Farrington picks it up to upset No. 8 Kapolei

Farrington doesn’t stay down very long.

The Governors left their slow start to the season in the past Saturday night with a 13-0 upset of No. 8 Kapolei at Skippa Diaz Stadium.

The win, during a Kalihi-style homecoming celebration, was much needed, and Farrington (2-4, 1-2 OIA Open) is hoping the performance can catapult it into success in upcoming stretch run.

“We talked to the kids all week about finishing,” Farrington coach Daniel Sanchez said. “Every game we’ve played, we were in it, so we focused on finishing. We’re not where we want to be, but we’ve made improvements. It’s a good win for the school and a good win for the community.”

Farrington’s aggressive defense halted Kapolei’s normally potent offense. The Hurricanes just couldn’t get anything going all night long.

“Their (the Govs’) defense was outstanding,” Hurricanes coach Darren Hernandez said. “We were really off. Our passing game couldn’t connect. They won the game in the trenches and took it to us on both sides of the line. Their D-line was great, physical. And they were really physical on our receivers, too.”

Offensively, Farrington took up large chunks of ground (and clock) on the running of Samsen Tanuvasa. He finished with 90 yards on 25 carries.

“We deserved this win,” Tanuvasa said. “I’m thankful for the linemen. They led me to the yards. It was a good team effort. The defense did their job on their side of the ball, holding them down to zero. That’s what it’s all about. This is a big, big win. Homecoming, everybody coming out. At least we can hold on to that since we’ve been losing these past games. This is a boost for us.”

The Govs struck late in the first quarter to break a 0-0 tie on Chris Afe-Alaivanu’s 36-yard TD strike to Selau Kalani. They carried a 6-0 lead into the second half, missing an opportunity to go up by nine when Andre Elijah Juan Cabuco missed a 20-yard field goal.

Calijah Mareko’s interception of Kapolei quarterback Noa Bailey led to Farrington’s next touchdown — a 4-yard Tanuvasa run for a 13-0 edge in the third quarter.

With less than four minutes left in the game, the Hurricanes (3-3, 1-1 OIA Open) drove deep into Farrington territory. On a fourth-down play, backup quarterback Mason Gomez took a big hit from the Govs’ Cameron Faletufuga and let a pass fly deep into the end zone. Sinai-Taheed Robello made the catch, but he was over the end line.

Kapolei did not take advantage of two late opportunities created by Landan Shove’s interception of Afe-Alaivanu and Shove’s strip that led to teammate Sonny Semeatu’s fumble recovery.

“We were way off on our timing,” the Hurricanes’ Hernandez said. “It wasn’t just us. It was their defense. This is a humbling experience for us and we’ve got to learn from our mistakes.”

Farrington’s Sanchez credited the running game and the high-powered defense.

“We worked a lot to stop their running game and we wanted to run the ball,” he said. “With Tanuvasa back there, we found our running game. We also wanted to go after their QB, come at him from different angles and try to get to him. We’re starting to believe and once we believe, we get confidence and hopefully it rolls on to next week and we can continue on with another victory.”

GAME SUMMARY

Farrington 13, No. 8 Kapolei 0
At Farrington

>> Farrington (2-4, 1-2) 6 0 7 0 — 13
>> Kapolei (3-3, 1-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0

Farrington — Selau Kalani 36 pass from Chris Afe-Alaivanu (run failed)

Farrington — Samsen Tanuvasa 4 run (Andre Elijah Juan Cabuco kick)

RUSHING — Kapolei: Ezekiel Waiolama 9-22, Noa Bailey 5-12, Sinai-Taheed Robello 3-2, Zion-Jabez Robello 1-0, Christian Rapis 2-(minus-7), Mason Gomez 3-(minus-16), TEAM 2-(minus-29). Farrington: Tanuvasa 25-90, Afe-Alaivanu 2-3, Kalani 8-23, Raymond Millare 1-1.

PASSING — Kapolei: Bailey 7-24-1-88, Rapis 1-3-0-29, Gomez 2-7-0-39. Farrington: Afe-Alaivanu 8-15-1-122.

RECEIVING — Kapolei: Keoki Kaluhiwa 5-82, Ikari Stokes 2-15, Waiolama 1-27, De’zhuan Stribling 1-16, S. Robello 1-16. Farrington: Kalani 5-89, Millare 2-27, Demetry Shoaf 1-6.

* JV —Kapolei 43, Farrington 34