Kahuku will begin the postseason in the same place it started back in August.

On top.

The No. 1-ranked Red Raiders punctuated a perfect regular season with a 52-23 victory over No. 10 Castle last night at Carleton Weimer Field.

Aofaga Wily rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and Kahuku (8-0, 6-0), which has held the top spot in the Star-Advertiser Top 10 all year, outscored the Knights 28-6 in the second half.

"I thought we really wore them down with our running game," Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. "Castle really came to play, especially in the first half."

Senior quarterback Evan Moe finished 9-for-14 for 174 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with Spencer Nagy for a 22-yard score and Shairone Thompson from 18 yards out early in the third quarter.

The Knights (5-3, 3-3), who have clinched a playoff spot, won’t know when they play next until after tonight’s game between Farrington and Moanalua. A Farrington victory would result in a three-way tie for third place in the OIA Red East, and a coin flip would determine who gets a bye next week.

"We went out there with the idea that we’re going to try our best and have fun (against Kahuku), knowing that we have another game to play," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said. "The pressure was off of us after the Kailua (win last week), so we’re just looking forward to the playoffs next week."

Castle quarterback Jaymason Lee had it clicking from the very first play, when he hooked up with Joshua Kong for an 80-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Both of Wily’s touchdown runs came in the first half, but a late answer by Lee, who hooked up with Kong again from 19 yards out, pulled Castle within 24-17 heading into the break.

Any chance for an upset was taken away by Wily, who came out and punished the Knights defense in the second half. He carried the ball six straight times for 47 yards to open the third quarter, setting up a play-action touchdown pass from Moe to Thompson to give Kahuku a 31-17 advantage.

After a missed field goal, Moe took the ball on an option keeper 44 yards down the middle of the field, breaking three tackles on his way to the end zone to push the lead to 38-17.

"Everything just kind of caved in over there," Maeda said. "They came out possessed and determined in the second half and steamrolled us."

Lee finished 26-for-33 for 407 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Knights move the ball at will against Kahuku in the air.

"Some of the top teams are passing teams and we’re going to face that in the (playoffs), so we’ve got to fix that," Torres said.

Kong finished with eight catches for 150 yards and senior Noah Makainai had five receptions for 145 yards.