Mililani keeps rolling

McKenzie Milton never lost faith, even with a big mistake just before halftime.

The first-year starting quarterback rebounded in the second half, scoring on a busted play, as No. 4 Mililani put up 35 unanswered points en route to a 42-21 win over No. 6 Campbell on Saturday at John Kauinana Stadium.

Mililani improved to 4-0 in the OIA Red West (5-1 overall). Since losing to Punahou in an interleague game, the Trojans have won four in a row, averaging 40 points per game. They host Leilehua on Friday and Aiea the week after that, eyeing a possible first-round bye in the playoffs.

It was a coming-of-age night for Milton, whose end-zone pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown by Solomon Matautia just seconds before the half. With his team down 21-7, he then fired two second-half touchdown passes to spark the rally.

"I’m so proud of the guys coming together as a team. We started out shaky, but we found a way to come together and get the win," said Milton, who passed for 211 yards (19-for-25). "We were going up-tempo a lot and we have, I think, one of the best O-lines in the state and one of the best running backs in the state with (Vavae Malepeai)."

Malepeai finished with 187 yards and a touchdown on 26 rushes, overcoming an early fumble that led to a Sabers touchdown.

Campbell’s two-game win streak came to a close. The Sabers (4-2) dropped to 2-2 in conference play.

"We didn’t sustain any drives (after halftime)," coach Amosa Amosa said. "Part of it is (lack of) execution on our part. We sputtered. I don’t know if it was the (wet) weather, but that was the best front we’ve seen."

It was an astounding turnaround for the Trojans, who trailed 21-7 at the half and didn’t look much like a team that had been unbeaten in the rugged Red West.

But Milton found Preston Sinn for a 6-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter and Mililani’s defense went into lockdown mode. The Trojans’ hurry-up offense took a toll on Campbell’s defense.

"They’re a very quick defense," Mililani coach Rod York said.

Milton lost the handle on a draw handoff to Malepeai, tucked the ball away and darted his way to a 46-yard touchdown run. Campbell still had a 21-20 lead with 3:12 left in the third when the Trojans missed the PAT kick.

But the momentum was completely on Mililani’s side. Milton found Bronsen Ader for a 15-yard scoring strike as the Trojans took the lead for good, 28-21, with 11:50 remaining.

With the Trojans shading over to contain Campbell’s dangerous quarterback, Isaac Hurd, it was the visiting Sabers who committed key turnovers after intermission. Hurd misfired downfield and was intercepted by Jaren Zadio, who returned the ball 60 yards to paydirt, giving Mililani a 35-21 lead with just over eight minutes to play.

A late touchdown run up the middle from 12 yards out by Malepeai with 4:22 left sealed it for sure as the Trojans remained perfect in Red West play.

The Sabers, coming off a comeback win over Waianae last week, started strong. Hurd scored on a 1-yard sneak and then found Jayce Bantolina in stride for a 57-yard bomb. Both touchdowns came after Mililani turnovers.

The Trojans scored early in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Dayton Furuta, who had a standout game with two sacks. He finished with 45 yards rushing.

Mililani drove late in the half, but Milton’s pass into the end zone sailed and was picked off by Matautia, who ran the ball back 100 yards for a touchdown with 5.3 ticks left.

Hurd finished with 107 passing yards and 23 rushing yards.