No. 6 Farrington storms past No. 9 Kapolei
POSTED: Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Farrington Governors didn't just rain on the Kapolei Hurricanes.
They stormed.
Isiah Iuta returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown and hauled in a 36-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the first half as sixth-ranked Farrington ousted No. 9 Kapolei 37-20 last night.
Farrington (7-2), the second seed from the Red East, will face Leilehua next week in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoffs. Apelu So'oalo, inspired by the presence of his father, rushed for 119 yards, despite a nagging shoulder injury.
“;I want to say thanks to my dad for coming from (American) Samoa for the game,”; So'oalo said of Filemu So'oalo. The senior running back moved to Hawaii a year ago and converted from linebacker to running back. He was near tears after receiving leis from his family after the game, but his prowess and the big production of Farrington's offensive line gave the Hurricanes a dose of misery most of the night.
Farrington amassed 338 total yards, including 202 on the ground (5 yards per carry) behind the front five of Justin Momesea, Lindon Kahana, Paul Kama, Skylawn Folaumahina and Joe Siliga.
“;Coach (James) Passi said to execute. Fire off the ball and do our assignments,”; Kama said. “;Get that running room for our running backs.”;
Head coach Randall Okimoto was pleased, but not satisfied.
“;It was one of our better rushing games, but I'm a little disappointed with our defense for giving up the first score in the first half and second half,”; Okimoto said.
Kapolei (5-4) tallied 251 total yards, but had difficulty moving the chains against a relentless Farrington defense. Linebacker Justin Vele and Sila Tonga had 10 tackles apiece. Iuta finished with eight tackles.
Simione Vehikite had a team-high 10 tackles for Kapolei and Shaydon Akuna had nine, including two sacks. Stellar defensive end Chad Lopati, limping before the game with an ankle injury, did not play extensively.
A crowd of 3,000 at Ticky Vasconcellos saw Kapolei's early surge fizzle out when the Govs scored 31 unanswered points for a 31-7 halftime lead.
Kapolei's promising start, a 12-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with Vehikite's 1-yard touchdown plunge, could've been an omen of things to come. The Hurricanes lined up several players on both sides of the ball.
Though Farrington lost the ball on a fumble during its first possession, it was all Governors for the rest of the half.
The Govs needed only six plays to march 61 yards for their first score. A third-down, 26-yard completion from Dayton Kealoha to Drake Miller — off a tip by Kapolei defensive back Lyle Santiago — gave Farrington first down at the 1-yard line. So'oalo scored easily on the next play with a run on the right side and Farrington tied it at 7-all with 11:57 left in the second quarter.
The next drive covered 60 yards in eight plays, almost exclusively on the ground. Using a mix of shotgun, I and single-back sets, Farrington drove to the Kapolei 9-yard line, where Siaosi Feleunga took a handoff and broke two tackles for the Govs' second touchdown.
Farrington led 14-7 with 5:35 left in the first half.
Moments later, Iuta, a linebacker, slowed down Kapolei's 260-pound fullback, Onosai Faumuina, and stripped the ball away. Iuta raced across the field to the right sideline and galloped 35 yards for a touchdown. The Govs led 21-7 with 5:15 to go in the half.
“;I pulled with all my strength. I got the ball and I saw open field, plus my boys were blocking for me,”; Iuta said.
With penalties derailing Kapolei's offense, Farrington got a 42-yard punt return by James Smith to start the next series at the 'Canes' 15-yard line. Three plays later, So'oalo drilled a 33-yard field goal for a 24-7 lead with 57 seconds left in the half.
Defensive back Vaughn Thomas picked off a pass by Kapolei backup quarterback Trent McKinney to give Farrington the ball again at the 'Canes' 35-yard line. On the final play of the half, Kealoha heaved a long pass down the left hashmark, where Iuta hauled in the pass just over the goal line for another Govs touchdown and a 31-7 lead.
“;We've been working on that play since the beginning of the year,”; Iuta said.
Kapolei regained some momentum with a deliberate 13-play, 88-yard march on its first series of the second half. A 38-yard counter run by Keanu Solidum sparked the drive, and Noah Pascua's 13-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Tagura ended a long scoring drought. Kapolei trailed 31-14 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, Kealoha found Sammy Park open for a 35-yard pass, but Santiago stripped the ball from Park at the 10-yard line. The ball bounded forward and right back into Park's hands in the end zone for a touchdown.
Kapolei, unable to catch a break, trailed 37-14 with 3:01 to go in the third quarter.
The 'Canes finally got a gift when a bad snap on a Farrington punt turned into a sack. Kapolei drove 27 yards and scored on Pascua's 1-yard sneak, cutting the lead to 37-20 with 8:41 remaining.
At Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
| Kapolei (5-4) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | — | 20 |
| Farrington (7-2) | 0 | 31 | 6 | 0 | — | 37 |
Kapo—Simione Vehikite 1 run (Kevin Tanaka kick)
Far—Apelu So'oalo 1 run (So'oalo kick)
Far—Siaosi Feleunga 9 run (So'oalo kick)
Far—Isiah Iuta 35 fumble return (So'oalo kick)
Far—FG So'oalo 33
Far—Iuta 36 pass from Dayton Kealoha (So'oalo kick)
Kapo—Elijah Tagura 13 pass from Noah Pascua (Tanaka kick)
Far—Park fumble recovery (kick blocked)
Kapo—Pascua 1 run (kick blocked)
RUSHING—Kapolei: Vehikite 11-89, Cyril Ontai 11-56, Donnie King 3-32,Pascua 9-22, Onosai Faumuina 2-6, Tagura 1-2, Trent McKinney 2-(-2). Farrington: So'oalo 15-119,Kealoha 7-29, Harry Tuimaseve 10-27, Feleunga 2-14, Park 0-10, Lutua Folaumahina 1-8, Robert Molina 3-2, Ani Isumu 1-1, Tyrell Shipley 1-(-1), team 1-(-7).
PASSING—Kapolei: Pascua 5-9-0-46, McKinney 0-1-1-0. Farrington: Kealoha 6-11-0-136.
RECEIVING—Kapolei: Tagura 3-22, Faumuina 1-11, Travis White 1-13. Farrington: Drake Miller 2-35, Iuta 1-36, Park 1-35, Isumu 1-17, So'oalo 1-13.
