[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Bell comes through
for Farrington
The Farrington Governors rested their hopes of a return to the state football tournament on the shoulders of Matt Bell, and the senior delivered with three touchdowns to carry the Governors to a 21-7 victory over Pearl City in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoff game last night at the Chargers' field.
Bell rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown and scored twice through the air to lead the Governors to the conference semifinals and a berth in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament.
"In playoff football you have to give it to your best players, so we had to take advantage of his talents and he did well tonight," Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said.
The Farrington defense gave up 315 yards passing, but made up for it with 10 sacks and three interceptions.
The Governors (5-3-1) advance to face Kahuku on Friday at Aloha Stadium in a rematch of last year's OIA quarterfinal upset in which Farrington ended the Red Raiders' two-year reign as state champions.
"(Kahuku is) the team to beat this year and we're going to have a fight before us," Okimoto said.
Pearl City quarterback Jensen Cabanero completed 24 of 35 passes for 315 yards, with Royce Yuen accounting for 117, but the Chargers couldn't break through against the Governors' defense in the second half.
"We kept falling short and we couldn't sustain our drives. It was one of those days," said Pearl City coach Onosai Tanuvasa, whose team ended its season at 6-3. "My kids gave it everything they've got."
Pearl City jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Cabanero hit Nathaniel Nasca on a short hitch to the left. Nasca broke a tackle and raced down the sideline for an 80-yard score.
Cabanero completed 12 of 14 passes for 211 yards in the first half, but was also sacked five times to short-circuit promising drives.
Farrington's defense set up the Governors' first two scores. An interception by Jerome Crisostomo led to a 9-yard touchdown pass from Eti Atonio to Bell to tie the game.
After Daniel Tauaefa recovered a fumble for Farrington early in the second quarter, Atonio found a wide-open Bell for a 20-yard touchdown.
Bell extended the Governors' lead with a 47-yard run. He ran into a wall up the middle, but bounced outside, juked a defensive back and went untouched to the end zone.
"He's a one-man team," Tanuvasa said. "We knew what we were up against and we couldn't make mistakes and we just made too much."
Heavy rains at halftime and in the third quarter turned the field sloppy, and Farrington helped Pearl City stay in the game by losing three fumbles in the second half.
But the Chargers couldn't capitalize as Farrington's Fetaiagogo Fonoti registered five sacks and Josaiah Milo contributed four.
"One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to get to where we were last year," Bell said. "We worked hard all week just to extend our season."
At Pearl City H.S. field
PC -- Nathaniel Nasca 80 pass from Jensen Cabanero (Steven King kick)
Farrington (5-3-1) 7 14 0 0 -- 21 Pearl City (6-3) 7 0 0 0 -- 7
Far -- Matt Bell 9 pass from Eti Atonio (Ropeti Gafa kick)
Far -- Bell 20 pass from Atonio (Gafa kick)
Far -- Bell 47 run (Gafa kick)
RUSHING -- Farrington: Bell 18-152, Atonio 6-9, Ameko Vaimasanuu 6-19, Jostin Waialae 4-21, Harrison Harris 1-0. Pearl City: Royal Kaua 7-19, Cabanero 15-(-41), Michael Yamauchi-Yamate 1-0, Dale Valledor 1-(-3).
PASSING -- Farrington: Atonio 8-14-1-138. Pearl City: Cabanero 24-35-3-315, Chaston Bertola 1-1-0-25.
RECEIVING -- Farrington: Alvin Faumui 1-29, Bell 5-63, Waialae 1-38, Vaimasanuu 1-8 . Pearl City: Nasca 2-91, Keone Peiper 6-72, Royce Yuen 8-117, Valledor 3-21, Michael Tanuvasa 5-39.
Junior varsity -- Pearl City 21, Roosevelt 14
