Punahou’s defense shifted the tide of Thursday’s ILH championship in the second quarter.

The senior-heavy group then halted Kamehameha’s surge in the fourth to extend their season in a 24-17 victory on Thursday at Aloha Stadium.

The title game might not have come down to a goal-line stand in the final frantic seconds if not for a critical turnaround earlier in the evening.

After Kamehameha converted a fumble into an early score, the Warriors threatened to take command of the game and the state tournament berth by driving to the Punahou 15.

That’s where Buffanblu senior safety Tim Kamana stepped in.

Kamana reversed the game’s momentum by snagging a tipped pass at the Buffanblu 7 and racing up the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown to tie the game.

"The game was so exciting I think people forgot that," Punahou head coach Kale Ane said amid the celebration. "Tim made a huge play. He made a spectacular play.

"That’s hard to dig out of against a team like that," Ane said of the potential 14-0 deficit. "We’re very fortunate to make that play, and Tim being one of our leaders made it special."

Kamana added to his family’s storied legacy as part of an ILH championship team. His father, Carter, won one at Kamehameha. So did his uncle, John, at Punahou.

"Obviously football’s a big tradition in my family," Tim Kamana said. "I had to bring one home for my family."

Kamana didn’t have that chance last year, when a broken leg brought his junior season to an early end

But he regained his speed and showed it off on the interception return on the fourth play of the second quarter.

"I saw the tight end drag across the middle, so I was running with him and luckily (defensive end) DeForest Buckner made a tip on the ball and I was able to break on it," Kamana said. "I focused on making the catch first, saw the hole and just hit it full speed.

"I saw the open field, opened up my stride and just ran."

The Buffanblu forced three and outs on Kamehameha’s next two drives, giving the offense a chance to build a 17-7 lead.

Kamehameha closed to 24-17 early in the fourth quarter and twice had the ball in Punahou territory. But the Buffanblu stopped the Warriors on downs both times.

The Warriors took over for the final time with 5:02 left and converted four third downs and a fourth down in moving to the Punahou 2.

But the Buffanblu held firm on three straight runs, the final two from the 1-yard line, to earn their first ILH title since 2008 and a spot in the Division I state tournament.

"Kamehameha kept fighting and it never seemed the clock would run out," Ane said. "But the kids hung tough and made some great plays at the end."

"A lot of seniors on this whole team; I know it meant a lot to all of us," Kamana said. "We came up short our sophomore year, came up short last year and it just feels good to pull through."