Mililani shuts down Waianae

Coaches say it all the time and it nearly always holds true: You can’t underestimate the importance of turnovers in football.

Waianae visited No. 8 Mililani’s John Kauinana Stadium on Friday night and gave the ball away six times in the first half. The result was a 28-point deficit at halftime.

After taking the lead with an opening 70-yard drive, Mililani turned three of those Waianae giveaways into points and rolled to a 35-7 victory.

"The defense, they came with it tonight," said coach Rod York, whose Trojans improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the OIA Red West. "And the offense was clicking."

Beau Winchester’s fumble recovery led to quarterback Jarin Morikawa’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Ekolu Ramos for a 14-0 Trojans lead early in the second quarter.

The ball-hawking Trojans disrupted Waianae’s next series. The Seariders (1-2, 0-1) drove deep into Mililani territory but were thwarted when Dakota Turner stripped the ball from Waianae running back Alakai Kealoha after a short reception and sprinted 59 yards for a TD to make it 21-0.

"Coach was preaching (defensive) domination," Turner said after the game. "We shut down the front, the linebackers filled the gaps and the secondary picked up all the leftovers. We put on a show and we’re going to put on a show next week, too."

The Trojans meet longtime rival Leilehua, one of the favorites to win the OIA West, next week.

Despite a heavy rush by the Waianae defensive line, led by tenacious and heralded lineman Kennedy Tulimasealii, Morikawa got out of trouble more often than not and finished 21-for-38 for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

"He played a heckuva game," York said. "He had pressure all night and he kept scrambling away."

Winchester was at it again for the Trojans late in the second half, intercepting a Kekoa Kaluhiokalani pass to set up Morikawa’s 14-yard scoring strike to Erren Jean-Pierre for a 28-0 cushion.

"We just didn’t execute," Waianae coach Danny Matsumoto said. "Their defense was tough. Real tough and hard nosed and aggressive."

Waianae’s only big offensive play came on the first snap of the second half when Kealoha went up the middle virtually untouched for an 80-yard touchdown.

The Trojans were kept off the board in the second half until midway through the fourth quarter, when Morikawa drove the team 61 yards and tossed a 6-yard scoring toss to Dustin Camarillo.

Ramos finished with six receptions for 85 yards and a TD, and Jean-Pierre made six catches for 60 yards and a score.

York refuses to get caught up in thinking this win means a lot.

"It’s real easy," he said. "We won one conference game. That’s all. We still have a lot to prove."

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