Vavae Malepeai ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns as No. 1 Mililani overpowered Campbell 49-13 on a rainy Saturday night at John Kauinana Stadium.
Mililani improved to 2-0 in OIA Division I play and will host Kapolei on Saturday. Campbell dropped to 0-2 in league play (0-3 overall).
The game was unusually long, taking roughly 3 hours and 40 minutes to play. There were multiple officials conferences, at least one player ejection and a 10-minute weather delay due to lightning — one member of the media said the press box was hit.
Oh, and there were a combined 33 yellow flags. Twenty-two of those penalties were assessed to the Trojans for a whopping 228 yards.
It didn’t dampen the fun times for Mililani fans, who endured a preseason without Malepeai for a sizable chunk. He missed a month due to turf toe but was in fine form on Saturday. He picked up 150 yards on just 18 carries, sitting for most of the second half, and also hauled in a swing pass from McKenzie Milton for a 19-yard TD.
“I hurt my toe last year at the same time, right around the start of football season,” Malepeai recalled. “I had a toothpick stuck in my other toe.”
Five TDs on 19 touches is efficient and potent.
“It takes everybody on the field,” the 6-foot, 200-pound senior said. “It’s all of our touchdowns. All of our guys blocking, our O-line and our wideouts, too.”
Milton was his usual masterful self. The senior completed 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 218 yards and three TDs, including a 31-yard bomb to Kalakaua Timoteo.
In all, the Trojans racked up 534 yards of total offense. Campbell, playing without starting running back Terrell Johnson and starting QB Siaosi Soto due to injuries, mustered some offensive highlights. Reserve quarterback Kawika Ulufale tossed two TD passes, including a miraculous 66-yard bomb to Noah Esprecion. That pass ricocheted off the hands of Mililani safety Tielu Mamea and back to Esprecion, who raced into the end zone for Campbell’s brightest play on a night otherwise dominated by the home team.
After fumbling during Mililani’s first drive, Malepeai scored his team’s first three touchdowns. The Trojans led 21-0 after one quarter.
Radford 43, Roosevelt 0
Quintin Iriarte passed for two touchdowns and Kodi Ongory-Mathias rushed for a pair of scores as the Rams blanked the Rough Riders.
In a mutual decision by the head coaches, the game was called off at halftime.
