First Quarter
Kahuku won the toss and defers. Farrington to receive the opening kickoff.
Opening drive: Govs mixing it up with two passes on its first two plays, then a double-tight end, shotgun handoff to Sanele Lavatai.
More: Another nice wrinkle following a more standard I-set. Govs went to a pistol set, offset I, throwing for a first down. Red Raiders can’t tee off on first down against the Govs right now. Nice play calls. Ace formation, trips right, Montana Liana swings a pass to Sanele Lavatai. Not sure if Kahuku has been prepping for this series.
5:48 – The Govs cap a 6-minute drive with a 1-yard sneak by Liana on fourth down. Quick count and he got in easily. Kekoa Sasaoka drills the PAT. Farrington 7, Kahuku 0.
1:03 – Govs had fourth and 7 at the Kahuku 33. Instead of a 50-yard field goal try by Kekoa Sasaoka — well within his range — they bluffed and tried to draw the Red Raiders offside. Didn’t work. Instead, they execute a pretty punt that bounces around the 20 and stops inside the 1-yard line. That’s some serious special teams skills. But I still think they could’ve kicked that field goal.
Second quarter
10:30 – Kahuku play-action on third and 8 results in a sack back its 1-yard line. Govs ball after the punt return on Kahuku’s 30. Govs come out aggressively with the pass again out of a three-wide, offset I pistol formation. Creativity.
Same formation, lob down the sideline to Jacob McEnroe to the 1-yard line.
9:51 – Sanele Lavatai blasts over on the next play for the Govs’ second touchdown. Farrington 14, Kahuku 0.
7:48 – Kahuku ball after a Farrington punt. That came after a third-down pass by Liana intended for Lavatai that clearly was pass interference. Side judge probably thought Lavatai was blocking… 20 yards away from his quarterback in the flat? I think the Govs’ passing game is surprising the officials as much as fans. It happens.
Red Raiders punted back to Farrington. Unable to get anything going on the ground, even on first and 5 after a Govs penalty. They’re determined to establish the running game, unwilling to throw on first down.
Govs started their new series with a handoff out of the I. Kahuku has bottled up most everything Farrington has run out of the I. Looks like the Govs just want to run this clock out, 5 minutes left in the half. Third and 9, handoff to Lavatai, cracked in the backfield. Govs playing conservative now. Too early for that?
3:49 – Kahuku started at its 49 after the punt return, but got flagged on a first-down gain by Tuli Wily-Matagi for a personal foul.
:19 – Fourth and 1 at their 49, the Govs call time out. Then they line up, Liana starts barking the cadence and nobody jumps offside. Another timeout. It was bluffing all the way, poker face. Govs punt, Kahuku gets it back with 11 ticks left in the half. With a kicker like Sasaoka, who can nail it from 60 yards out on a good day, some coaches would’ve tried to get the ball inside the 40 or 35 with the risk of a pick-6, maybe.
Manly Williams intercepted a Hail Mary by Wily-Matagi on the final play of the half. He laterals to Tre Boyd, who can’t pick up any ground and is forced out at midfield as time expires.
Watching Govs coach Randall Okimoto call a game is like watching a football game in the 1970s, a Monsters of the Midway classic. Who can blame him for playing it safe when his defense has Kahuku’s offense in lockdown? He understands the value of field position, which is why he preferred to pooch punt earlier and pin Big Red on its 1-yard line.
Halftime: Farrington 14, Kahuku 0.
Third quarter
7:03 – Govs throw on first down, receiver trips and can’t make the catch. Then they fumble up the middle, Kahuku recovers. Wily-Matagi on the first play after sudden change: deep throw to a wide-open receiver, but it’s overthrown at the 10-yard line.
Another three-and-out punt by Kahuku, but Farrington’s returner muffs it. Govs recover. That’s the second time in this quarter they’ve recovered their own fumble.
3:05 – Liana scrambled out of trouble, stopped and got popped from behind, losing the ball. It looked like a Kahuku fumble recovery, but officials have ruled it’s Govs ball. Not sure what happened.
Fourth quarter
9:41 – The Red Raiders finally get on the scoreboard. Polikapo Liua Jr. blasts over the left side for a 5-yard touchdown run. They no-huddled most of the way downfield, playing with a sense of urgency. Farrington 14, Kahuku 7.
8:50 – The Govs are sticking with their basic I formation and it’s not working. The double-tight ace set (pistol), haven’t seen it since the first quarter. The pistol offset-I is almost always a pass play. The Kahuku secondary has to know this by now.
Sack, run, run. Govs lose eight yards and will punt. Creativity no more.
5:51 – Red Raiders wanted to throw on first down. Wily-Matagi wound up scrambling for a nice gain, but it was run and run after that and Kahuku got stonewalled. Punt back to the Govs.
3:43 – Lavatai runs for a big first down, then a 9-yard gain on first and 10. Kahuku defense tiring.
1:17 – The Govs fumbled the ball away at the Kahuku 21-yard line in the final minutes, but the Red Raiders failed to take advantage. Farrington tacked on a late touchdown on Lavatai’s 5-yard run for a final 21-7 win.
Lavatai.