The Farrington Governors bring a wicked intensity to their serve game.

Consider it service with a smile. The Govs pounded 20 aces and defended their Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II boys volleyball championship with a resounding 15-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Castle on Thursday night at James Alegre Gymnasium.

Farrington (10-4) has won three D-II league titles under coach Reagan Agena since 2013.

“We played well. We’ve been finding our rhythm. Waialua and Radford really helped us to get better,” Agena said.

The sultry conditions inside the gym almost matched the heat of Farrington’s rockets from the back line. Elia Mose, a 6-foot-1 senior, had team highs of 13 kills and five aces, including three in a row to close out the match in the fourth set. Setter John Salacup, a junior, had four aces to go with three kills and 21 assists. Calijah Maleko, a 6-1 freshman, and 6-1 junior Russell Nelson chipped in three aces and three kills apiece.

Richard Pili, a 6-foot junior, was a vital part of the Govs’ comeback in the second set, displaying a versatile game with a block, two assists and an ace during a key run that pushed the Govs to an 8-4 lead. He finished with three kills, five dimes, two blocks and two aces.

“Once we get him back into system, he makes a big difference,” Agena said. “We’ve been working on our serve, working hard.”

Senior Christian Latu added eight kills and three blocks in a pivotal role at the net. Farrington finished with six blocks and Castle hustled for five roofs.

Kamalei Albinio had 10 kills to lead Castle (9-4). Makana Aipia added six kills, while Ashten Kanoa (three blocks) and Jaysen Matsumoto tallied four each. Matsumoto also had a team-high 16 assists. Albinio dished out eight assists. Onipaa Olds tallied two kills, two blocks and an ace.

Things weren’t so smooth in the opening set before a statewide TV audience. The Govs pressed too hard and had just four kills with six hitting errors for a negative hitting percentage.

“We tried to get them to focus. We tried to inform them before the match about distractions. We just wanted them to play their game,” Agena said.

Castle — the younger, smaller team — hit .296 in the opening set, while the Govs misfired from all directions and mishandled the ball consistently. However, the weight of the moment showed for the Knights, too.

“It’s the first time they played on TV and they had a little stage fright,” longtime coach Pat Gomes-Woolsey said. “A big block, that’s one thing we don’t have, so we try to work on defense and transition. Farrington played a lot better this time.”

In their regular-season meeting, Farrington rallied for an 18-25, 25-21, 15-12 win.

“Not to take any credit away from them, but our serve was off tonight,” Gomes-Woolsey added.