The extra effort made a huge difference for the Farrington Governors.
With his fullback blocking hard despite a broken hand and an offensive line earning its Bamboolas moniker, Challen Faamatau rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns as No. 6 Farrington edged No. 7 Kailua 19-13 on Saturday night.
The showdown of unbeatens in the OIA Blue left Farrington with sole possession of first place at 4-0 (5-0 overall). Kailua slipped to 4-1 (5-1 overall).
"Faamatau’s a great player. We’ve got to be fundamentally sound. We can’t tackle him high like that," Kailua coach Hau’oli Wong said.
Faamatau, who carried the ball 30 times, got many of his yards after first contact, but also credited his fullback, Freedom Alualu, and a bonecrushing offensive line.
"Freedom has a lot of strength to come back. He’s a tough guy," Faamatau said. "Coming into the game, we really talked to the offensive line about really pushing the guy when we block, driving the guys."
That extra push made the difference. Alualu suffered a broken hand after an illegal chop block by a defender. He returned to the game, however, giving Faamatau a valuable lead blocker.
"They messed up my (middle) knuckle," he said of an extremely swollen right hand. "Challen played his heart out. We all did. It’s hard, but I’m a team player and I’ll do anything for our team to win."
A boisterous crowd of about 1,000 at Ticky Vasconcellos, mostly Governors fans, held their breath as Farrington broke a 13-all tie on a 51-yard touchdown run by Faamatau with 6:50 to play. The extra-point try sailed wide right, however.
Kailua quarterback Noah Auld completed five passes in a row to march the Surfriders to the Farrington 19-yard line. However, a holding called turned a first and 10 into a first and 31. On the next play, Auld was under heavy pressure again and heaved a prayer down the sideline. The pass was intercepted by Ryota Kony, who returned the ball 36 yards past midfield. Farrington ran out the final three minutes to remain undefeated.
Kailua got a stellar passing performance from Auld (23-for-31, 221 yards, one TD), whose open man most of the night was Isaiah Damo-Agcaoili (seven receptions, 78 yards). However, the Surfriders rushed for just 17 yards on 24 carries.
The Surfriders converted on five of seven third downs in the first half, all by Auld’s accurate throws, but remained run oriented until midway through the third quarter. Farrington sat in zone coverage while Auld picked his spots. It looked like a Kailua comeback win was on the way until the crucial holding call.
"The kids played hard," Wong said. "You can’t take nothing from them."
Farrington’s first touchdown in a methodical first half by both teams came moments after a muffed punt return by Gaspar. On the ensuing play, Faamatau barreled his way around the right side for a 13-yard TD and a 7-0 lead with 8:13 left in the first half.
Kailua scored with 1:20 left in the third quarter on a busted play that looked like a reverse option. Auld recovered, pitched right to running back Mark Lagazo, and Lagazo scored on a 3-yard run. The PAT kick, however, was wide left.
Farrington drove 59 yards in eight plays on the ensuing series. Bishop Rapoza, who had a quiet passing game, thanks to a well-prepared Kailua secondary, found tight end Kingsley Moses-Sanchez for a 38-yard gain. That set up a 1-yard blast up the middle by Faamatau. The Govs lined up in their usual muddle-huddle formation on the PAT and opted to throw a pass. Jathen Chaffin’s attempt fell incomplete, but Farrington led 13-6 with 11:01 remaining.
After recovering an on-side kick by the Govs, Kailua drove 49 yards in seven plays to paydirt. Auld fired a strike to Gaspar for a 5-yard TD, and the PAT made it 13-all with 8:39 left.
Faamatau’s 236-yard total is his personal best for a single game and ranks sixth in school history. The No. 5 spot, 245 yards (1990 vs. Kailua), and No. 7 total, 234 yards (in ’90 vs. Kalaheo), are held by current Govs head coach Randall Okimoto.
