McKenzie Milton is as efficient with words as he is with passes.
So it’s just fine that his big-play target, Kalakaua Timoteo, unveiled the secret behind Mililani’s relentlessly fast, mad-bombing offense.
"We work Sundays," Timoteo said of their year-round, bonus workouts. "We’ve been at this for how long already. We played Pop Warner together. It’s to the point where we’ve just got to look at each other and we know what we’ve got to do. We’ll be throwing this Sunday at Mililani. It was great balls all day, that’s for sure. Thirteen (Milton) is the man behind the plan."
It promised to be, in so many ways, the most interesting game of the football season. Mililani and Punahou did more than that. No. 2 Mililani’s 53-45 victory over No. 1 Punahou in the Division I final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Championships may have been the most entertaining, thrilling and stunning battle in years.
"Credit Punahou. They played their hearts out and they deserved to win also," Trojans coach Rod York said.
Billy Hull, who penned the "Trench Warfare" series on the Star-Advertiser’s hawaiiprepworld.com, couldn’t remember a finish as heartbreaking for the losing team since Kahuku shocked Baldwin with a double-pass for a TD — a 43-yard Hail Mary from Shiloah Te’o to Pelefoni Soliai — to close out a semifinal game in 2006.
This time, it was the team in the lead that hung on — clung on — to narrow victory. It has been 15 years since the inception of the state football tournament, and it might take equally long to see another game with as much whiplash effect. For Mililani, the first football state crown in school history required a record-setting performance by McKenzie Milton, who threw six of his seven touchdown passes in the first half. Proof positive that offense, not just defense, can win championships. Mililani’s defense came up with two stops in the final quarter to stop the flooding momentarily.
"We’re a fourth-quarter team. They’re a fourth-quarter team. We battled to the end," defensive tackle Rex Manu said.
Offenses put on a show
The 98 combined points set a state-tourney record. All 98 came in the first three quarters. Seventy-seven points were scored in the first half as Mililani zoomed to a 46-31 lead.
The teams also combined for 1,214 yards of total offense, with both of them exceeding Pac-Five’s championship game record of 554 in 1985. Punahou gained 630 yards, including 345 rushing yards (7.2 per carry) with Semisi Uluave at center instead of his usual left guard spot. Mililani finished with 584 total yards (7 yards per snap). In total, the Trojans had 410 total yards in the first half — a whopping 10.3 per play — but mustered less than 4 yards per play after the break. Punahou couldn’t do much more offensively than 45 points and 7.8 yards per play.
Milton the man
Milton threw for 421 yards and a state-tourney record seven touchdown passes. He was 29-for-47 with just one pick and was sacked just once. He also rushed for 38 yards on 13 carries. His touch on throw after throw, especially on deep corner routes, was perfect against tight coverage. Milton finished his junior season with 3,339 passing yards and 35 TDs. He completed 69 percent of his throws and was picked just eight times. That’s 9.7 yards per pass attempt, 278 yards per game and a passer rating of 179.35. He also rushed for 802 yards (8.9 per carry) and 12 TDs.
"Punahou’s guys did a good job. Our wide receivers did a good job making grabs. O-line did a good job up front. Defense made stops when we needed them to," Milton said.
Timoteo lives in the end zone
Kalakaua Timoteo finished with seven receptions for 117 yards and four TDs, the first player to score as many in either a Prep Bowl or state title game.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior was targeted 14 times, including six in a row to start the game. Despite missing two games to injury, he tallied 55 catches for 988 yards and 11 TDs this season .
After Milton’s only miscue of the game — an end zone lob on a post to Timoteo — turned into a rare double team and a pick by Bun Robert Straton, the Trojans QB spread his spirals around again, relying much more on Bryson Ventura (eight catches, 77 yards, 10 targets), Bronson Ramos (4-77), Joshua Butac (2-12) and Makana Tauai (2-41, TD). Kainoa Wilson did his damage in the first half (4-98, two TDs), opening up opportunities for his fellow receivers.
