Leilehua, Mililani have playoffs on their minds

There’s nothing much in common between the Leilehua Mules and the Mililani Trojans.

The both wear yellow. That’s about it.

No. Wait. Mililani coach Rod York used to be an assistant at Leilehua.That’s all.

Oh, and this: Over the years, players for both Mililani and Leilehua have played together at the Pop Warner level.

In the traditionally run-heavy Oahu Interscholastic Association, a few teams have come close to mastering the aerial game. One is Leilehua. Another is, umm … Mililani?

On the field — Mililani’s dusty, rock-hard, dirt-exposed gridiron at John Kauinana Stadium — all that stuff is irrelevant. Third-ranked Leilehua (5-0 OIA, 6-0-1 overall) wants to close out the regular season unscathed, building more momentum for the upcoming playoffs.

Mililani, the defending OIA Red champion, might miss the playoffs with a loss. At 2-3 in league play (3-4 overall), the Trojans are in a battle with at least half of the Red West for a playoff berth. Win or lose, a coin toss will probably determine the fate of Mililani, Aiea (2-3), Kapolei (2-3), Waianae (2-3) and Radford (1-4). It’s remotely possible that there will be a five-way tie for four Red West playoff berths, not including the berths already clinched by Leilehua and Campbell.

“The only thing for sure is if we win, we’re in,” Mililani coach Rod York said. “Or if Radford loses, we’re in.”

All but one of the division’s seven programs will reach the playoffs. The tiebreaker formula has remained the same for years: head-to-head result, then total wins against teams with stronger win-loss records. If those two don’t resolve the tie, it comes down to a toss of a coin. As for the rivalry …

“I’m pretty sure it’s more of a rivalry from their standpoint. Their parents and grandparents taught them to hate Mililani,” said York, who stifles his laughter a bit. “A lot of the parents in Mililani went to Leilehua or other schools, and a lot of the kids just moved here three or four years ago. I don’t think it’s a rivalry like ‘Iolani-Punahou, Kamehameha-Saint Louis, Kahuku-Farrington, but it’s getting there.”

On paper: Quarterback Kenan Sadanaga has 23 touchdown passes and 1,605 passing yards with a completion percentage of nearly 70 percent, and he’s thrown just nine picks. Last week’s 34-20 win at Waianae was efficiency in motion. Despite a tough pass rush, the Mules pushed defenders past Sadanaga, and he eluded Seariders all night, taking only one sack.

With Allen Racette (24 catches, 402 yards, five touchdowns), Jeremiah Andrade (25 receptions, 366 yards, eight touchdowns in just four games) and Mikal Peyton (22, 351, three), Sadanaga distributes his passes without preference.

Even Nick Rodrigues (18 catches) and running back Cole DeCorte (22 receptions, three touchdowns) are as likely to see Sadanaga’s spirals. It’s a matchup nightmare for most defensive coordinators, the equivalent of covering five fast guards on the basketball court, and they all can shoot.

With Sadanaga, a lefty, at the controls, the Mules are averaging 34 points and nearly 330 passing yards per game. DeCorte (254 rushing yards) is on the field for most snaps, but Larry Paas (16 catches) and sophomore Keanu Kamakaiwi (5 feet 11, 195 pounds) offer additional reliability out of the backfield.

The Trojans have depended on their passing game almost exclusively. Jarin Morikawa has thrown for 1,588 yards and 12 touchdowns, and nearly 40 percent of his completions have been to Deshawn Duncan-Benson (60 receptions, 727 yards, seven touchdowns).

Kaimi Wilson, a former defensive back, has 43 catches for 539 yards and four touchdowns. With help from offensive coordinator Bobby George, Morikawa has been sometimes superb.

“We’re just trying to keep it simple, concentrate on what we do and execute. If we can execute, we can beat Leilehua,” York said. “We have 11 new starters on offense to start the season, but if we can protect and run the ball, we should be all right. If we can’t, it’s going to be a long night.”

The skinny: Leilehua, with crafty pass rushers like Penitito Melei and studious linebackers like Reece Acohido, has permitted fewer than 100 passing yards per game. Since a season-opening tie with Service (Alaska), no team has scored more than 20 points on the Mules.

Last year’s matchup at Hugh Yoshida Stadium was a double-overtime thriller, ending in controversy over a non-call deep in Mililani territory. The Trojans’ win clinched first place in the West.

This time, Mililani’s playoff life is at stake.

X factor: Almost none of the 14 players who caught at least one pass in last year’s Leilehua-Mililani game are back. Duncan-Benson, who had two catches for 23 yards, is one of them. But the ultimate playmaker might be Andrade, who went without a reception that night, but ran back a kickoff 88 yards for a score.