Mililani football pushes forward after the injury of star quarterback

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Quarterback Kini McMillan was poised for another standout season in the Brown and Gold, but will now be sidelined after suffering an injury in week one against Kailua.

The Trojans took a trip to the windward side last week to open their season against the Surf Riders. Early in the game McMillan went down with a shoulder injury.

In came Kapolei transfer Kekoa Koong who lead Mililani to a 29-0 route of Kailua.

“In my head, every game just got to be ready, never know what can happen on the field,” Koong told Hawaii News Now. “You know, looking ahead, making sure that we’re going for our goals and everything, just making sure that everyone’s on track, being a leader on the field.”

Upon further evaluation, McMillan will miss significant time this season, a scenario Trojan fans have seen before when quarterback McKenzie Milton went down during the 2015 season with a similar injury on the same field.

However, the current Trojans aren’t dwelling on the past and are pushing forward.

“We’re an older team now since we was a younger team last year, you know, everybody just got to step up,” Receiver Lehiwa Kahana-Travis said. “Leaders just got to be leaders and us seniors, we just got to step up to the plate and just teach the young guys.”

Koong played sparingly last season for Kapolei, but looks to be the man under center going forward. The Junior signal caller leaning on both the offense and defense as they navigate their season.

“I just got playmakers on the field, my job is easy as long as I put the ball to the playmakers, we’re good,” Koong said. “The defense they’re always doing good, but the more that we get better pushing the defense, they’re just going to want to keep getting better.”

The Trojans schedule doesn’t get easier with Saint Louis coming to town this weekend.

Kick off from John Kauinana Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.