Farrington uses ground game, defensive scores to earn first win of the year

SALT LAKE — Farrington finally found its breakthrough.

The Governors relied on a dominant rushing attack and three defensive touchdowns to spoil Moanalua’s homecoming, pulling away for a 51-19 victory Friday night in an OIA Division I football game.

The win was Farrington’s first of the season and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Governors improved to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in league play, while Moanalua dropped to 2-2 and 1-1.

Farrington ran for 272 yards and attempted only two passes. Tabu-Rinthon Nathan carried the load with 205 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, including a 93-yard touchdown run with two minutes remaining that put the game out of reach.

“We really wanted to flip the switch and start showing everyone what we’ve been working hard on,” Farrington sophomore quarterback Kenzo Kawai said. “In the past few weeks, we’ve been trying to find the right offense that fits us. We finally found out that our run game is the most effective so we’ve been just pounding the ball on every play.”

Kawai helped establish that identity immediately, rushing for the first two touchdowns of the game.

Farrington opened with an 85-yard drive that consumed 17 plays, all on the ground. Kawai capped the possession with a 4-yard touchdown run.

“It was really big to score on the first drive because it sets the tone for the whole team and hypes up the defense to dominate,” Kawai said.

Farrington quarterback Kenzo Kawai scored the first two touchdowns for Farrington in the win over Moanalua. | Photo: Adam Hufstetler

The Governors then turned a strong special teams play into another touchdown.

Lexzyah Faumui’s 52-yard punt pinned Moanalua at its own 3-yard line. Farrington forced a strip sack on the ensuing possession, and Kawai scored on the next play. Faumui ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Governors a 16-0 lead.

Farrington’s defense continued to make the difference.

Kale Lundvall intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns, taking his first pick 62 yards to the end zone in the second quarter and his second 38 yards for a score in the third. Both interceptions came in the right flat.

The first pick-six helped Farrington take a 24-7 lead into halftime.

Linebacker Kale Lundvall scored two defensive touchdowns for the Governors. | Photo: Adam Hufstetler

“I’m really happy for our defense,” Kawai said. “They work really hard every day for it. I’m happy it paid off. I just thank them for putting the offense in a great position where we could score on almost every drive. Most of the props should go to our defense for that.”

Nathan added a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to extend Farrington’s lead to 37-7 before Moanalua mounted a brief comeback.

Na Menehune quarterback Tyler Gines-Hufana completed 16 of 28 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Carson Hunnicutt for a 5-yard touchdown in the second quarter and Isaiah Griffin for a 19-yard score in the third.

Gines-Hufana also added an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, cutting Farrington’s advantage to 37-19.

Nathan answered with his 93-yard touchdown run, his second score of the night, to halt any hopes of a Moanalua comeback.

Farrington RB Tabu Nathan was a workhorse for the Governors against Moanalua. | Photo: Adam Hufstetler

Farrington added one final defensive touchdown when Loverson Kerly returned a fumble 28 yards for the score.

Kawai finished with 53 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Titan Te‘o led Moanalua with 102 yards on 17 carries.

For senior left tackle Darrius Uperesa, the victory provided a much-needed boost after the Governors’ difficult start.

“Winning always feels great, but we needed this win for both the coaches and especially the players,” Uperesa said. “Team morale was at its highest I’ve ever seen this season. Great hustle on both sides of the ball. This was a great team win.”

Lundvall was selected as the Fun Factory VIP of the Game after his two interception returns for touchdowns helped spark Farrington’s first victory of the season.