The warming up is pretty much done for the No. 3 Mililani Trojans. The real tests await.
The Trojans were dominant in a 42-7 OIA Open football victory over No. 5 Campbell on Friday night at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium. But that was expected since Mililani had dispatched the Sabers 48-14 two weeks earlier in a regular-season game.
Seniors Makanalea Meyer (left) and Nehemiah Timoteo (right) and freshman Aiden Manutai were instrumental in Mililani’s 42-7 victory over Campbell on Friday night.
Up next for Mililani (5-1) is the league Open final next weekend against the winner of Saturday night’s No. 1 Kakuku vs. Waianae game, which will also be played at Farrington. The Red Raiders are heavily favored in that one, and the Trojans would like a shot at redeeming themselves after suffering their only loss of the season to Kahuku — 55-20 three weeks ago.
“We’ve got a great team,” said Mililani freshman cornerback Aiden Manutai, who had one of two Trojans interceptions in Friday’s win and who is the son of former University of Hawaii standout Lincoln Manutai. “Great defense, great offense, great receiver corps, great linebackers, great front seven. It’s just a team game and you play as a team and we came out with the dub.”
Manutai leads the Trojans with five interceptions this year.
To take the next step and win the league championship, Manutai said, “There’s really nothing to change. We’re just gonna execute and do our job and that’s all that needs to be said.”
With the victory, aside from heading to the league title game next week, Mililani clinched a spot in the upcoming state Open Division tournament.
For Trojans head coach Rod York, the formula that will give his team the best chance is simple: “We want to tackle better (than the last time Mililani played Kahuku) and not turn the ball over.”
Added 6-foot-3, 270-pound offensive lineman Tavo Matuapuaka, who is being recruited by a handful of Division I FBS colleges: “We just gotta do what we do.”
Many Trojans shined in Friday’s victory, including quarterback Emana Tarape, who threw four touchdown passes in an efficient 6-for-8 night of passing, running back Nehemiah Timoteo, who bulled his way for 79 rushing yards and scored one TD on the ground and another through the air, and Makanalea Meyer, who has been a stalwart at safety all season and scored on offense with an 84-yard TD catch and run on a pass from backup QB Makavelli Novera.
Coaches talked to the Mililani players at halftime.
“We gave him one rep on offense and he took it to the house,” York said about Meyer. “And Aiden is a special player. He’s just doing what he’s been doing since he played youth ball. Timoteo is a force for us. He missed his junior year because of COVID and when he was a ninth-grader he was a big factor in us winning the JV championship.”
Meyer will carry the memory of that touchdown with him for a while.
“That was pretty awesome, yeah,” he said. “I was just ready. I was like, ‘Oh, they’re giving me the ball so I’ve got to make the most of it.’ ”
Timoteo, the cousin of former Mililani star receiver Kalakaua Timoteo, gave a shoutout to the Trojans’ offensive line and the defenders on the other side of the ball.
“The line, they do all the dirty work,” he said. “And the defense really did step up this whole season.”
Semeri Ulufale, Mikey Agasiva and Kaymen Tago-Su’e all contributed with sacks and Jordan Fetu added an interception for Mililani.
Campbell players huddled during a timeout.
Rowen Bucao of Campbell (4-3), who finished with 177 all-purpose yards including 95 on four kickoff returns, scored his team’s only touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Cheyne Kuboyama-Hayashi. Kela Moore was another Sabers standout with two interceptions.
The Sabers can make the state tournament if they beat Waianae on Saturday in the OIA third-place game.
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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:
>> No. 6 Konawaena Captures BIIF Title By Edging Hilo; Bedrock Sports’ Friday Scoreboard
>> WATCH: 8 Videos From No. 3 Mililani’s 42-7 OIA Open Football Semifinal Victory Over No. 5 Campbell
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