Their field general was sidelined, but the Mililani Trojans continued to play at a championship level.
Vavae Malepeai and the offensive line made sure of it. The senior running back rushed for career highs of 282 yards and five touchdowns as No. 3 Mililani overwhelmed Moanalua 60-36 on Saturday night.
Malepeai broke the career rushing TD mark two weeks ago and added to it as Mililani closed regular-season play at 7-0 in the OIA Blue (7-1 overall).
"It’s a team effort. I like to credit the O-line, but also the wide receivers, Kala (Timoteo) and Bryson (Ventura) making blocks," he said. "I just like going with whatever the coaches’ feel is. I like the plays where everyone blocks."
Malepeai, a commit to the University of Oregon, had 183 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries in the first half alone. Sweeps, power blasts between the tackles, and furious rushing from start to his departure in the third quarter. His 89-yard TD jaunt was his last, giving the visiting Trojans a 50-13 lead with 7:04 to play.
With McKenzie Milton out (shoulder), backup Kaysen Higa started and played the first and third quarters. Dillon Gabriel, called up from the junior varsity earlier in the week, played the second and fourth quarters. Higa finished 11-for-20 for 194 yards and two TDs with no picks. Gabriel, a lefty, was 10-for-19 for 81 yards with no interceptions.
"Sometimes, it’s kind of hard when you’ve been with someone since sophomore year and it feels even longer. You go with what you got, and the two other guys, I love those guys, too," Malepeai said of Higa and Gabriel.
Coach Rod York was almost smiling after the game.
"The O-line did a tremendous job. We played our 2s for the majority of the second half," he said. "I’m proud of the guys. It’s the ultimate team sport and we had a lot of guys step in and play even better than they had been. We run the same plays on our seventh- and eighth-grade teams. Our guys can make all the throws so it’s not a problem."
Timoteo returned from an ankle injury to haul in seven passes for 71 yards and a TD.
The Trojans finished with 627 yards of total offense. Moanalua (3-5, 2-5), which already had a playoff berth secure before the contest, finished with 428 total yards. Alaka’i Yuen passed for 254 yards (18-for-26) with three TD passes and two picks. Mililani’s pass rush was consistent. Kaimana Padello had three sacks before the first unit stepped off the field in the third quarter.
Michael Feliciano finished with 75 yards on the ground and 162 through the air, pulling in 10 passes. He scored on a deflected 54-yard TD pass and ran for a 1-yard TD.
