What a shootout it was at Mililani on Saturday … for one half at least.
The top-ranked Trojans led No.7 Kapolei by six points in the second quarter, but came alive the rest of the way in a 67-21 victory at John Kauinana Stadium.
It was an aerial show all night long for both sides. Mililani’s McKenzie Milton was amazing, as usual, throwing for 515 yards and five touchdown passes. He is the fourth QB in Oahu high school history to top 500 yards.
"I’ve never seen a better quarterback than him," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said, before adding rhetorically, "have you?"
The Trojans (3-0, 3-0 Oahu Interscholastic Association Blue) came out with a bang and took a 13-0 lead, but the Hurricanes (1-3, 0-3) showed they came with upset on their minds.
Kapolei freshman Taulia Tagovailoa, in his first start at quarterback, hit Jenesus Tago-Sue with a 34-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to make it 13-7.
As he did all night, Milton didn’t waste time keeping the visitors climbing further uphill, finding Kalakaua Timoteo for a 60-yard score and a 19-7 lead.
A bit later, Ma’a Tanuvasa Jr. made a huge play for the Trojans, sacking Tagovailoa on a fourth-and-1 at the Hurricanes 1.
"That play was pivotal," Hernandez said. "We couldn’t score from the 1. It changed the complexion of the game."
The Hurricanes eventually cut the lead to 27-21 and not getting in from the 1 haunted them.
"Yeah, that was a tough game against a Top 10 team," Mililani coach Rod York said. "We expected them to come in and play us tough. We train to go four quarters. We played harder in the third and fourth quarters than we did in the first and second. We made some mistakes, but overall it was a great effort, and great efforts turn into positive results."
It took only 37 seconds for the Trojans to respond after Tagovailoa’s 2-yard TD pass to Ezra Savea made it 27-21. Mililani got the ball back with 2:20 left in the half and put together a three-play, 72-yard drive. Andrew Velesderes hauled in a 41-yard Milton TD pass to make it 35-21 at intermission.
"We did good in the first half," said Tagovailoa, who threw for 394 yards and three TDs with one interception. "But we need to finish stronger. The scoreboard really didn’t show the effort we put in. But God is good. We get to live another week."
Mililani was all-world in the second half, scoring 32 unanswered points with four TDs and four 2-point conversions.
"We started a little shaky, but we came together all-around from the second to fourth quarters," Milton said. "Our O-line did a great job and the receivers made plays, catching short passes and getting long gains out of it. Like taking an out and making some moves and getting big yards."
Timoteo scored two TDs and added two 2-pointers, and he finished with 193 receiving yards. Running back Vavae Malepeai, who was corralled in the first half, ended with 109 rushing yards.
"All-in-all, though, this is a powerhouse team Mililani has," Hernandez said. "They are tough to stop."
