Sam Papalii knows the Kona Coast.

The well-used tires on his car have kissed the pavement from the slopes of Hualalai summit to the lava fields of Ocean View on a daily basis.

The former college assistant coach also knows the streets of Kalihi, the place of his youth, before he set foot on the Saint Louis campus as a student-athlete.

“That’s my hood, man. I’m from Kalihi. Kam IV housing,” Papalii said.

That’s why, even as his second go-round as Kealakehe football coach has the markings of a modern, spread-formation offense, nothing really changes at heart. The Waveriders and their mammoth offensive line — averaging 6-foot-2 and 309 pounds per man — are an ultimate smashmouth team.

One member of the Bamboolas — Farrington’s gargantuan offensive line — put it bluntly.

“I know they got a big fullback and they’re big on the offensive line. They outweigh us,” senior Colin Kaalele said.

Farrington’s third-place finish in the OIA Red means it’s travel time for the opening round of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Championships. The Governors (9-2) know the rigors of neighbor-island transportation well; they were heartbroken a year ago when Baldwin quarterback Keelan Ewaliko raced for the winning touchdown in the final minutes of play of a quarterfinal game.

Now, though, it’s about Kealakehe.

“Kealakehe, we don’t know much. They might be big like Kailua, Kahuku. Bigger,” Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. “We’re just trying the best possible way of getting our best players the ball.”

Farrington, ranked No. 4 in the Star-Advertiser coaches and media poll, last traveled to the Big Island in 2009. Harry Tuimaseve was the go-to running back who helped the Govs to a 48-16 win over Honokaa in a game played at Kealakehe’s field. A week later, Kahuku edged Farrington 9-6 in overtime during the semifinal round.

BIIF champion Kealakehe (10-1) is deep at running back with Lennox Jones leading the pack. With a mobile quarterback (Jordan Cristobal), the Waveriders could be the toughest ground-and-pound attack Farrington will see since a 31-6 loss to Kahuku six weeks ago.

Friday’s winner will face defending state champion Kahuku in the semifinals.

“We want to get to the Kahuku game,” Kaalele said.  

On paper: Cristobal began to catch his stride in Week 3 with a 35-13 win over El Capitan (Calif.). He passed for 216 yards and a touchdown that night, but Kealakehe’s offense has been heavily skewed to smashmouth ball since. He’s still capable of a 100-yard game as a runner — his season high was 116 yards and a score against Hilo — but Papalii has spread the wealth.

Jones, a 5-foot-6, 150-pound senior, is equally capable of rushing for 100 yards and picking up another 100 as a receiver. Cristobal puts Jones’ skills there to work often enough, but since that early-season passing barrage, at least by Kealakehe’s standard, they’ve relied more and more on Jones as a running back.

With 6-2, 348-pound fullback David Fangupo mowing down anything in his path as a lead blocker, Jones usually gets the benefit of six gargantuan run blockers on every carry. Fangupo, who Papalii says can dunk a basketball with two hands, has surprisingly good breakaway speed for his size. His season-high was 149 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries against Waiakea.

If that approach, heavily successful against BIIF Division I competition, seems a bit one-dimensional, Kealakehe will see its mirror image soon. Abraham Silva and Tyler Taumua have been superlative this season. Silva, a backup to Taumua last year, has rushed for 1,453 yards and 16 touchdowns. While averaging 11.1 yards per carry, Silva (5-10, 212) has scored at least one touchdown in each of Farrington’s games.

Taumua, who opened the season with an injured shoulder, is back to full health, and is a bit lighter now. His agility and breakaway speed are finally back to last year’s levels. The 5-10, 202-pound senior has rushed for 515 yards and six touchdowns in his last three games.

The skinny: Farrington opened up the playbook some last week in an elimination game with Leilehua. During the regular season, Taumua occasionally went in motion from the wide receiver spot to take a fly-sweep handoff. Against the Mules, he ran a streak route and sophomore Montana Liana surprised Leilehua’s secondary by launching a perfect deep ball to Taumua, who scored his first touchdown of the season by air.

That dip into the pool of unpredictability can only help Liana, whose modest stats (888 passing yards, 11 touchdowns) are buoyed by a key number: only five interceptions. He threw the ball a season-low six times in the win over Leilehua, but two went for touchdowns.

The front five, led by right tackle Charles Sataraka, helped Silva (178 yards, two touchdowns) and Taumua (173 yards, three touchdowns) dominate on the ground against Leilehua.

Kealakehe’s big, physical defense hasn’t been heavily tested by a strong running team since a preseason matchup with Kamehameha. Kamehameha won easily, 46-0, against a Kealakehe lineup that was depleted early on.

Manase Hungalu, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker, leads the charge. Papalii considers Hungalu a college D-I prospect.

A lack of offensive balance has hurt BIIF champions in previous state tournaments.

“The fact that we haven’t won games in the state tournament has been a problem for us. Maybe people take us for granted,” Papalii said. “That’s a pain in our side.”

The league has yet to win a D-I game in the state tourney. Farrington’s defense, loaded with playmakers, has been up and down against strong passing teams. The only run-first team to consistently batter Farrington’s defense?

Kahuku.

Not even Kahuku has mobile offensive linemen with this kind of size. Papalii considers Tui Eli (6-3, 305) and Feke Kioa (6-2, 290) prototypes as juniors who already know success on the field and in the classroom. Farrington linebackers Syndreck Dsio, Aisea Tavae and Austin Faumui will be in the targets of Kealakehe’s O-line.

While defensive backs Setefano Lavatai and Manly Williams were also big factors against Leilehua, safety Jacob McEnroe (6-0, 180) has emerged late in the year as another playmaker. He had a pick-6 in a pivotal third quarter to help the Govs pull away from the Mules.

Tucked away on the other side of the state, Kealakehe has been in relative anonymity compared to Farrington. One of the program’s key problems in previous state-tourney games has been a slow start. Almost on cue, the ’Riders have struggled for as long as an entire first half before waking up in the second.

Can they match up to Farrington’s physical brand of football from the opening kickoff?

X factor: The Waveriders go deep at running back. Wide receiver Giuseppe Zapataoliva has filled in there with excellent results and Papalii is entirely committed to ball-control football, though he likes to tinker and surprise from time to time. Injuries — lack of depth — have been part of the story for Kealakehe’s past struggles in the state tourney.