Deja vu for Governors

They’re deep enough to challenge their OIA nemesis, but the Farrington Governors would really like to be at full strength.

When the 4 p.m. semifinal between fifth-ranked Farrington (9-2) and No. 2 Mililani (11-0) kicks off on Saturday, the Govs may be without senior running back Ranan Mamiya. He suffered a right knee injury in last week’s 22-6 quarterfinal win over Maui. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound playmaker has rushed for 1,203 yards (8.7 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns. That includes his 159 yards and one TD against Maui. The preliminary prognosis after the Maui game was that Mamiya had a partial MCL tear.

Mamiya’s MRI this week came up negative.

"It’s one of those things. We’ll wait and see until game day," Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. "I expect him to play."

It’s an eerie rerun of last year’s postseason, when leading rusher Sanele Lavatai suffered an injury in the quarterfinal round against Baldwin and didn’t suit up for the semifinal game against Punahou.

"We’re preparing for a healthy Mamiya," Mililani coach Rod York said. "He’s a great kick return and punt returner. Any time he has the ball in his hands, something special can happen. The kid has heart."

Without Mamiya, the Govs have one of the best backup RBs in the state to fill in: Challen Faamatau. The 5-10, 183-pound senior stepped in for Mamiya and rushed for 141 yards — 80 after Mamiya’s injury — and a TD against Maui. Faamatau’s versatility and slashing ability are key. He has already rushed for 730 yards (6.2 per carry) and nine TDs, but also has 10 receptions for 151 yards and a TD.

"He’s dangerous. I thought he was good the whole time, but they mostly go to Mamiya," York said. "I wondered why they didn’t go to him as a dual threat."

If Mamiya doesn’t play, one thing Farrington probably won’t be able to replace is his success on returns. He has returned a kickoff and a punt for TDs, and he’s even thrown for another 6-pointer. If he does suit up and play, that might be a bonus in the mind-set of the Govs.

It’s been somewhat of a patchwork situation for Farrington, which lost 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver Kingston Moses-Sanchez to a concussion two weeks ago. Then again, wide receiver D.J. Chaffin returned from a foot injury and played a key role with a TD catch against Maui. Defensive back Dylan Helsham’s return has been a boost to the secondary.

Okimoto wants his team to be as focused as possible.

"We’re concerned about their minds, doing their assignments and not getting caught up in the hype of the game," he said.

The last time these teams met, a wild first half came to a bizarre close when Govs quarterback Montana Liana was ejected for a late hit after throwing an interception. At that point, Farrington had moved the ball with success, but couldn’t punch it in enough and trailed 34-14 en route to a 41-14 regular-season loss.

"We’ve definitely talked about that game," Okimoto said. "The score wasn’t how close the game was. We’ve watched the video, gone over the mistakes. We should be more confident now, playing more games after that one."

Liana threw for 188 yards and a TD in that short stint. Since returning from a mandatory one-game suspension, the senior has been on point, completing 38 of 56 attempts (68 percent) for 415 yards with five TDs and just one pick. That adds up to a passer rating of 156, the best four-game stretch of Liana’s career.

"It would’ve been a different game last time had the quarterback not gotten kicked out," York said. "Farrington plays great defense. They have a good running game, a quarterback who can move the chains and throw the deep ball."

Farrington rushed for 121 yards in that Sept. 27 matchup with Mililani, but a 34-14 halftime deficit was too much to overcome with its quarterback Liana out of the game.

They’ll still have to face Mililani’s stalwart defensive tackle, Rex Manu. Mililani defensive end Kaimana Padello is, arguably, the quickest off the edge statewide. The Trojans’ defense is permitting just 98.2 rushing yards per game (3.1 per carry). Their defense has intercepted a whopping 22 passes.

Dealing with Padello has been a difficult problem for opposing offensive tackles. Farrington has at least one method to counter Padello’s explosive forays into the backfield: Right tackle Farao Maileoi (5-10, 250) will see snaps at left tackle.

"That’s the only reason they’re moving me to the left side. I know Padello’s a fast guy, an athletic guy. Padello’s a good kid, so it seems I’m the only one who can match up," Maileoi said.

Farrington’s silent weapons are often their fullbacks, Bugsy Tui (5-7, 248) and Freedom Alualu (5-8, 252).

"That’s a concern for us. They pancaked our guys (last time), so we widened up our guys. Those two guys are a load. I didn’t realize how good they were until watching the film," York said.

Then there’s the Trojans offense, a quick-hitting, up-tempo army that has worn down defenses all season. Mililani is averaging 48 points and 478.2 yards per game. When the Trojans are in attack mode, quarterback McKenzie Milton exploits the weakest link of a defense, throwing the ball to the best option rather than relying on just one or two receivers.

Milton, a 5-10, 150-pound junior, has thrown for 2,638 yards on 70 percent accuracy with 28 TDs and only seven picks. He has also run for 788 yards and 12 TDs to lead all quarterbacks statewide. The onus will be on the Govs to somehow contain multiple weapons — Mililani’s ace RB and receivers — while keeping Milton from breaking off big runs.

"To be honest, it’s very hard when a guy can run the ball, pass the ball, do everything that a college coach would want out of a quarterback," Govs linebacker Bryce Tatupu-Leopoldo said. "It’s a very difficult challenge that we’re going to face and hopefully we can overcome it."