this time from their 15. Kainoa Wilson went left behind a wall of blockers, but back in to complete a 54-yard return for a TD to make it 28-0 with 4:28 in the half. On the play, Campbell Josiah Mageo was injured and the game, delaying the game about 25 minutes before he was stabilized on a stretcher and taken off the field by a cart. Mageo suffered an injury to his neck, "a pinched nerve," Amosa said. Amosa said Mageo was able to squeeze hard with his hands and taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The Trojans sealed the game in the third quarter when they orchestrated an 18-play, 97-yard drive that ended with Furuta scoring from the 1 to make it 35-0 with 1:28 on the clock. The differential started the mercy rule running clock.

Campbell lost the ball on its next series when Rex Manu sacked and forced a Hurd fumble at the Sabers' 22. Two plays later, Malepeai bolted for a 16-yard TD run, but the PAT failed to leave the game at 41-0.

The Sabers turned off the running clock with 3:33 left in the game on Hurd's 31-yard TD run.

"Hopefully, we set the bar for upcoming years," Amosa said. "We want to be likes of Mililani, Farrington, Punahou, Leilehua. I'm grateful for what we had this year. But hat's off to Rod (York) and his staff and Mililani. They played a hell of a game tonight."

The story isn't over for Mililani.

"We're not satisfied," York said before the conclusion of the Punahou semifinal. "We're in it to win it. We'll take it to Punahou…or Farrington."



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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