Pursuit of Liberty

Rod York is in the eye of the storm.

No matter what swirls around him, he is engaged and locked in, even in the heart of Las Vegas. Friday, his top-ranked Mililani Trojans will make the drive to the nearby suburb of Henderson to face the Liberty Patriots, the No. 2 team in Nevada.

Defending Hawaii state champion Mililani is making its first mainland trip under York.

"It’s always tough to travel and play in their house. But we asked to play them. We feel we match up well, but we have to play the game and keep our kids focused," said York, an ‘Iolani grad who played his college football at the University of Hawaii.

Liberty was very competitive in a scrimmage against perennial Nevada and national powerhouse Bishop Gorman two weeks ago, according to Saint Louis coach Cal Lee. Saint Louis then defeated Liberty 43-16 last week at Aloha Stadium.

"Liberty is athletic and active. They are upset and want redemption," York texted. "We are in their house."

The priorities remain the same, he insists.

"In reality, it’s our bye week and the game doesn’t count (in the OIA standings). Our goals haven’t changed. We want to win our OIA league. Then we want to win states," York added. "On a prideful side, we represent Hawaii and we want to compete and dominate."

In three games, the Trojans have scored 189 points. Mililani is ranked as high as No. 10 in one national list.

"We don’t care about national rankings. That was never our goal," he texted, writing "never" in capital letters. "We only care about the final Hawaii state ranking."

Mililani’s core of offensive standouts has been on fire since preseason began. McKenzie Milton is coming off a school-record 515-yard passing performance in last week’s 67-21 win over Kapolei. In the same game, Kalakaua Timoteo hauled in 193 yards in receiving to set a school mark. Vavae Malepeai (289 rushing yards, seven TDs in three games) is the most coveted running back in the state in the eyes of college recruiters. All three playmakers have Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers in hand.

York has called this a business trip from day one, with a tour of UNLV as one of the few off-board activities. Life in the glitzy atmosphere is certainly new for most of the Trojans, though the coaching staff has chanted a mantra of simplicity.

"Our kids are loving the buffets. They really have variety and quality," York wrote.

It was a busy Thursday afternoon and evening for the Patriots, who have many former islanders on their coaching staff and roster. After practice, Liberty hosted Mililani for dinner.

"We have a big task at hand. Last week, Tua (Tagovailoa) and the Crusaders took us for a ride. It was a good eye-opener for us," Liberty defensive coordinator Kaipo Batoon said. "Saint Louis is a really good program and Mililani will bring it to us as well. Mililani has a very explosive offense that will be tough to contain. We will do our best to minimize the big plays and clean up the mistakes from week one.

"We love the style of Hawaii football and we get to experience it this week. These challenges early will prepare us for the season. We are anxious to get back out there and see what we got."

Meanwhile, not so far away, the Punahou Buffanblu are zooming in on a battle Friday with Del Oro, which blanked Pleasant Grove, the No. 3 team in Utah, 41-0 last week. Friday’s game will be at the University of California at Berkeley. The defending ILH champs are off to a dominant start after a 49-7 win at Leilehua and a 59-0 rout of Hilo. The spotty schedule left Kale Ane’s team with a three-week gap between games.

That could mean a little rust for the Buffanblu, and combined with the experience of playing in California Memorial Stadium and facing a tough Del Oro squad, it could be rough sailing.

No. 5 Farrington (3-0, 2-0 OIA Blue) at Aiea (1-3, 1-2) — Challen Faamatau showed glimpses of pass-catching awesomeness last season as a backup running back. This year, he’s a dynamo as a kick returner, rusher and receiver. Through three games, the senior has 16 receptions for 368 yards and five TDs along with 187 rushing yards and three more TDs.

Campbell (0-3, 0-2 OIA Blue) at No. 7 Kailua (4-0, 3-0) — Noah Auld’s 309-yard passing effort in last week’s win over Aiea ranks third on the school’s all-time list behind Taleki Mailau (387 yards against Mililani in 2000) and Ranson Kepa (373 against Campbell, ’02).

Leilehua (0-3, 0-2 OIA Red) at Castle (2-2, 2-1) — Last week’s thrilling 35-32 win over Waipahu puts the Knights in position to take a huge step closer to a playoff berth. Castle’s Jeremy McGoldrick continues to be a big-play contributor with 10 TD catches already (24 receptions, 462 yards).

