CLOSING THE BOOK: 2019 Farrington Governors

2019 RECORD
>> 2-9 overall, 2-3 OIA Open Division

HEAD COACH
>> Daniel Sanchez is 4-19 in two seasons with the Govs.

KEY UNDERCLASSMEN IN 2019
>> DB/RB TJ Paleafei, Jr.; RB Raymond Millare, Jr.; QB Darius Chaffin, Jr.; LB Torrence Liufau, So.

FARRINGTON THROUGH THE YEARS: 1938-2019

HISTORICAL EQUIVALENT: 2009 Damien

Farrington is a long away away from competing in the top of the OIA, but it is closer than some others.

The Governors got off to a rough start with a 35-0 loss to Leilehua, and now they are home watching the Mules compete for the Division I state title. Farrington did clinch its second straight playoff berth with wins over Kapolei and Waianae but only turned it into another loss to Campbell.

Farrington took forever to figure out an effective offense, getting shut out in three of its first four contests and scoring just six points in the other one. That offense improved by the middle of the season but still added up to just 9.6 points per game for the school’s lowest output since Skippa Diaz was handcuffed for a 9.3 mark in 1983. That was a full touchdown lower than last year, and the improved defense had no chance of making up for it. 

The defenders allowed 29.4 points per game after last year’s disappointing 33.0 mark, adding up to a point differential of minus-19.8 for the school’s worst since the team Francis Aiwohi took over from NFL legend Don Coryell way back in 1953. These Govs won two games to Aiwohi’s one, and the Governors haven’t had a winning season since 2016.

Farrington coach Daniel Sanchez tried to combat the impossible task in front of him by turning even further to the running game with passes called on only 37 percent of plays. That left quarterback Darius Chaffin to lead the team with only 157 pass attempts and turning it into 673 yards and only a single touchdown, the fewest yards for Farrington’s passing leader since since Jared Hakuole was limited to 636 in 2010.

Chaffin started every game and was unleashed in the first two weeks against Leilehua and Punahou before seeing his passing attempts dwindle. Chaffin was actually very good at taking care of the ball, with just seven interceptions, but he never really got a chance to push the envelope after Week 2. Kulana Pate got some run against Campbell and Mililani as the backup and was pretty much a clone of Chaffin with 164 yards on 29 attempts with two interceptions. Jonah Aina-Chaves threw the only other touchdown pass, collecting 138 yards on 21 attempts.

Raymond Millare was the first Farrington running back to get the ball more than 100 times in a season since Challen Faamatau had 259 in 2016. Millare toted the rock 104 times for 551 yards and four touchdowns to lead the crew for the second season in a row. That seems to be a difference between former coach Randall Okimoto and his old fullback, as Okimoto had no qualms against loading a horse with a workload similar than Diaz handed to him and Sanchez seems to be more willing to share the wealth.

Millare was used sparingly until the team’s midseason visit to Kapolei, where he exploded for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a rare victory. He had only 18 carries in the four games before that. Millare went over the century mark in the next two games, against Kamehameha and Waianae, but his opportunities ground to a halt after that and he was nowhere to be found for the playoff loss to Campbell. So to put it simply, Farrington was 2-0 when Millare had 20 or more carries and 0-9 when he didn’t. Still, Millare had the most yardage for a Farrington running back since Faamatau in 2016. Millare was far from alone as far as talent goes. Chaffin was a more than effective runner with 159 yards when he wasn’t scrambling for his life and TJ Paleafei showed true glimpses of greatness with 174 yards and a touchdown on just 38 carries but was used sparingly until going 23-69-1 in the playoff game against Campbell. Jonah Aina-Chaves got a late start after moving over from St. Francis and never really got going, finishing with just 70 yards on 48 carries with a touchdown, a drop off from his production with the Saints in Division II. Torrence Liufau and Caleb Matagi also scored touchdowns for the Governors.

Tight end Christian Havea and Kainoa Mane were the only receivers to celebrate touchdowns in 2019, fewer than last year’s leading receiver, Selau Kalani, had by himself. Havea finished as the leader in receiving yards with 372 on a scant 26 catches, the second time in three years the leader had fewer than 400. Havea had some great games — more than five catches against Punahou, Canmpbell and Mililani — but disappeared all too often. Mane was the most dependable, catching a pass in every game except one even though they were short gains. Fifteen different receivers caught passes for Farrington this year, with Rios the only other one except for Millare to cover more than 100 yards.

Aina-Chaves, Havea and Mane will matriculate, with the receivers among the first to play an entire varsity career in the brutal Open Division. Catching Campbell might be a stretch, but with Millare and Chaffin both returning the offense should gain some separation on Kapolei and Waianae if the same division setup returns.

2019 TEAM STATS