Moanalua quarterback RJ Javar leads the state in passing yards and Waipahu running back Alfred Failauga, Hawaii’s all-time leading rusher, is blowing away everyone else in rushing yards this season.
Yet neither player has a Division I scholarship offer, which remains befuddling after the performance of both in Saturday’s clash at Waipahu.
Javar and Failauga both shined with No. 6 Na Menehune holding off the Marauders 31-28 in an OIA Division I contest.
Javar completed 28 of 45 passes for a career-high 431 yards and four touchdowns for Moanalua, which improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in Division play with the win.
Javar’s passing total left him fifth on the school’s single-game all-time list.
“He looked good. His deep balls were on point for the most part and I was pleased with what he did,” Moanalua coach Savai’i Eselu said.
Jansen York caught 10 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns and Dacyres Domingo had four grabs for 115 yards and one touchdown for Na Menehune.
York’s total put him in the top-10 receiving in a single game in school history.
“To me, I have the best receiving corps. I have to get these playmakers the ball and let them do the rest,” Javar said.
Failauga finished with 28 carries for 202 yards and two touchdowns for Waipahu (2-5, 2-2) with 150 of those yards coming in the second half.
As usual, he was the focus of the opposing team’s defense.
“Alfred is an awesome runner. It’s one of those things where you have to try and figure out a way to contain him,” Eselu said.
Javar leads the state with 151 completions and 1,901 passing yards.
Failauga leads everyone else in Hawaii with 183 rushing attempts for 1,349 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns with a 224.8 yards per game average.
While he may not have breakaway speed, Failauga, who is 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, is a smooth runner with great vision and power.
In the Marauders’ third game of the season, Failauga became the state’s rushing leader by surpassing the mark of 4,549 set by Mililani’s Vavae Malepeai.
Eselu said he’s working on getting Division I scholarship offers for Javar, who is hurt by his size at 5-9 and 150 pounds.
“I’m trying to talk to my friends in the states and we’ll see where it goes from there, but if he keeps chopping away, it’ll come to him,” Eselu said.
Javar might not have the big arm college teams covet, but he’s a solid athlete who could possibly play another position at the next level.
“If they ask me to play QB, I’ll play QB,” Javar said. “I could be an all-around guy pretty much.”
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