Dancing on homecoming night isn’t normally this slick.

Somehow, the Kahuku Red Raiders found a way, despite a mud bog on their home field. Running back Aofaga Wily led the way with 125 rushing yards on 22 carries as No. 1 Kahuku blanked No. 8 Farrington 16-0 last night at Carleton Weimer Field.

"I’m thanking my offensive line. They did a good job," said Wily, a sophomore. "I had to adjust my footwork. I was more lighter and I didn’t plant."

The Red Raiders’ defense took care of the rest, shutting down the visiting Governors, who managed just 96 total yards.

Defensive back Tigi Hill was a key player, with an interception, a fumble recovery and a big play on special teams. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior dove for the ball on a punt and saved it for a teammate, who downed it at the Farrington 1-yard line early in the second quarter. That led to a safety, giving Kahuku a 2-0 lead.

Linebackers T.J. Tito and Ben Mamea were among the Red Raiders who kept discipline and stuffed Farrington’s ground attack. The Govs had 3 rushing yards on 17 carries.

"Coaches said we had mental mistakes, a little bit, not hitting the gaps sometimes. That’s what we talked about at halftime," Tito said.

Kahuku is 5-0 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East (7-0 overall).

"They did a good job defensively. We had to fill the gaps against Farrington, a tough running team," coach Reggie Torres said. "We want to be perfect. It’s about finding your mistakes and fixing them. Fortunately, our special teams put us in a position, we got that safety and we pinned them off that punt."

Farrington slipped to 2-3 in league play (4-3 overall), losing to Kahuku for the 14th time in 15 meetings. The previous three matchups were decided by a total of 12 points.

Farrington’s offense, treading through slick mud and a relentless Kahuku defense, managed 30 total yards and two first downs in the first half.

It took a Josh Sorensen punt — downed at the 1-yard line on Hill’s saving dive to keep the ball out of the end zone — to set up the only points of the first half. Nicholas Acoba and Tito tackled Farrington running back Scotland Smith in the end zone for a safety with 10:54 left in the first half.

Kahuku got no deeper than the Farrington 19-yard line the rest of the half. That drive came up empty after quarterback Evan Moe was sacked by Govs linebacker Justin Vele on third down, and a fourth-down pass to Galeai Malufau fell incomplete.

Vele came up with a big hit on Kahuku fullback Fonoivasa Mataafa on a pass play, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jerome Faamata.

Kahuku scored later on a 55-yard drive, with Wily scoring from 4 yards out to give his team a 9-0 lead with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.

Mataafa added a 1-yard run up the middle to close out the scoring with 1:23 remaining.

Now, the Red Raiders go back to work.

"It means nothing until we get our goal, which is taking state," Tito said. "We got the shutout, but some of our teammates didn’t get to play, so some of us are disappointed. We want to get ready for the playoffs, improve on staying humble. Just because we’re undefeated everybody’s starting to get big-headed. The seniors understand that clearly."