Farrington backs are too much for Kapolei

One power back went down and the other stepped up.

Tyler Taumua rushed for 116 yards and ran for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter as No. 3 Farrington outlasted Kapolei 20-10 on Friday night at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.

With the win, Farrington advanced to the semifinals of the OIA Red playoffs.

Defense was key again for Farrington. The Govs had five sacks of Kapolei quarterback Aizon Kahana.

Taumua carried the ball 22 times and was persistent inside and outside against a swarming Kapolei defense led by middle linebacker Micah Paris. His play was key for the ground-and-pound Govs, who lost their other elite rusher, Abraham Silva, in the first half.

Silva went down after taking a hit to the left knee on a red-zone run. He needed help leaving the field. The Govs have relied on the combined talents of Silva and Taumua behind their powerful offensive line.

Silva returned in the second half and finished the game with 157 yards on 26 carries despite the sore knee.

Taumua’s touchdown — he lined up at quarterback and followed a lead block up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown — capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive that gave Farrington a 17-10 lead with 11:44 remaining. After a quick Kapolei three and out, the Govs drove and got a 27-yard field goal from Justin Tamashiro, his second of the game, and led 20-10 with 7:18 to go.

"I had to take that next step forward and take over and hopefully do good until (Silva) came back. Kapolei was fast and they were going low," Taumua said.

Farrington’s defense took command from there. Linebacker Austin Faumui ended the next Hurricanes drive by recovering a fumble, and Tre Boyd’s interception with 1:24 ended the ‘Canes’ final threat.

"You don’t get a prize for almost. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back next year, so I’m hopeful for the future of this group," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "We had two games (at midseason) we were outscored 92-0 and we looked terrible, but tonight showed we’re for real. We couldn’t pull it off, but I’m proud of these guys."

The Govs couldn’t shake off the ‘Canes, who matched Farrington field goal for field goal and touchdown for touchdown until the final quarter.

"The first half, we only had 20 plays. It was kind of like the Kailua game," Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. "We had to keep doing what we do."

Each team came out determined to win the battle in the trenches and control the ball — and the clock.

Kapolei ground out a 16-play drive to open the game. The ‘Canes got to the Farrington 21-yard line but eventually punted.

Kapolei’s possession took seven minutes and 18 seconds, but the Govs lined up and hammered away. They went on a 22-play drive to the Kapolei 5-yard line before a holding call on Taumua’s TD run sank it. Justin Tamashiro’s 38-yard field goal gave the Govs a 3-0 lead with 9:36 left in the first half.

Kapolei eventually got on the board after a 21-yard strike from Kahana to Alton Julius on a post route. Brandon Begonia’s 40-yard field goal tied the game at 3-all as time expired in the first half.

Silva scored on a 4-yard run on Farrington’s opening series of the second half, but Kapolei answered right back on a nifty catch and cutback play for a 48-yard touchdown by Kaeo Kanoa. That tied the game at 10 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.