Constantino steps up
Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai (13 carries, 89 yards, plus two receptions for 26 yards) suffered what a trainer diagnosed as a possible ACL tear in the second half, York said. Malepeai was carried off the field, unable to put any weight on his right leg.
"It’s a team thing. Everything happens for a reason. Just gotta heal up. I’ve got a lot of time to heal up. Cheyne (Constantino) came through, everybody came through," the junior said, praising his backup. "It’s the best feeling in the world. I’m just thankful."
Constantino had 41 yards on 13 carries, including a key first-down run.
Malepeai finished the year with 1,300 rushing yards and 24 TDs on 220 carries (5.9 yards per). Last season, he rushed for 1,375 yards and 20 TDs on 238 carries (5.8 per). His two-year total: 2,675 yards, 458 carries, 44 TDs.
Taulapapa takes over
Punahou running back Wayne Taulapapa rushed for 260 yards on 36 carries, plus three TDs. Several times, the junior and his offensive line willed their way to the end zone, running on third-and-long and converting for first downs as Mililani’s defense took away Punahou’s most lethal weapon, wide receiver Kanawai Noa (5-61, TD).
Defense had its share of hits
Straton had, perhaps, the best game of his life. The athletic senior finished with seven tackles, a pick and two big pass deflections on parallel-to-the-ground leaps.
Mililani’s Ty Purcell-Apana probably had the game of his career, too. He expertly — and desperately — stripped the ball away from Taulapapa near the goal line in the final minute, causing a touchback and denying Punahou what seemed to be a destined game-tying opportunity. Purcell-Apana finished with a team-high seven tackles, one pass deflection, and an 83-yard pick-six that gave Mililani an early 20-7 lead.
The ball strip on Taulapapa, though, was clutch.
"He was falling down and I just stripped it. The ball went our way," said Purcell-Apana, who moved from wide receiver to defensive back this season.
Trojans unstoppable early
Mililani’s first-half drive chart reads like this: TD, TD, TD (interception return), TD, punt, TD, TD, TD. This was against a stellar defense that had permitted just 10 points per game. The second half, though, was more about attrition: INT, TD, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, turnover on downs. It came down to grit and, incredibly enough, defense.
For all the eye-popping, pinball-machine numbers, the Trojans inflicted their will on Punahou’s defense through its hurry-up offense. Mililani played offense at warp speed, lining up faster and snapping the ball quickly. In 24 minutes and 12 seconds of possession, the Trojans got off 84 offensive plays. The incredible pace came even as three linemen played through injuries.
"Credit our guys. They were making plays. A lot of times, it was the back side. They took away our front side and we went back side," York said. "O-line did a hell of a job, McKenzie did a helluva job getting the ball there, and our receivers were excellent."
Mililani O-line shows depth
York never lets his emotions get too high or low, at least in public, outside the Trojans circle. But he choked up as soon as he began to talk about his O-line, which battled through injuries. Right tackle Jordan Agasiva left in the first half. Right guard Andru Tovi and left guard Derrick Fetui-Suapaia played through pain, too.
"Tyler came in and did a helluva job. Next guy’s got to be ready and he was ready to go," York said. "To be honest, our O-line was very banged up. We were not even close to 100 percent. Derrick’s got a fractured wrist and a partially fractured foot. Jordan, his leg was purple from the Farrington game, but we made no excuses. We came up and played. Dru has a sprained knee, but he fought. Brett (D’Amato) is banged up, he’s only 5-7, 200 pounds. Then (Antonio) Ala back there, he’s 100 percent. Credit those guys. Without them, we wouldn’t be here. I trust them."
Fetui-Suapaia and his teammates felt no pain in the post-game celebration with fans.
"Determination, that’s it. The reason we won tonight is we play for each other," he said. "We’re very, very, very blessed. We’ll go home, be humble, and it’ll be another day."
