Paying tribute to the past while preparing for the challenges ahead, Farrington celebrated its first on-campus homecoming with a resounding 53-16 win over Castle on Saturday.
Governors running back Samsen Tanuvasa ran for 161 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Chris Afe-Alaivanu threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score at a packed Skippa Diaz Stadium.
“It’s an honor,” Afe-Alaivanu said. “We’d like to thank all the (past) players and coaches — if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have this field. To have our first homecoming game is a big blessing. As you can see, a lot of fans came out and we made history.”
Farrington (4-3, 4-2 OIA Red) enters the final week of the regular season tied with Leilehua for second in the division. The Governors and Mules meet Friday in Wahiawa, with the winner clinching a bye in the first round of the league playoffs.
“The bye is a big incentive,” Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. “It’s playoff time.”
Farrington picked up 229 yards rushing and 214 passing and Okimoto said the balance was a key going into the game and into the playoffs.
“We practiced our (play-action) fakes and the fakes opened up the passing lanes for the receivers,” Tanuvasa said.
Tanuvasa, who entered the night with a total of 110 yards in four games, capped Farrington’s first possession with a 4-yard touchdown run. On the Governors’ next drive, Afe-Alaivanu found Chad Silva alone downfield for a 32-yard touchdown pass. The Governors added 2-point conversions after both scores to take a 16-0 lead.
Castle (3-5, 3-4) got on the board on Cheyden Costa’s 33-yard field goal. After a penalty on the kickoff return pinned Farrington at its 5, Castle’s Elijah-Po‘o Kekiwi recovered a fumbled snap and Keanu Tilton scored on a 2-yard run to cut the deficit to 16–10.
Farrington led 19-10 at halftime and scored on its first three possessions of the second half, starting with Afe-Alaivanu’s 13-yard touchdown run. Tymon Paleafei returned an interception 28 yards to extend the lead to 46-10 in the fourth quarter.
