There are numbers and there is pain.
There may be plenty of both when defending OIA champion Mililani (9-1) and Kahuku (10-0) square off tonight for the league crown at Aloha Stadium.
Kahuku has piled up huge numbers, a staggering 43.2-point average margin that ranks first all-time in the current OIA. They’ve brought many defenders pain, inflicting defenses with nearly 2,500 pounds of sheer force in a unique, smashmouth jumbo formation.
Mililani has already faced a lethal ground attack this season, losing at Liberty (Nev.) 76-53 in August.
"We got our (tails) kicked, so we know what it feels like and we don’t want that to happen again," Trojans coach Rod York said. "Not just this week, but ever since that week, we’ve done everything we can to get better. It’s the choice of the guys wearing the helmets. The X’s and O’s don’t matter if they don’t respond. In our playoff games, we’ve responded even better. Kahuku is the best team we’ll have faced so far, including Liberty."
The numbers of tonight’s foes, including Division II title favorite Radford, are staggering.
Big Red Blowouts
Kahuku’s monster-mash offense and stonewalling defense are proving to be dominant. No OIA (or ILH) team has as large a difference between points scored and points against since the Prep Bowl began in 1973.
At a margin of 43.2 points per outing, the Red Raiders are well ahead of those dynastic Saint Louis squads of 1998 (41.4), ’99 (41.2) and ’00 (39.5).
Tilt City
Defending OIA and state champion Mililani is averaging a whopping 56.5 points per game, even after losing quarterback McKenzie Milton to a shoulder injury. That output has surpassed those same dynastic Saint Louis teams of ’98 (52.7), ’99 (51.5) and ’00 (48.5).
Big Red Wall
The 2015 Red Raiders have permitted a mere 3.2 points per game, which is at a historical level, surpassing Leilehua ’75 (3.4).
Radford, the dominant team in the league’s D-II, has allowed a mere 4.6 points per game, which ranks among the best in history — ahead of Pearl City’s ’86 team (4.8) and Waianae’s ’81 squad (4.8).
Of course, all of this doesn’t include neighbor island numbers, and with more games on the horizon at the state tournament, plenty could change.
Kaimuki (7-3) vs. Radford (10-0)
There are similarities here, but more so in the past seven weeks. That’s when Kaimuki had defensive end Billy Masima become their full-time running back. The result has been seven wins in a row as the Bulldogs’ big offensive line paved the way for a 6-foot-2, 215-pound wrecking ball.
Radford had already mastered that technique, using Ace Faumui as its ground-and-pound back. Kaimuki got a good dose of Faumui eight weeks ago, losing 48-0 to the Rams.
Whether the Masima move was inspired by Radford or not, it has worked like a charm. Now the Rams, who are mauling D-II foes left and right, will face a different Bulldogs team. Masima has rushed for 825 yards and seven TDs.
"We definitely know about the players they have, especially the guy at running back, Billy Masima," Radford coach Fred Salanoa said. "We know they’ve gotten better over the course of the season."
Radford has been superb defensively, and with Faumui (960 yards, 13 TDs) and Kodi Ongory-Mathias (544 yards, 10 TDs) carrying the ball, the Rams haven’t needed to throw the ball a whole lot.
Waianae (7-3) vs. Farrington (7-3)
While other teams play for league championships, the Seariders and Governors are lacing their cleats up for a chance to extend their season — and possibly play for a state title.
The teams will meet for third place in the OIA and the league’s last berth in the upcoming state tournament on Saturday at Mililani.
Farrington was a scoring machine through much of the OIA Blue schedule, then eked out a 19-13 win over Kailua before falling to Mililani 71-28 and Kapolei 23-6. A 21-14 win over Campbell allowed the Governors a first-round bye in the playoffs, and Farrington blanked the Sabers 28-0. Then came last week’s 43-0 loss to Kahuku in the semifinals.
Challen Faamatau has been part of an offense that has been more balanced and often explosive. The junior has rushed for 1,087 yards and 12 TDs, and is second on the team in receptions with 33 catches for 494 yards and seven TDs.
The Seariders scored at least 50 points four times in a row during the regular season before falling to Kahuku 30-0 to end the regular season. They ousted Kailua 37-22 before being eliminated by Mililani.
POINTS PER GAME*
1. 1998 Saint Louis, 52.7
2. 1999 Saint Louis, 51.5
3. 2000 Saint Louis, 48.5
4. 2014 Punahou, 47.8
5. 2014 Mililani, 45.5
6. 2013 Kaiser, 44.4
7. 1990 Kahuku, 43.3
8. 1998 Kahuku, 42.9
9. 2013 Saint Louis, 42.5
9. 2014 Saint Louis, 42.5
2015: Mililani 56.5, Kahuku 46.4, Waianae 42.0
*Since 1973
POINTS AGAINST PER GAME*
1. 1975 Leilehua, 3.4
2. 1979 Waianae, 3.8
2. 1974 Kailua, 3.8
4. 1975 Radford, 3.9
5. 1980 Farrington, 4.1
6. 1978 Waipahu, 4.3
7. 1982 Radford, 4.4
8. 1973 Waianae, 4.5
8. 1984 Waianae, 4.5
10. 1986 Pearl City, 4.8
10. 1981 Waianae, 4.8
2015: Kahuku 3.2, Radford 4.6
*Since 1973
MARGIN OF VICTORY*
1. 1998 Saint Louis, 41.4
2. 1999 Saint Louis, 41.2
3. 2000 Saint Louis, 39.5
4. 2013 Kaiser, 34.4
5. 1998 Kahuku, 34.1
6. 1991 Kahuku, 33.5
7. 2014 Punahou, 33.0
8. 2003 Kahuku, 30.1
9. 1975 Radford, 29.7
10. 2013 Punahou, 29.6
2015: Kahuku 43.2, Radford 34.8
*Since 1973
