Jalen Olomua rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and had two sacks, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in a win over Iolani. CJ Caraang | SL

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Jalen Olomua rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and had two sacks, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in a win over Iolani. CJ Caraang | SL

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Athlete of the Week: Jalen Olomua, Mililani football
Mililani football coach Rod York didn't expect two-way player Jalen Olomua to lead the Trojans in rushing yards this season. It just worked out that way.

Olomua, a 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker/running back, capped off a prolific junior season with another all-around performance Friday, helping Mililani to the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I football title with a 31-20 win over Iolani.

Olomua made the most of his touches on offense, averaging 8.9 yards per carry and rushing for a pair of scores against the Raiders. He carried 11 times for 98 yards and also hauled in three receptions for 59 yards.

York said Olomua, an otherwise straight-ahead runner, flashed some agility on a long gain Friday night that even took him by surprise.

"I don't know if it was a run or a screen (pass), but he had a long run and the cutback that he did was just amazing. It shocked the hell out of me," York said. "His vision is key because he hit the hole, the hole closed, but he cut it back to the left. It's hard to coach that kind of stuff."

Olomua gashed Iolani's defense for a 19-yard touchdown up the gut on third-and-4 that gave Mililani a 10-0 first quarter lead.

A few minutes into the second half, Olomua scampered for a 28-yard touchdown run just four plays after he moved the chains with a 37-yard pass reception from quarterback Dillon Gabriel on third-and-6.

The Trojans rushed for 239 yards against the Raiders. Darius Muasau carried 22 times for 101 yards and Kailiohu Kila picked up 35 yards and a touchdown on six attempts.

"The game plan was to run the ball knowing that Iolani has only got so many defensive lineman and their depth is shallow there, so our game plan was to just keep going at them," York said. "We tell our guys to put a body on a body and make the defender block everyone. Make them try to fight off the block and then try to tackle Olomua or Muasau; That's tough to do. That's what we tried to do all year, and against Iolani that proved to be key."

Muasau, a 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore, also plays linebacker and is part of a stable of running backs that the Trojans utilized this year.

"We just had so many injuries and because two of our running backs are also defensive starters that we just go running back by committee," York said. "Whoever can go, just goes. We rotated five backs in a game sometimes."

Olomua made his contributions on the defensive side of the ball as well with a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.

"He's just a playmaker. We can put him at middle ‘backer, outside ‘backer, defensive end, he could probably line up at defensive (tackle) if we had to. He's just the ultimate athlete when he's out there," York said.

York said defensive assistant Maa Tanuvasa — a soon-to-be Polynesian Football Hall of Fame inductee — moved Olomua to defensive end to compensate for other injuries against Iolani.

"We just told him to keep the quarterback in the pocket and keep the edge," York said. "Jalen can adjust because he's just an athlete and he's a team guy. He doesn't give us any negative reaction when we ask him to go move to a different position. The great thing about him is his attitude."

York added that Olomua's toughness and leadership on the field is immeasurable for the Trojans.

"Having Jalen on the field makes the other 10 (players) confident," York said. "It makes me feel confident when he's in there and I know that if I'm confident, the kids are confident. It helps to have an athletic, physical beast like Jalen on the field."

For the season Olomua finished with 644 rushing yards on 83 carries — an average of 7.8 yards per rush — and 11 receptions for 137 yards with 13 total touchdowns.

"He was definitely our MVP," York said. "He played tough defense and produced for us all season no matter where we put him on the field."

The Trojans won their final four games to finish with a 9-3 record and their second state title in a span of three seasons.

FOOTBALL
Miki Ah You, Kahuku — Made nine tackles in a loss to Saint Louis

Helam Baldomero, Iolani — Made eight tackles, including one for a loss, and intercepted a pass in a loss to Mililani

Harmon Brown, Kahuku — Rushed 15 times for 135 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Saint Louis

Cameron Chang, Iolani — Made 12 tackles, including two for losses, and a sack in a loss to Mililani

Keawe Fox, Mililani — Made five tackles, including two sacks, in a win over Iolani

Dustin Gapusan, Mililani — Made nine tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another in a win over Iolani

Siale Hafoka, Lahainaluna — Scored on a 22-yard blocked punt return in a win over Kapaa

Bailey Honda, Lahainaluna — Scored on a 55-yard interception return in a win over Kapaa

Dante James-Fainga, Mililani — Made four tackles, including three for losses, and two sacks in a win over Iolani

Kupono Kahae-Ampong, Lahainluna — Blocked a punt that led to a 22-yard return for a score in a win over Kapaa

Hunter Kam, Iolani — Made 10 tackles, including one for a loss, in a loss to Mililani

Gabe Keener, Kapaa — Caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Lahainaluna

Kyler Mento, Iolani — Made seven tackles and broke up two passes in a loss to Mililani

Kama Moore, Saint Louis — Made seven tackles in a win over Kahuku

Darius Muasau, Mililani — Rushed 22 times for 101 yards in a win over Iolani

Sioeli Naupoto, Kahuku — Made nine tackles, including a sack, in a loss to Saint Louis

Noa Nua, Iolani — Made 12 tackles, including two for losses, one sack, and broke up two passes in a loss to Mililani

Jonah Panoke, Saint Louis — Caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kahuku

KJ Pascua, Iolani — Caught six passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Mililani

Ricky Sandry, Jr., Saint Louis — Made eight tackles and broke up a pass in a win over Kahuku

Codie Sauvao, Kahuku — Made eight tackles and forced a fumble in a loss to Saint Louis

Isaiah Tufaga, Saint Louis — Made three tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in a win over Kahuku

Tua Tagovailoa, Saint Louis — Threw for 243 yards with a touchdown on 16-of-25 passing and rushed 18 times for 136 yards and another score in a win over Kahuku

Faatui Tuitele, Saint Louis — Made 11 tackles, including a sack, and forced a fumble in a win over Kahuku