DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
With Kahuku driving toward a game-winning TD late in last night's game, Paea Vaimoui fumbled with under a minute left.
Farrington As Royce Machado walked toward Aloha Stadium's north tunnel last night, he stared at the scoreboard trying to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
stuns Kahuku
The 2-time defending state champ
will not defend its titleBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comBut there it was in big, bright letters and numerals.
Farrington 21, Kahuku 20.
"All we had to do was believe," the Farrington quarterback said after helping the Governors stun the two-time defending state champion Red Raiders in the quarterfinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association football playoffs.
Farrington took advantage of five Kahuku turnovers to dethrone the Red Raiders, who were seeking their fifth consecutive OIA title.
The Governors, who went 2-6-1 last year and lost to Kahuku 35-7 on Oct. 4 this season, advance to the OIA semifinals next Friday and earn a berth in the state tournament with the win.
Kahuku ends its season at 6-3.
"We said it's a dogfight and we had to fight back," Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. "Our defensive coaches did a helluva job just believing in the guys and just stuck with what we had and they pulled it out in the end."
The Governors jolted the Red Raiders by turning two fumbles into a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
Kahuku charged back and took a 20-14 halftime lead, but Farrington scored on its first possession of the second half to reclaim the advantage.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Farrington's Patrick Leauman, left, and Ropati Liua celebrated after the Governors upset Kahuku 21-20 last night.
The final dagger came with just 25 seconds left as Farrington defensive back Jay Ocol recovered a fumble by Kahuku's Paea Vaimoui on the Farrington 15.
"Give them a lot of credit, this is a great win for their program," Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said. "They just made less mistakes and less turnovers than us. We killed ourselves."
The Kahuku defense held Farrington running back Matt Bell, the Governors' leading rusher and receiver, to 73 total yards. But Bell had the final say, scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.
Machado, operating behind a senior-laden offensive line, connected on 13 of 20 passes for 156 yards and scrambled for key first downs.
Receivers Chris Feagaimalii, Dionte Nomaaea and Alvin Faumui did their part by making clutch catches to keep drives alive.
"We needed other guys to step up, that's what happened tonight," Okimoto said.
Farrington's defense set the tone for the upset by recovering Kahuku fumbles to end the Red Raiders' first two offensive possessions.
Machado capitalized by throwing touchdown passes to Feagaimalii (16 yards) and Nomaaea (23 yards).
The Kahuku offense struck back with a five-play drive covering 69 yards and capped by Vaimoui's 4-yard scoring run. The Red Raiders then tied the game on Bronson Ponciano-Ahue's 23-yard scoring pass to Spencer Hafoka.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Paea Vaimoui gave the Red Raiders a 20-14 lead they could not keep last night.
Kahuku took the lead in the second quarter on Vaimoui's second touchdown run.
Farrington stalled on a drive deep in Kahuku territory late in the first half, but the Governors would not be denied on their first drive of the second half as they drove 71 yards in 10 plays and took more than five minutes off the clock.
Bell tied the game with a 1-yard TD plunge and Smith Lafaele's kick gave Farrington a 21-20 lead with 4:48 left in the period.
The Governors stopped a Kahuku drive midway through the fourth quarter, but had to punt the ball back to the Red Raiders with 2:58 left in the game.
"Punting is all right with us," Okimoto said. "I believe in defense. I told my defensive coordinator (Matt Tufono), 'We're going to end the game with you.' That's what we wanted to do."
Vaimoui, who carried the ball on all but one play in Kahuku's final drive, ripped off runs of 28 and 17 yards to move the ball to the Farrington 25 with 2:37 left. The Red Raiders pounded the ball to the 12, when Vaimoui was stripped by Joshua Tili Voa and Ocol recovered to seal the win for Farrington and end Kahuku's reign.
"I just told them in life you have victories and you're going to have defeats. What's important is to pick it up from here and move forward," Livai said.
"Real men will pick up from here and learn from their mistakes and make a positive life. And the underclassmen know they don't like this feeling, so they'll have to go to work tomorrow."
Farrington (6-4) 14 0 7 0 -- 21 Kahuku (6-3) 7 13 0 0 -- 20 Far -- Chris Feagaimalii 16 pass from Royce Machado (Smith Lafaele kick)
Far -- Dionte Nomaaea 23 pass from Machado (Lafaele kick)
Kah -- Paea Vaimoui 4 run (Malo Keama kick)
Kah -- Spencer Hafoka 23 pass from Bronson Ponciano-Ahue (Keama kick)
Kah -- Vaimoui 4 run (run failed)
Far -- Matt Bell 1 run (Lafaele kick)
RUSHING -- Farrington: Bell 18-67, Machado 7-1, Jostin Waialae 7-31. Kahuku: Manu Ngatikaura 6-17, Vaimoui 21-146, Cy Naki3-9, Ponciano-Ahue 7-53, Hafoka 1-13, Hans Fonoimoana 1-3, Sione Fotu 1-4, Waika Carvalho 3-9, Kyle Juliano 3-9.
PASSING -- Farrington: Machado 13-20-0-156. Kahuku: Ponciano-Ahue 5-9-0-119, Carvalho 2-8-1-11.
RECEIVING -- Farrington: Bell 2-6, Feagaimalii 3-66, Nomaaea 6-59, Alvin Faumui 2-25. Kahuku: Hafoka 3-60, Sahavili Latu 2-41, Robert Tuifua 1-16, Tali Tolutau 1-13.
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