The competition to replace Jarin Morikawa at the controls of the Mililani offense continued Friday night.
Morikawa had nine games over 300 yards over the last two seasons, including a school-record 408 in a win over Waipahu last year. The first start of the new season went to senior Robert Faleafine, who alternated quarters with sophomore McKenzie Milton in Mililani’s 39-9 win over Moanalua.
The contenders brought contrasting styles into the season opener while combining for 222 passing yards.
Given ample time by the Trojans offensive line, the 6-foot-3 Faleafine stood tall in the pocket and delivered the ball well, primarily on short throws, early in the game. He went 3-for-3 on Mililani’s first drive and completed seven of his first eight passes. He finished at 12-for-21 for 113 yards with an interception.
Milton (5-11, 150 pounds) scrambled for gains of 11, 20 and 23 yards in the first half. He lost a fumble and threw an interception on his first two drives of the first half, but settled in and went 8-for-10 with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
“Rob did well, but then he missed a couple throws. McKenzie came in and missed a couple reads, so it’s an ongoing process,” Mililani coach Rod York said.
“There’s positives and there’s negatives, so we work on our negatives.”
They spread the receptions among 11 receivers, with Bronsen Ader catching a game-high eight passes for 66 yards.
The pass game was balanced by running back Vavae Malepeai’s 74 yards on just six carries. York indicated the run will be a more prominent in the offense this season, but wanted to work on ironing out the passing game in the opener.
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