Third-ranked Farrington, led by running back Ranan Mamiya, will face their biggest test thus far when they pay a visit to John Kauinana Stadium to face quarterback McKenzie Milton and second-ranked Mililani. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Third-ranked Farrington, led by running back Ranan Mamiya, will face their biggest test thus far when they pay a visit to John Kauinana Stadium to face quarterback McKenzie Milton and second-ranked Mililani. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Neither Farrington coach Randall Okimoto nor Mililani coach Rod York have teenage children, but they both know, all too well, the world of social media.

Both coaches agreed that one of their biggest tasks leading up to their impending showdown Saturday has been keeping their respective players focused on the task and hand — and off of social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.

"There's a lot of people on social media now and there's a lot of negative talk out there, so we just try to keep our kids focused on execution and what to do," said York, whose team brings a No. 2 ranking into the game. "It's a matter of their focus being on the game and not being outside of the game, so I'm not worried about us playing hard, just playing smart.

Okimoto, the 13th-year coach of the Govs, echoed York's thoughts.

"We deal with a social media world and with all the things out there kids will start believing that, so keeping them focused in very challenging," said Okimoto, whose team moved up two spots to No. 3 in the D1 Power Rankings this week. "In preparation for a good team like Mililani, it's important that we find a happy medium between being overconfident and confident enough and bringing the right mindset into the game."

Both Mililani and Farrington bring identical 5-0 league records going into the game. The winner will move into sole possession of first place with one week remaining in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Blue regular season.

Led by All-Hawaii Offensive Player of the Year candidate Ranan Mamiya, the Govs are scoring an average of 40 points per game, while the defense allows just 12 points per game behind Texas Tech-commit Breiden Fehoko at defensive tackle.

"We haven't played a team that's going to just come straight at you and bang you for four quarters yet," York said of the Farrington. "Hopefully we can contain Mamiya and I know that (Montana) Liana is throwing the ball really well. Their defense is long and athletic, so it's going to be a test for us."

York said containing the 6-foot-3, 286-pound Fehoko will be of particular importance if Mililani hopes to have any success offensively.

"He usually lines up right over our center and our center (Brett Damato) is about 5-8, 220 pounds," York said. "We're going to help him of course, but the other key matchup will be our receivers against their linebackers, corners and safeties. They're aggressive and athletic so we have to run crisp routes and be able to block angles to execute."

With McKenzie Milton, another Offensive Player of the Year candidate, at the controls of the offense, the Trojans average better than 44 points per game, while the defense surrenders just over 18 points per game behind former Stanford-commit Rex Manu. Manu recently de-committed from Stanford and is leaning toward Oregon.

"Their quarterback is exceptionally fast and quick so he presents a lot of problems defensively," Okimoto said of Milton. "If you give him a crease he's going. They're very disciplined and they know what they're trying to attack offensively. If we're not disciplined on defense, they make you pay."

Okimoto said he's been reminding his players to simply do their job rather than focusing on winning the game.

"Sometimes players get overzealous and maybe try to make the play all the time and they forget about playing team defense or team offense." Okimoto said. "They have to trust what we're doing and not let the hype of the game take us out of our own game plan."

Kickoff between the Govs and Trojans is scheduled for 7 p.m. at John Kauinana Stadium.

Other games of interest this weekend:
-No. 4 Leilehua at No. 8 Kahuku, Friday 7:30 p.m.
The Mules (5-0) are one of five remaining undefeated Division I teams state wide and enter Friday's game with a 1/2-game lead on the Red Raiders (4-1), who are coming off a one-point loss at Kaiser a week ago.

-Pearl City at Nanakuli, Friday 7:30 p.m.
Two of the state's three Division II teams without a loss will face off Friday when the fourth-ranked Chargers (5-0) visit the sixth-ranked Golden Hawks (5-0), who will be celebrating their homecoming that night.

-Kamehameha-Hawaii at Hawaii Prep, Saturday 2 p.m.
The fifth-ranked Warriors (3-1) have won two of their last three games — both against D1 opponents — while Ka Makani (2-4 overall, 1-3 league) have dropped three of their last four.