The comeback kids from Punahou did it again.
The Buffanblu rallied from a 16-point deficit for a 26-23 win over No. 5 Kamehameha on Thursday night at Aloha Stadium.
Kamehameha’s defensive unit played brilliantly for much of the night, but with its offense sputtering in the second half, Punahou never let up. Quarterback Ephraim Tuliloa returned from a shoulder injury to break his own school record with 442 yards. The senior was 41-for-52 with four touchdown strikes and no interceptions.
He showed no signs of rust after sitting out and rehabbing for the past month.
"They took away the run, so we had to air it out a little bit," Tuliloa said. "The O-line gave me time and the receivers made me look good. Kamehameha’s got a great defense. Props to them, they played tough."
It was a stunning performance, free from rust, as Tuliloa directed a hurry-up offense from beginning to nearly the end.
"He played under pressure with so much poise," Punahou coach Kale Ane said of Tuliloa. "He’s had a coach’s perspective these past four weeks. Whatever they gave us, we’re going to try and take advantage of."
Wayne Taulapapa finished with 49 of his 80 hard-earned rushing yards in the second half. Ethan Takeyama had 14 receptions for 215 yards and two TDs.
Tuliloa’s 14-yard TD pass to Takeyama with 4:15 to play gave Punahou its first lead of the game.
"Ethan was phenomenal today, and when we needed that running game, Wayne came through big time," Ane said. "It’s nice to be part of a group that doesn’t get intimidated or frustrated. There’s no panic."
The win keeps No. 1 Punahou unbeaten in the second-half ILH standings and mathematically eliminates Kamehameha, now 0-2 in the second half, from title contention.
"It’s a bummer, I guess. It’s OK. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes," said junior defensive lineman Andrew Aleki, who had one of his team’s three sacks. "They wanted it more."
Kamehameha took away the inside gaps that Taulapapa normally enjoys running through, so Tuliloa took advantage of the cushion that his receivers had. By halftime, he was 27-for-32 with 276 passing yards.
But it wasn’t enough. Kamehameha built a nice lead on the strength of three field goals by Adam Stack. Justice Young dialed up wide receiver Kumoku Noa for big gains throughout the first half. By halftime, Noa had six grabs for 131 yards, including a 37-yard haul that set up a 5-yard screen pass from Young to Koby Ford.
That gave the Warriors a 23-7 lead with 1:11 left in the first half.
But Punahou answered with a crucial scoring drive before intermission. Tuliloa connected on six of seven passes, and with five seconds left, he launched a 30-yard bomb to Eamon Brady, who soared for the score near the left pylon.
Even with wide receiver Keala Martinson out — he hurt an ankle during Punahou’s first series — Tuliloa was masterful. The Buffanblu defense, as it has other comeback wins, raised the bar. Defensive tackle Patamo Soa set the tone with a sack of Young to start the second half.
"As far as facing adversity, this isn’t the first time we’ve played from behind. We just had to play strong when we needed to," Soa said. "When you play with fire and energy, that juice, the technique will come."
Punahou pulled within 23-20 after Kyle Yoshino caught his first pass of the game, a 16-yard toss from Tuliloa for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
The Warriors converted just two first downs after halftime, but still had the lead in the late stages of the game. Young’s sideline pass was tipped by Punahou linebacker Seyddrick Lakalaka and picked off by defensive back Devin Dung, who returned the ball to the Kamehameha 24-yard line with 5:19 remaining.
Punahou’s jumbo formation, which failed to produce a first down during a crucial fourth-and-1 in the first half, returned to the field. Taulapapa picked up a first down with a 10-yard run before Tuliloa hurled a 14-yard TD pass to Takeyama in the right corner of the end zone. Punahou led 26-23 with 4:15 left.
Kamehameha went three and out on its next series, hampered by an illegal block call. Punahou ran the game clock down and punted. The Warriors got the ball back with 31 seconds on their 5-yard line, but couldn’t get another yard.
| At Aloha Stadium |
| KSK (4-4, 1-4) |
10 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
— |
23 |
| Punahou (8-0, 5-0) |
7 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
— |
26 |
KS– FG Adam Stack 43
PUN–Ethan Takeyama 34 pass from Ephraim Tuliloa (Jet Toner kick)
KS–Kanoa Shannon 5 run (Stack kick)
KS– FG Stack 18
KS– FG Stack 32
KS–Koby Ford 5 pass from Justice Young (Stack kick)
PUN–Eamon Brady 30 pass from Tuliloa (kick blocked)
PUN–Kyle Yoshino 16 pass from Tuliloa (Toner kick)
PUN–Takeyama 14 pass from Tuliloa (kick failed)
RUSHING–KS: Jaykob Cabunoc 5-29, Trever Kahunahana 1-4, Young 9-18, Shannon 16-80. PUN: Tuliloa 11-29, Wayne Taulapapa 18-78.
PASSING–KS: Young 18-41-1-225. PUN: Tuliloa 41-52-0-442.
RECEIVING–KS: Kumoku Noa 7-141, Cabunoc 6-45, Sundance Solatorio 2-18, Fatu Sua-Godinet 2-16, Ford 1-5. PUN: Brady 8-53, Judd Cockett 14-100, Keala Martinson 1-37, Takeyama 14-215, Cole Arceneaux 1-12, Taulapapa 2-9, Yoshino 1-16.
