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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Farrington’s best effort
was not enoughWHAT are you going to do? What can anyone do? You can play your heart out, as Farrington did last night, and Kahuku will still beat you. You can force the Red Raiders into 10 fumbles, and somehow, they will still win. You can have perhaps the best all-around player in the state -- Matt Bell, Matt Bell, he does everything well -- and Kahuku still pounds you, then pulls away in the end.
But you ... any single mistake -- you miss one tackle, throw one interception, find yourself out of position for just a split second or two -- and it's a first down, a touchdown, it's the game. You look up, and it's 35-7.
Sooner or later, no matter how tough you play them, a guy in a red helmet is running over or by somebody to put away the game.
Athletes. They've got them. Talent. Most teams have one fast guy, or two. At Kahuku, everybody's fast (you get held to 3-yard kick returns, they're so fast), and the ones who aren't are big.
Some of them are both, which is unfortunate for people who get in their way.
"They come off the ball with a purpose," was how Bell put it.
Yeah, you'd better be perfect against Kahuku.
And, as everyone says, nobody is.
But Kahuku isn't perfect either, that's the maddening thing. The fumbles proved it. The penalties and the interception, too. Kahuku is always imperfect, very much so.
And equally unstoppable.
Very much so.
What are you going to do?
What could anyone do?
"It's really frustrating," Bell said, after having seen it a third time. "It's really heartbreaking."
He'd tried, running, returning, receiving. Punting.
(A lot of punting.)
Fetaiagogo Fonoti recovered fumbles, he tackled everyone who came near him. "Mostly because of practice," he said.
Laupo Kivaha played much of the night on Kahuku's side of scrimmage.
For Farrington, what a game.
The Govs did everything they could.
But Kahuku is too much again. This is a high school team that issues double numbers.
These guys don't even punt. (The closest they got was the formation, and then Afa Garrigan raced for a 38-yard fake.)
They return them. Toriano Taulogo's third-quarter touchdown featured two katooshes.
Talent and intensity and sparks. It was an electric picket fence.
No, they're a long way from perfect, but Siuaki Livai always seems to get Kahuku ready to play for the end. For the fourth quarter. For this.
And now they're warming up, throwing passes too, perfect spirals for Spencer Hafoka and Tevita Finau.
Where did that come from?
It's enough to break your heart if you're Farrington, playing with all you've got, only to see a guy with a red helmet running free again.
Farrington gave everything last night, and knew it, crying, hugging, ending its season with emotional dances and songs.
But last night Kahuku was still unstoppable. The Red Raiders are in the state final again. Just when you think you've got a chance, they're too everything. Again.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com