Kaiser (0-3, 0-2 OIA Red) at Waipahu (1-2, 1-2) — The Cougars had two weeks to recuperate from a loss at Kahuku. A playoff run would have to start now, but it won’t be easy against a resurgent Marauders program. Jensen McDaniel (413 yards, four TDs) and QB Nic Tom (356, three) are among the leading rushers in the OIA.

Nanakuli (2-1, 2-0) at Waialua (3-1, 2-1 OIA D-II) — The Bulldogs took their first loss of the season last week. It was a tough slate, completing a postponed game on Monday before taking on Roosevelt four days later.

Anuenue (0-4, 0-3 OIA D-II) at Pearl City (1-1, 1-1) — Na Koa, who are struggling to find healthy bodies, forfeited again this week. Anuenue has not played a game since Aug. 7 against St. Francis.

Hilo (1-2, 1-0 BIIF) at Konawaena (3-0, 1-0) — After shutout losses to Punahou and Kamehameha, the Vikings got back on track against Hawaii Prep last week. Kaale Tiogangco passed for 394 yards and three TDs. The Wildcats are off to a fast start, including last week’s 57-17 win over Waiakea, under first-year head coach Brad Uemoto.

Kealakehe (2-2, 1-0 BIIF) at Honokaa (1-2, 0-2) — The Waveriders got a superb game from shifty Riggs Kurashige (118 rushing yards, two TDs) in a 22-20 win over KS-Hawaii last week.

Lahainaluna (1-3, 0-2 MIL) vs. Maui (1-1, 1-0), War Memorial Stadium — The smashmouth Sabers are airing the ball out now with Austin Hoe at QB. That hasn’t changed the effectiveness of RB Soane Vaohea, who rushed for 272 yards and two TDs in a 45-15 win over King Kekaulike last week.

Kauai (0-3, 0-1 KIF) at Waimea (2-1, 0-0), Hanapepe Ballpark — The Menehune have been idle since a 10-7 home loss to Pac-Five two weeks ago. The Red Raiders lost to defending league champ Kapaa 53-0 last week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 8 Waianae (3-1, 3-0 OIA Red) vs. McKinley (0-4, 0-3), Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium (Roosevelt) — The Seariders have found their groove with old-school smashmouth football accentuated by an accurate passing game, whether it’s starter Jaren Ulu or backup Jorell Pontes-Borje in charge. Waianae is averaging 43 points per game in league play despite playing all three games on the road.

Moanalua (2-2, 1-2 OIA Blue) at No. 10 Kapolei (1-3, 0-3) — The Hurricanes are coming off a 67-21 loss to No. 1 Mililani. L.J. Esperas (221 receiving yards) and Taulia Tagovailoa (394 passing yards) set school marks in the loss. Moanalua will take the field without QB Alakai Yuen, who suffered a neck injury in a close loss to Farrington last week. "We’re having a quarterback tryout," Na Menehune coach Jason Cauley said on Tuesday.

Roosevelt (2-2, 1-2 OIA D-II) vs. Kalani (1-3, 1-2), Kaiser Stadium — As an assistant coach, Jeff Azuma was the architect of Roosevelt’s shocking 23-6 upset win over Kahuku years ago, but his legacy may be turning the Rough Riders program into a competitive force once again. Last week’s 17-14 overtime win over then-front-running Waialua has scrambled the standings.

Kaimuki (1-2, 1-1 OIA D-II) vs. Radford (3-0, 3-0), Aiea High School field — The Rams are the cream of the crop in OIA D-II, outscoring foes 96-6. Quintin Iriarte has emerged as a potent weapon at QB with 340 passing yards and six TD strikes, and another 98 rushing yards (on three carries) and two TD runs.

Keaau (0-2, 0-0 BIIF) at Hawaii Prep (0-2, 0-1) — Life after Nicky Palleschi, now a tight end at Cal, is proving to be tough for Ka Makani. Anthony Palleschi (131 yards, TD) and Justin Perry are filling the void as HPA is relying more on the ground attack this fall.

Kamehameha-Maui (2-1, 2-0 MIL) vs. Baldwin (1-2, 1-0), War Memorial — Warriors head coach Cody Nakamura’s squad has won two in a row since losing to ‘Iolani on the road a month ago. Former Baldwin greats Nakamura and KS-Maui QB coach Jordan Helle will go up against their alma mater. The Bears outscored Lahainaluna 48-27 last week.

OIA RED STATISTICS AND STANDINGS

OIA BLUE STATISTICS AND STANDINGS

OIA D-II STATISTICS AND STANDINGS