Defensive back Madden Riordan had a hat trick from the secondary with three interceptions to lead nationally ranked Sierra Canyon to a 30-7 rout of Punahou on Friday afternoon at Alexander Field.
The USC commit actually left the game with an injury moments before returning and picking Punahou freshman Hunter Fujikawa for an apparent pick-6. A penalty on the Trailblazers wiped out the touchdown, but defense plus a potent ground attack are Sierra Canyon’s bread and butter. The Trailblazers finished with 205 rushing yards on 47 attempts.
Punahou avoided the shutout on Fujikawa’s 37-yard bomb to Zion White with two seconds left in the contest. Sophomore linebacker Samson Satele had an interception and one of the Buffanblu’s four sacks. Donte Utu, Kahn Ho and Talia Vaimoana also registered takedowns.
Sierra Canyon’s powerful ground attack, however, was a force of nature.
“We came into the game playing physical. We saw their tape and they’re a pretty physical team. We came in thinking of them just like we would think of (St. John) Bosco,” said 6-foot-9, 355-pound offensive lineman Ashdon Wnetrzak. “We don’t take any team lightly. We came in with discipline and effort.”
Sierra Canyon opened its season on a hot, humid afternoon at Alexander Field. The team from Chatsworth, Calif., is No. 17 in the MaxPreps national rankings.
“We try to be explosive, make guys cover the whole field. For us, it was an honor to be here on the island at a great school. Our team came out here and we bonded,” longtime coach Jon Ellinghouse said. “We’ve got some great depth on our offensive and defensive lines. We’re able to rotate guys and do some things. Our defense today with the amount of turnovers we got was something special. Our O-line knows their coach was an O-lineman, too. That’s the way I see the game. We try not to overcomplicate it.”
Riordan’s dedication to teammates, older and younger, is part of the Trailblazers’ culture. Ellinghouse noted that Riordan spends lunch breaks chatting with younger teammates about how to read offenses.
“Young quarterbacks, take away that first read. I knew early they wanted to go quick game just because of our defensive line. I was a little more aggressive early on and it turned out perfect,” said Riordan, a 5-11, 155-pound junior.
Running back Dane Dunn was relentless behind a massive Trailblazers offensive line, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He added three receptions for 50 yards.
“We had to come out and make a statement. We came and tried our best to put up points and make sure our enemy is defeated,” said Dunn, who has a max squat of 475 pounds. “We fixed a couple of things and capitalized on Punahou’s mistakes.”
Punahou’s defense finished with four sacks, and kept a lid on SC’s powerful offense for one quarter, but the preponderance of Buffanblu turnovers — three in the first half — created a short field for the visitors. Fujikawa, playing his second varsity game, had an abundance of adrenaline early and overthrew several targets. He settled in with a much more effective second half. Punahou allowed just six points defensively after the break as a result.
“They executed. They did what we thought they would. Our defense was prepared and on the field way too long, but was very gritty,” Punahou coach Nate Kia said. “There were a lot of questions that we needed to answer. Looking at this as a great opportunity for a very young team. You challenge your team and that’s why you schedule a game like this and you don’t wait until you have a loaded, senior-heavy team. We turn around and we have Campbell next week. We have to make adjustments. We have to grow.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Trailblazers’ immense size, power and girth took a toll on the Punahou front seven. Massiah Mingo capped a seven-play, 69-yard scoring drive with a 17-yard scamper on a reverse. Mingo leaped over a defender at the goal line, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the first half.
Wyatt Becker’s 51-yard pass to sophomore Jaxsen Stokes set up a 35-yard field goal by Ashton Zamani. Sierra Canyon led 10-0 with 4:15 remaining in the first half.
Riordan’s interception on a sideline pass by Fujikawa — and 21-yard return — set up another score for the Trailblazers. Dunn lined up in a wildcat formation and darted through the left side for a 6-yard TD, opening the lead to 17-0 with 3:34 to go before intermission.
Riordan’s diving pick in the secondary on a throw by Sean Connell gave Sierra Canyon the ball at Punahou’s 30-yard line. Three plays later, Becker found De’markus Barnes in the flat, and the shifty junior scored on a 15-yard TD. The Trailblazers led 24-0 with 1:04 remaining in the first half.
Riordan was shaken up on an incomplete pass in the third quarter, defending against White. Riordan eventually walked off the field unassisted.
Zamani’s 37-yard field goal extended the lead to 27-0 with 9:45 remaining. He was exceptional, opening the game with a kickoff that caromed off the Ewa crossbar, well over 70 yards from the kicking tee. All six of his kickoffs were touchbacks.
Julian Katz tacked on a 22-yard field goal with 2:11 left for the the final margin.
Punahou specialist Carson Beard averaged 43 yards per punt, including two that were downed inside the 20.
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SIERRA CANYON 30, NO. 5 PUNAHOU 6
At Alexander Field
Sierra Canyon (1-0) 0 24 0 6 — 30
Punahou (1-1) 0 0 0 7 — 7
SC—Massiah Mingo 17 run (Ashton Zamani kick)
SC—FG Zamani 35
SC—Dane Dunn 6 run (Zamani kick)
SC—De’markus Barnes 15 pass from Wyatt Becker (Zamani kick)
SC—FG Zamani 37
SC—FG Julian Katz 22
PUN—Zion White 37 pass from Hunter Fujikawa (Carson Beard kick)
RUSHING—Sierra Canyon: Dunn 18- 119, Dallas Jones 7-55, Jae’on Young4-26, Mingo 3-20, Barnes 2-4, Becker 8-(minus 19). Punahou: Nelson Aau 12- 48, Sean Connell 5-18, Fujikawa 4-(minus8).
PASSING—Sierra Canyon: Becker 18-25-1-215, Demarco Hernandez 0-2-0-0. Punahou: Fujikawa 16-35-3-185, Connell 2-5-1-11.
RECEIVING—Sierra Canyon: Barnes 5-91, Jaxsen Stokes 4-71, Dunn 3-50, Dino Scordia 2-23, Mingo 2-15, Young 1-10, Havon Finney Jr. 1-5. Punahou: White 6-75, Dash Watanabe 4-43, Parker Noland 3-43, Connell 1-12, Keola Ane 2-10, Drew Kinney 1-8, Aau 1-5.
