It’s quite likely that the least surprised man in the house at John Kauinana Stadium on Friday night was Mililani coach Rod York.
Before the Trojans’ season-opening football game against Saint Louis, most people in the know were probably thinking, “This game is a toss-up.”
And rightly so. The Crusaders got the best of the Trojans 27-25 in the Open Division state semifinals last December. And they have history on their side, too, to the tune of seven top-tier state championships and seven second-place finishes since the creation of the tournament in 1999.
Every so often in Saint Louis’ off years, sometimes public school teams such as Mililani see an open window and seize their opportunity.
This particular window that Mililani zoomed through with a 28-7 victory was open for several reasons. In 2021, the Crusaders struggled mightily, going 6-4 while still making it to the finale. And then, four offensive starters and another likely starter transferred elsewhere. On top of that, coach Ron Lee has been saying since spring drills that their offensive line is young and inexperienced.
On the other hand, you have a team like the Trojans who take on the strongest possible schedule of games year in and year out and are always near the top at season’s end. One time, in 2014, they made it to the top. But take one look at coach Rod York’s face and you know he believes in his boys and is preparing them to get back there to the promised land, no matter how many times they fall short.
So with a bunch of hungry, veteran defensive players and the reemergence of the finely tuned trademark offense that Mililani did not quite have one year ago, York must have known his odds were good going in for his squad clad in neon yellow.
While there were lots of offensive highlights, the Trojans wrappee their arms around this victory with defense. They had 11 sacks, including four by defensive end Jabiel Lauvao. And they recovered three second-half fumbles with Saint Louis (0-1) threatening to score, including two by linebacker Elijah Nua.
Impressed with Mililani overall, Saint Louis’ Lee acknowledged the pressure from the Trojans’ front seven on his two quarterbacks, Kahi Graham and Oha Kamakawiwoole, but thought it was also a factor that his boys didn’t get the ball out quick enough and strayed from the pocket too early.
And he commented about the Trojans’ offense, too.
When asked what he thought about Mililani starting quarterback Kini McMillan, who threw for 308 yards and four TDs, Lee said, “He’s good, but it wasn’t just the quarterback. Their offense was good, with good protection and they had good receivers who made some big catches. Going against that was good for us (in the first game of the season).”
Lee isn’t down or angry after the loss.
“I’m very optimistic,” he said while walking back to the team bus. “We just gotta put it together.”
One of his veteran linebackers, Iona Purcell, added, “I feel like we’re going to learn from this. It’s a big lesson, but I feel like this season will be good for us. All the boys, we just gotta stick together.”
A big contributor on both sides of the ball for the Trojans was Gavin Hunter, who caught a 21-yard TD pass for an early 14-0 edge. He also played lock-down pass defense and and made four tackles from his cornerback position.
“It was really unreal watching film and breaking it down (during game preparation) on both offense and defense,” he said. “On both sides of the ball, we saw weaknesses that we could take advantage of. That’s really what the coaches made our game plan on.”
York credited the work of coordinator Silila Malepeai.
“He runs the defense,” York said. “He’s a guy who helped make Oregon what it is. He’s got the brains and he’s bringing the heat. Our defensive coaches do a great job. They’re veteran coaches who teach our kids right. It’s just about us putting it together, man.”
York wasn’t about to say this win was any bigger than any other early-season victory.
“It’s a very long season,” he said, right after checking off a bunch of things that the Trojans (1-0) did not do right:
>> “Not running routes right”
>> “Not sticking to reads all the time”
>> “Blocking the wrong guys”
>> “Not blocking at all”
>> Not tackling correctly: “We’d get ’em in our hand and let them slip through.”
>> “Containing the (Crusaders’) quarterback”
>> “Keeping underneath coverage”
Actually, York would have gone on and on if the opportunity presented itself.
So, in other words, one win is a good start, but there’s lots of things they can do better.
Both teams have interesting matchups next weekend. On Friday, Mililani takes on California’s Mission Viejo at Kauinana Stadium. On Saturday, Saint Louis hops on a plane for Kauai, where they’ll play against reigning state Division II champion Kapaa.
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