Bears to Host Mililani on OC16 Television Friday

Baldwin High School will lineup for Mililani on Friday, starting at 5 p.m. on OC16 Television. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

Farrington High School running backs Abraham Silva and Tyler Taumua combined for 356 yards rushing and five touchdowns to lead Farrington over Leilehua, 52-26, Saturday night at Kaiser Stadium to earn the final Division I state tournament berth.

The Governors (9-2) will play fourth-seeded Kealakehe on the Big Island in an opening-round game of the six-team First Hawaiian Bank Football Championships on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Waveriders (10-1) captured the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I title Saturday night with a 40-22 win against Hilo at Kealakehe. The contest was resumed with 58 seconds left in the first half. That’s when the game was suspended on Oct. 27 because of the tsunami warning.

Maui Interscholastic League Division I champion Baldwin will face Mililani in the other opening-round game on Friday, at War Memorial, beginning at 5 p.m. The game will be televised live on OC16.

Last year, the Bears shocked Farrington, 28-24, when quarterback Keelan Ewaliko scored his signature second-effort touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to post a come-from-behind victory.

The Trojans (9-2) turned over the ball eight times to the top-ranked Kahuku Red Raiders (10-0) and suffered a 50-13 shellacking in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Championship Game Friday at Aloha Stadium.
It was Kahuku’s 17th league crown since the inception of the championship in 1970 and 23rd overall, the most of any OIA school.
The No. 1-seeded Red Raiders’ 50-point total is the most in an OIA title game.

Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Punahou is No. 2.

Defending state champion Kahuku and Punahou draw opening-round byes. They automatically advance to the semifinals Nov. 16 at Aloha Stadium.
The Baldwin-Mililani winner will meet Punahou in the semifinals.

The Bears (7-2 overall and 7-1 in the MIL) loss 32-0 to Lahainaluna in the first round without Ewaliko, who was nursing a rib injury suffered against Saint Louis in the preseason at Aloha Stadium. Ewaliko returned to help the Bears defeat the Lunas 20-17 in overtime on Oct. 13.

Baldwin is 5-4 in state quarterfinal games and 0-6 in semifinal games.

Punahou beat Baldwin 35-0 in one semifinal last year. Kahuku slipped past Leilehua, 13-10, in the other semifinal. The Red Raiders went on to beat the Buffanblu, 30-24, for its sixth state championship since 2000.

FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK DIVISION I PARTICIPANTS / ScoringLive.com

No. 1 Kahuku Red Raiders, OIA Red champions
Appearance: 11th
Record: 18-4 overall. Quarterfinals: 4-0, 7th bye; Semifinals: 8-2; Championships: 6-2.

No. 2 Punahou Buffanblu, ILH champions
Appearance: 4th
Record: 5-2 overall. Quarterfinals: 1-0, 1 bye; Semifinals 3-0; Championships: 1-2.

No. 3 Baldwin Bears, MIL champions
Appearance: 11th
Record: 5-10 overall. Quarterfinals: 5-4, 1 bye; 0-6 semifinals.

No. 4 Kealakehe Waveriders, BIIF champions
Appearance: 9th
Record: 0-7 overall. Quarterfinals: 0-7

Farrington Governors, OIA Red third
Appearance: 8th
Record: 3-7 overall. Quarterfinals: 3-4; Semifinals: 0-3.

Mililani Trojans, OIA Red runner-up
Appearance: 5th
Record: 0-4 overall. Quarterfinals: 0-3; Semifinals: 0-1.