They love to line up with two running backs, smashmouth the ball between the tackles and rely on a rugged defense. Are they the Farrington Governors or Maui Sabers?
The answer is yes. Maui has been all about hitting the holes and establishing control at the line of scrimmage. Unlike Farrington, though, Maui sometimes lines up in a wing-T, similar to Waianae, and gash defensive lines and linebackers until someone makes a mistake.
The Sabers had three highly effective rushers for most of the season with Daniel Kelly (5-7, 200), big Onosai Emelio (6-0, 225) and Soane Vaohea (5-10, 200).
"We don’t feed anyone 30 times," Maui coach David Bui said. "Ono (Emelio) gets eight or nine carries. We rotate them every three plays. We got a bunch of running backs on our campus. We’re not into turning running backs into wide receivers and running the spread."
Kelly is their leading rusher (698 yards, 7.3 per carry, six TDs) and Vaohea was a third option (296 yards, 9 per carry, four TDs). Emelio (525 yards, 9.7 yards per carry, 11 TDs) was the most formidable of the group, but went down with a knee injury late in the season. That gave Hanisi Lotulelei (5-8, 165) an opportunity.
He responded with 62 yards against Baldwin, 127 yards and two TDs against King Kekaulike and 38 yards in a loss to Lahainaluna. An older brother, Tau, starts at MLB for UNLV. Oldest brother John played in the NFL.
"Hanisi is only a sophomore so he’s still learning the sets, but as the season went on, he’s really come on," Bui said.
Emelio has gotten close looks from UNLV, San Jose State and Hawaii.
"Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first day he went full pads," Bui said of Emelio’s return. "For the sake of his health, we’re going to limit his carries. Ono is a big part of this. He helped us get here."
They’ll face what will be the biggest defensive unit they’ve seen all year. Breiden Fehoko (6-3, 286) is one of the country’s top-recruited defensive tackles, but the Sabers aren’t planning to change anything.
"Our offensive line is young, but they’re doing a good job," Bui said.
Maui’s defensive unit allowed fewer than 10 points per game coming into the state tourney. Defensive tackle Atunaisa Vainikolo (6-1, 245) anchors the line while his brother, Alexander Vainikolo (6-0, 225), has been a big playmaker as a LB/DE.
"My personal opinion is Alexander is one of the top prospects in the state. He started at defensive end as a freshman. He’s violent in a good way, a head-smart kid," Bui said. "Even undersized as he is, every time we take him to a combine, he’s eating offensive linemen for lunch."
If he plans to eat Farrington’s Bamboolas for a meal, he’d better save a lot of space. The Governors have opened up the offense to an extent, but their bread and butter remains the ground attack between the tackles. Ranan Mamiya has amassed 1,044 rushing yards (8.4 per carry) with 15 TDs and remains dangerous as a pass catcher (14 receptions, 180 yards, TD) and kick returner (three TDs on kickoffs and punts).
Sophomore Challen Faamatau has racked up 589 yards (5.7 per carry) and eight touchdowns. Like Mamiya, he is an able pass catcher when his number is called.
"(Faamatau) has good vision, too. He’ll find that hole and hit that lane. They got some boys we’ve got to worry about. If we keep our pad level low, I think we’ll have a chance," Bui said. "They’re big. We have to be very disciplined. We know their running game is tough. You give them time to pass and they’re going to connect. We’re working on shutting down the running game and make them uncomfortable doing something else."
Both backs have benefited from the spring-loading blocks of fullbacks Freedom Alualu and Bugsy Tui.
"That Freedom kid is very formidable. He’s a good blocker. They’ve got some good blockers," Bui said.
Montana Liana has completed nearly 60 percent of his pass attempts and has steadily found chemistry with his receivers. In his last five games, the senior southpaw has completed 66 percent of his passes (53-for-80) for six TDs and just two picks.
