Black Friday? Not at Aloha Stadium, where Punahou School and a crowd of 20,058 saw plenty of Kahuku red.

Red Raiders defense, Red Raiders offense and Red Raiders special teams, that is, in a persuasive 30-24 Kahuku triumph for the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I State Football Championship.

A year after being barred from the state championships for using a possibly ineligible player, the Red Raiders returned on a mission and left with their sixth championship trophy in the 13-year history of the state championships, the most by a Division I school.

It was the second for Kahuku head coach Reggie Torres, and the ritual sports drink bath that accompanied it with 22 seconds left on the clock was undoubtedly the most satisfying for a number of reasons. It had been five years since his first one and it ended in triumph a season that had begun in controversy three months earlier with a suspension. It also came after Kahuku had rebounded from a regular-season loss to Farrington by winning six games in a row.

But the trials and tribulations of the past year had also seemingly galvanized the 12-1 Red Raiders, who had come, in Torres’ words, to “enjoy the moment” and complete the journey.

Fittingly, their resilience would be tested again with everything on the line. You could make the case the Red Raiders stood their stoutest and proudest in a 5-minute, 10-second span in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter when the Buffanblu, once down 24-0 in the first half, rallied impressively to close to 24-17 with 6 minutes, 57 seconds left.

With Punahou finally finding the offensive rhythm that the Red Raiders’ stellar defense had helped deny for three-plus quarters, the pressure on Kahuku’s offense could be measured in tons per square inch if not the collective kinetic nervousness of Red Raider Nation in the stands.

But quarterback Lasi Livai, operating behind a punishing offensive line, drove the Red Raiders 80 clock-killing yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes, 10 seconds. The drive all but put the issue to rest. One of his biggest plays was a 9-yard pass to Mikeli Fiso on third and 4 that underlined the improved passing game that got Kahuku this far.

Running back Aofaga Wily, as he had in a game-high 27 carries for 180 yards, did much of the heavy lifting with five key carries.

Then the Red Raiders turned it over to their other back, Mahonilai Fakatou, who rumbled up the middle the final 30 yards for his second touchdown of the game and a 30-17 lead with 1 minute, 47 seconds remaining.

With that you could probably hear the cheers of the Red Raiders faithful resonate to Laie — if there was anybody still home to appreciate them, for it seemed as if much of the North Shore had relocated to Halawa for this one.

Small wonder because it was, after all, the red-letter occasion that Kahuku had long waited for.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.