Not many teams in the state could benefit from four weeks off between games as much as No. 5 Campbell. After a 28-14 grind of a win over Farrington in the OIA Open Division third-place game, that’s how much time the Sabers will have to regroup.
The victory also gives Campbell the OIA’s last spot in the four-team state tournament, where it will play the winner of today’s Kahuku-Mililani contest on Nov. 22.
On Friday night at neutral site Mililani, the short-handed Sabers pieced together a game plan that saw multiple players playing out of position. It was a sacrifice the boys from Ewa Beach were willing to make, knowing how stark the difference was between a handful of weeks off compared to a full offseason.
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Farrington and Campbell.
“It’s crunch time. Win or lose and you’re out,” said Tyrese Tafai, a middle linebacker, who rushed five times for his first carries of the season. “We wanted to win, we didn’t want to give up our pads yet.”
Campbell took on the Governors without its leading rusher in Jonan Aina-Chaves, who was out due to academic issues. Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, the state’s leader in receiving yardage as a sophomore in 2018, was active for just a handful of plays and was never targeted. Mokiao-Atimalala has been dealing with knee swelling and discomfort for a few weeks.
Farrington ground down the Sabers defense in the first quarter, using a mix of five different ball carriers. The Govs ran a ball-control clinic on their first drive, having possession for 8:21 of game time in the opening drive, which was capped by Caleb Matagi’s 5-yard touchdown run.
Campbell evened the game at 7 on Tafai’s 9-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, but the Govs drained 6:07 off the clock on its next possession. TJ Paleafei’s 4-yard rushing touchdown gave the Govs the lead with 4:37 left in the second.
The Sabers held up their end of the seesaw battle with Zavier Ceruti’s 21-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds left in the first half. The teams were tied at halftime, a far cry from the regular season matchup that saw Campbell win 41-6 on Aug. 15.
“We knew it wasn’t the same team,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “We knew we just had to buckle down and play football, and play smart.”
The Sabers held Farrington scoreless in the second half and put the game away with a pair of touchdowns by quarterback Blaine Hipa.
“We’re gonna use the time to heal up, get better in school and do the small things first,” Johnson said.
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No. 5 Campbell 28, Farrington 14
At Mililani
>> Farrington (2-9) 7 7 0 0 — 14
>> Campbell (6-5) 0 14 6 8 — 28
Farrington — Caleb Matagi 5 rush (Andrew Elijah Juan Cabuco kick)
Campbell — Tyrese Tafai 9 rush (Chase Taylor kick)
Farrington — TJ Paleafei 4 rush (Cabuco kick) Camp—Zavier Ceruti 21 pass from Blaine Hipa (Cabuco kick)
Campbell — Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala 12 pass from Hipa (kick failed)
Campbell — Hipa 1 rush (Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala pass from Hipa)
RUSHING — Farrington: Paleafei 23-69, Darius Chaffin 9-60, Matagi 5-23, Selau Kalani 5-14, Jonah Aina-Chaves 4-14, TEAM 4-(minus-20). Campbell: Peter Manuma 5-47, Tafai 5-25, Sky Lactaoen 3-7, Caleb Mercado 1-1, Hipa 4-(minus-1).
PASSING — Farrington: Darius Chaffin 6-13-2-53. Campbell: Blaine Hipa 10-21-1-115.
RECEIVING — Farrington: Kainoa Mane 3-13, Dahlas Suyat 1-18, Isaiah Rios 1-13, Paleafei 1-9. Campbell: Zavier Ceruti 4-73, Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala 3-21, RJ Tadeo 2-9, Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa 1-12.
