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Mililani impresses in loss to national champion Mater Dei

billy hull, the honolulu star-advertiser
·5 min read

Sep. 17—Going toe-to-toe with defending national champion Mater Dei as part of the Trinity League vs. USA Showcase, the Trojans took a second-quarter lead before eventually falling to the Monarchs 42-14 at Panish Family Stadium.

BELLFLOWER, CALIF.—Mililani has been one of the top football programs in Hawaii for a decade.

In order to remove the "one of " from that statement, Mililani coach Rod York said, the team needs the play the kind of games that it did Friday night in California.

Going toe-to-toe with defending national champion Mater Dei as part of the Trinity League vs. USA Showcase, the Trojans took a second-quarter lead before eventually falling to the Monarchs 42-14 at Panish Family Stadium.

The depth and team speed of Mater Dei (5-0 ), a private school powerhouse for the better part of 30-plus years under legendary coach Bruce Rollinson, proved to be too much for the Trojans (4-2 ).—Sophomore Jordon Davison, the No. 1 running back in the Class of 2025 according to 247Sports, with offers already from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State, among others, rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns.

Nathaniel Frazier, a junior running back whose offers include USC and Oregon, added a 53-yard touchdown run and a 51-yard TD catch.

Nonetheless, despite all of the talent Mater Dei put on the field, it was Mililani that scored first and put a scare into the Monarchs, who have won 22 straight since losing to St. John Bosco in the de facto national championship game in 2019.

"We got what we wanted. We faced adversity, our kids fought back, and we were able to see where we really needed to improve, " said York, who won his 100th game with Mililani earlier this season. "We saw some things that we didn't see against a Moanalua, against a Saint Louis, and that's why we came out here. We feel very positive about what we will take away from this. I feel optimistic of the future."

The Trojans are 4-2 this season. Their other loss was to Mission Viejo, another California power.

They did beat Saint Louis for just the second time in school history, and it didn't take a 300-yard passing and 200-yard rushing performance from McKenzie Milton, who went on to play quarterback in college at UCF and Florida State, for it to happen.

A showdown with Hawaii No. 1 Kahuku, which plays national No. 1 St. John Bosco on the same field tonight, looms ahead on Oct. 15.

"You saw the atmosphere (of this game ). You felt it, you can see the pregame—you can't simulate that in Hawaii, " York said. "If we're trying to beat Kahuku, you have to play teams better than Kahuku. We beat Saint Louis for the second time ever. You can't simulate this back home. This whole thing is just so when we go back home, it's like nothing."

Quarterback Kini McMillan, whom Rollinson singled out and made a point to congratulate on the Mililani sideline after the game, finished 18-for-30 for 180 yards and two second-half interceptions against a relentless Mater Dei pass rush.

Legendary Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson asks for Mililani QB Kini McMillan to congratulate him on good game.—Billy Hull (@billyhull )

The Trojans shut out the Monarchs in the opening 12 minutes, but were backed up on their own 14-yard line against the Mater Dei offense to start the second quarter.

Quarterback Elijah Brown, who finished 17-for-30 for 190 yards, hit sophomore Marcus Davis for a completion inside the 5. Mililani senior linebacker Elias Tania hit Davis, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jordan Fetu in the end zone.

Tania on the force. Jordan Fetu with the recovery.—Billy Hull (@billyhull )

On the next drive, McMillan faced a third-and-10 on his own 20 when he hit Derek Tsuchiyama down the seam for 27 yards.

Raymond Roller, who finished with seven catches for 95 yards, caught a 24-yard pass down to the Mater Dei 5 and Kingsten Samuelu, after two Mater Dei penalties, punched it in from the 1 to give Mililani a 7-0 lead with 9 :53 on the clock.

"At that point my head was spinning, " McMillan said. "We had the momentum, but we lost it. (Derek ) was one-on-one and he was open by inches and I threw it to him and he made a nice grab. We just couldn't keep it going."

Frazier answered with a 53-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game on the next drive and Mater Dei's rushing offense proved to be too much.

And there 's the speed. Nathaniel Frazier goes 53 yards for a TD on his first carry. Mililani 7, Mater Dei 7, 8 :10, Q2.—Billy Hull (@billyhull )

The Monarchs totaled 338 rushing yards on 21 carries.

"The great thing ... is our kids hold themselves accountable and they weren't making excuses and pointing fingers, " York said. "We've become a team and a family by coming on this trip."

Sophomore Onosai Salanoa stepped up with seven catches for 89 yards to complement Roller as a solid 1-2 punch in Mililani's receiving corps.

"We definitely (made some strides ), but we also made some mistakes and we have to fix it, " Salanoa said. "Our main goal was no matter what, as long as we played as a team and left it on the field, we'd be OK. We have a lot of work to do, but I'm proud of my team and I love my team."