The Mililani offense has been much-celebrated in recent years, in large part because of a steady stream of talented quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
That won\u2019t change this year with senior McKenzie Milton in the fold. But when Mililani gathers for its spring game June 6, head coach Rod York is expecting the defense to be equally effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019 m excited for the defense this year,\u201d said York. \u201cAlthough we\u2019re young, we\u2019re experienced. Our super soph(omore)s are now seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hopes are especially high for the Trojans, who delivered the school\u2019s first state championship last November to cap off a 13- 0 season.<\/p>\n
Mililani returns seven starters from a defense that yielded 18 points per game, and was especially stout against the run, yielding 120 yards per outing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have two lockdown defenders, two great safeties, and our linebacker corps is young but vicious. Our defensive linemen have been so good that some days they ruin practice because we can\u2019t block them,\u201d said York.<\/p>\n
Under OIA guidelines, schools are allotted a 30-day period in which they can hold 10 practices. Teams also are allowed to participate in full contact drills during the 10 allotted practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see more when we get the pads on,\u201d said York.<\/p>\n
On the offensive side, Mililani\u2019s statistics were off the charts last fall, led by Milton, who threw for 3,392 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also rushed for 808 yards. Last year, the Trojans averaged 42 points and 481 yards of total offense per game.<\/p>\n
\u201cMcKenzie has gotten bigger, stronger and faster \u2014 he\u2019s ready to go,\u201d said York.<\/p>\n
The Trojans also have added depth at quarterback with the return of senior-to-be Maka Chun, who was away from the program last fall.<\/p>\n
Among the Trojans\u2019 priorities for spring football practice will be rebuilding the offensive line, which lost four starters from 2014. York, a former lineman during his own playing days, said he will help tutor the offensive line this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it. I\u2019m an (work from the) inside-out guy. That is where it begins and ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
York also talked of developing leaders among his returnees, having been blessed with great leadership over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeadership is a key in everything,\u201d he said. \u201cThe kids have to be able to be followers, and that\u2019s where leadership comes in. Often when no one is looking is when your leaders play the most important role.\u201d<\/p>\n
York\u2019s off-season program has played a big role in the program\u2019s success, and the Trojans had the look of a prototypical Mililani team during the winter months.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur training was just as it had been the year before when we lost it (state title game),\u201d said York. \u201cWinning (the state title) gave the kids more confidence. They know now that if they work hard, their hard work will pay off. We\u2019re definitely happy with them. We have a lot to prove. We\u2019re a young team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mililani\u2019s spring game begins at 7 p.m. The Trojans will then participate in 7-on-7 passing scrimmages during the rest of June and leading up to the official beginning of fall camp dur- ing the last week of July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Mililani offense has been much-celebrated in recent years, in large part because of a steady stream of talented quarterbacks…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-central-oahu-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n