Ground game helps Campbell rush into Red quarterfinals

Unsure of its first-round opponent in the OIA Red football playoffs, Campbell used some time off to turn its focus inward.

The Sabers then returned from their two-week break with sharper execution and rolled to a 35-0 win over McKinley on Friday at Roosevelt’s Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium to advance to the conference quarterfinals.

The Sabers (6-3) rushed for 257 yards and scored all five touchdowns on the ground to set up a quarterfinal matchup with Mililani, the top seed from the OIA Red West, next week.

Triston Pebria led the Sabers with 72 yards and two touchdowns and the Campbell defense turned in its second shutout of the season while holding McKinley to 105 yards of total offense.

Campbell got production from quarterbacks Justin Tago-Su’e and Isaac Hurd, as they combined to complete 11 of 16 passes for 112 yards, and both ran for touchdowns.

Campbell finished fifth in the OIA Red West and had a bye following a loss to Kapolei on Sept. 28 to close the regular season. It wasn’t until last week’s games were complete that the matchup with McKinley, the Red East’s fourth seed, was finalized.

"It was more doing our stuff, not so much worrying about other people but finetuning our things," Campbell coach Amosa Amosa said. "When we look at film, things were hit-and-miss. I know it’s there, we show glimpses of it when everything is working. But tonight I think we did more good things and executed our offense."

Campbell recovered an onside kick to open the game and took just two plays to claim the lead, with Paul-Andrew Rhoden breaking free for a 42-yard touchdown run.

The Sabers started their next drive at the McKinley 36 and needed four plays before extending the lead on an 8-yard run by Pebria.

The Campbell defense held McKinley to 65 yards of total offense in the first half, as the Tigers’ offense spent most of the second quarter backed up against its own goal line. Campbell pushed the lead to 21-0 on Hurd’s 5-yard keeper at the 3:21 mark.

"Watching some of (McKinley’s) games, they were very competitive and they have some great players," Amosa said. "We were kind of scared of their offense because they have some good guys, but our defense did a hell of a job."

Tago-Su’e capped Campbell’s first drive of the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown run when he rolled to his left and found an open lane to the end zone. Hurd then led an 11-play drive with Pebria scoring on a 17-yard run.

McKinley closed the season at 4-4 in its return to the OIA Red. The Tigers went

2-15-1 in the Red from 2007 to 2009 before moving to the OIA White. The Tigers earned a promotion this year and made their first appearance in the OIA Red playoffs since 2006.

Campbell now turns its attention to a rematch with Mililani. The Trojans won the regular-season meeting 45-26 on Sept. 7.

"Their defense is pretty awesome, their offense with (quarterback) Jarin Morikawa is throwing the ball all over the place. Again we have a big task," Amosa said. "No easy weeks, but that’s what the playoffs are about. It’s either you put up or you go home.

"I’m just happy we have another opportunity. We talk about every game from now on is championship week for us."