By Russell Omo
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The day of homecoming is one of the few days of the year where students, parents and faculty alike gather together on one night to view the games held on MHS’ own gridiron. The JV teams started the night off, the Trojans versus the Hurricanes of Kapolei High School, in which Mililani asserted dominance, sweeping the opposition with a final score of 42-21 and thus breaking the JV team’s losing streak of 0-3.
“It feels good for our (boys) because they’ve been working hard since March, so (they) deserve a win,” expressed MHS JV Head Coach Michael Honda.
The road to victory for the Trojans began after their first touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter with a successful extra point, leading the game 7-0. “We’re kind of down during the first quarter but we got out of the slump and picked up the slack. We were driving them back to the goal line and then we started running from there,” explained Quarterback Freshman McKenzie Milton. The pleasure of progression was short lived, as the Hurricanes also scored their own touchdown with an extra point, creating a 7-7 tie. However, the Trojans’ sturdy defense halted the majority of the Hurricanes’ advances to the end zone, with Kapolei making only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It was the offensive line’s ability to pierce through the Hurricanes’ defense that allowed the Trojans to win the game with 42-21.
For the players, the game was more than just a victory; it was redemption from the losing streak that had been affecting them this season. “It meant a lot because this was our first win in a long time, because for our regular season we lost all three (games) and then everybody was just down,” said Running Back Sophomore Cheyne Constantino, continuing, “But in this game, it was good to see everybody up, so it meant a lot to everybody, not just me, but even the coaches too.”
After claiming this victory on its own ground, the JV boys football team hopes to continue to win more games, with its next match against the Aiea High School Na Alii on Sept. 28.
