Mililani grounds Campbell

McKenzie Milton didn’t play in Mililani’s appearance in last year’s state tournament semifinal, but he still felt the pain of the loss.

The Trojans fell to Punahou to end their season with Milton, then a freshman up from the junior varsity, taking in the atmosphere on the Aloha Stadium sideline.

The sophomore quarterback had a far bigger role on Friday as the Trojans extended their season one step beyond last year’s march with a 41-7 win over Campbell in a Division I semifinal of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championship.

“We’ve been in this situation before, got to the semifinals and we didn’t come out on top. We’re happy to get it, but we want one more. We’re not satisfied yet,” Milton said.

While Milton orchestrated a Trojans offense that picked up 348 total yards, the Mililani defense recorded 17 tackles for loss in a dominant performance as Mililani (12-1) earned a shot at its first state title in the Nov. 23 final.

Milton threw for 170 yards and two first-half touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards, 14 coming on a momentum-turning fourth-and-12 in the first quarter that sparked the Trojans’ first scoring drive. 

Mililani held Campbell (9-4) to 155 total yards, pushing the Sabers back 94 yards in losses. The Trojans corralled Campbell quarterback Isaac Hurd in his final high school game, sacking him 11 times for 80 yards. Hurd ended an often spectacular senior season with a 31-yard TD on his final carry.

Hurd spent much of the night on the run, as Mililani linemen Kelii Padello and Rex Manu finished the night with three sacks each, and Blake Kondo and Kaimana Padello posted two each.

“They just executed better than we did,” Campbell coach Amosa Amosa said after the Sabers’ first appearance in the D-I semifinals. “I told our kids we had to play a perfect game just to compete with them. It’s been a great year for us, setting the bar for next year. We look forward to playing in this game again next year.”

Mililani, the OIA Red champion and the state tournament’s second seed, had a bye last week and opened the semifinal by going three-and-out on its first possession. The Trojans’ next drive didn’t appear to be going anywhere either when they faced a third-and-29 from their 39. 

Milton completed a 17-yard pass to running back Vavae Malepeai, then kept the ball for a 14-yard gain to extend the drive. Four plays later, Milton completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kalakaua Timoteo for the Trojans’ first touchdown.

“That was huge. We always tell our guys we have to win the first quarter, set the tone for the game,” Mililani coach Rod York said. “We went three-and-out … but we just had to get it going and let it click and not force anything. The second drive, fortunately, we made plays and moved on.”

A fumble at the Campbell 2 only delayed the Trojans’ march as they scored on their next two possessions with a 24-yard reception by Bronsen Ader and Dayton Furuta’s 3-yard run.

Mililani forced Campbell to punt on its first seven possessions. Kainoa Wilson fielded the fifth one and darted up the sideline, then cut across the field for a 54-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 28-0.

Campbell’s Josiah Mageo stayed on the turf after taking a big hit on a block. The game was delayed as the junior was strapped to a stretcher and carted off the field.

“Josiah is fine. He had a little pain on his neck, but he was moving his feet and his hands and there was no blood,” Amosa said. “He is fine. It looked worse than it was.”

The Trojans brought the running clock into effect late in the third quarter when Furuta’s 1-yard dive capped an 18-play, 97-yard march.