Former Knight Fernandez Rushing For Farrington Friday
By Jack Danilewicz
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For the Castle football team, this week is all about leaving nothing to chance. A win over Farrington in their regular-season finale at 7:30 p.m. Friday (on OC-16) at Mililani High School would ensure the Knights a far more favorable seeding for the post-season.
“It’s a big game in determining the pecking order,” said coach Nelson Maeda, whose team was 3-1 going into last weekend.
“It will be very crucial to our season. We could go anywhere from 1-5 (seeding-wise) depending on how we do in our last two games,” he added, taking into account last Friday’s much-anticipated matchup with Kahuku.
Above all, the Governors represent as stern a test as there is around OIA circles, in Maeda’s view. Farrington entered its game with winless McKinley last weekend with a 3-1 record, their only defeat coming at the hands of defending state champion and current East Red leader Kahuku. The Governors also posted an impressive win over Kalaheo, the only team to have beaten the Knights in their first four games.
“They’re a typical Farrington team, big up front and very athletic,” Maeda said. “Their quarterback (Alefesio Iu) has really come along. He has a very nice touch on his passes.”
A familiar face also makes his home in the Farrington backfield - Castle transfer Joshua Fernandez. Now a senior, Fernandez was a part of the Castle football program his first two years of high school. His six rushing touchdowns (3.79 yards per carry) are tops among the OIA’s Division I teams.
“He’s very athletic - a nice kid,” Maeda said. “We were sorry to see him go. He’s one of the keys to their offense. The ball focuses on him. He’s doing a marvelous job on the receiving end, too. They like to move him around.”
The Governors’ offense has thrived mainly on overall balance and the decision-making of Iu behind center. Entering the weekend, he had thrown six touch-down pass against only one interception, and his 67 percent completion-rate ranks first in the OIA.
As has been the case all season, the Knights would like to turn the game over to its defense, which is led by 6-foot-2, 315-pound line-man Solomon Koehler. Projected by recruiting services as the top-rated college prospect in Hawaii’s class of 2008, he holds the Knights together in the interior, drawing double teams each night out.
“He’s difficult to stop one-onone - he’s a guy teams have to contend with,” Maeda said. “He’s our biggest player, so we’ll really need him (to perform) in the trenches. Our defense has been very consistent - they’ve bent at times, but they haven’t broken. They’ll have to play outstanding for us to have a chance in this game.”
In addition to Koehler, the Knights have also received solid play from down-linemen Alika Kekoanui, K.J. Aipia, and Chris and Cody Daniel, as well as line-backer Kaua Olds.
Offensively, the Knights “have to become more consistent overall,” Maeda said. “We’re hoping we can get back into a rhythm. We’ve had too many three(downs)-and-out, and that’s kept our defense on the field a great deal of the time. I don’t think we’re going to be in a 7-0 game with Farrington - their offense has a lot of firepower, so we’re going to have to score some points ourselves.”
A big game from Castle quarterback Blake Rapozo and the team’s leading receiver Breydan Torres would be a boost to the Knights’ offense. Rapozo had hit on 55 percent of his passes with 4 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions, while Torres has caught 18 passes for 198 yards.
Farrington won last year’s meeting 32-22, ending a six-game win streak by the Knights in the series.
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