By Billy Hull
bhull@staradvertiser.com
Locked in an offensive shootout against No. 4 Saint Louis, top-ranked Punahou used up every page in its playbook.
The Buffanblu eventually found a hole in the Crusaders defense, as tight end Dakota Torres caught two second-half touchdown passes to help Punahou hold on for a 35-32 victory on Friday night at Aloha Stadium.
Trailing in the second half for the first time this season, Punahou started throwing all kinds of different looks at the Crusaders.
Quarterback Larry Tuileta ran option plays, threw to the fullback out of the backfield and hit his normal array of talented receivers before eventually settling in on Torres.
Torres had four catches for 55 yards and caught scoring passes of 30 and 5 yards to turn a 25-21 deficit into a 35-25 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“Way deep,” Punahou coach Kale Ane said when asked how deep he went into the playbook. “We made up plays today.”
Saint Louis pulled within a field goal when quarterback Ryder Kuhns threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, hitting Drew Kobayashi from 2 yards out with 5:40 remaining.
A penalty backed the Buffanblu up to their own 18 on the next drive, but running back Wayne Taulapapa popped runs of 31 and 18 yards.
Punahou had a fourth and 9 on the Saint Louis 32 with two minutes remaining and went for it. Tuileta was sacked by Hoku Lai, who was whistled for a facemask penalty, giving the Buffanblu another chance.
Punahou went for it again on fourth and 11 and Tuileta found Kanawai Noa for 12 yards and a first down to put the game away.
“We knew it was going to be a 15-rounder,” Saint Louis coach Matt Wright said. “Unfortunately, the clock ran out on us.”
Tuileta finished 20-for-35 for a season-high 290 yards and five touchdowns. Taulapapa, a sophomore, finished with a career-high 192 yards on 22 carries.
“We really like to pass. The option is something we put in recently,” Tuileta said. “We wanted to add it to our arsenal of plays. Tonight it really came in handy.”
Kuhns was 22-for-38 for 332 yards and four touchdowns for the Crusaders
(5-2, 3-2), who will play Kamehameha in the first game of the ILH Division I playoffs on Oct. 19.
The winner of that would then need to beat Punahou (7-0, 5-0) the following week to force a playoff for the outright ILH Division I championship and state tournament berth.
Noa wound up with six catches for 160 yards and two scores to lead Punahou. Devan Stubblefield was equally tough to stop for the Crusaders, hauling in 11 passes for 186 yards and two scores.
Punahou outgained Saint Louis 508-429.
Micah Ma’a’s 23-yard touchdown catch gave Punahou a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
That’s when things really got interesting.
The two teams combined for 33 second-quarter points and the Buffanblu led 21-19 at halftime after the Crusaders missed a 28-yard field goal with no time left.
Tuileta tossed touchdown passes of 7 and 64 yards to Noa, who had 143 yards receiving at the break.
Punahou led 14-6 when Tuileta fumbled on a sack. Matthew Mariota picked up the loose ball and raced 46 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 14-12.
Noa scored on a 64-yard pass on the very next play, but the Crusaders answered right back.
Kuhns completed a couple of short passes to set up a 60-yard touchdown bomb to Stubblefield, who had eight catches for 121 yards at intermission.
At Aloha Stadium
Punahou (7-0, 5-0) 7 14 7 7 — 35
Saint Louis (5-2, 3-2) 0 19 6 7 — 32
Pun–Micah Ma’a 23 pass from Larry Tuileta (Jackson Faringer kick)
StL–Spencer Johnson 69 pass from Ryder Kuhns (kick blocked)
Pun–Kanawai Noa 7 pass from Tuileta (Faringer kick)
StL–Matthew Mariota 46 fumble return (Christopher Quinn kick)
Pun–Noa 64 pass from Tuileta (Faringer kick)
StL–Devan Stubblefield 60 pass from Kuhns (kick failed)
StL–Stubblefield 46 pass from Kuhns (pass failed)
Pun–Dakota Torres 30 pass from Tuileta (Faringer kick)
Pun–Torres 5 pass from Tuileta (Faringer kick)
StL–Drew Kobayashi 2 pass from Kuhns (Mariota kick)
RUSHING–Punahou: Wayne Taulapapa 22-192, Luke Morris 1-23, Kotoni Sekona 2-15, Tuileta 9-(minus 12). Saint Louis: Adam Noga 20-66, Allan Cui 1-20, Kuhns 5-14, Jimmy Nunuha 1-(minus 3).
PASSING–Punahou: Tuileta 20-35-0-290. Saint Louis: Kuhns 22-38-0-332.
RECEIVING–Punahou: Noa 6-160, Torres 4-55, Morris 3-13, Ma’a 2-28, Dylan Combs 2-24, Trent Sitar 1-7, Reupena Fitisemanu 1-7, Taulapapa 1-(minus 4). Saint Louis: Stubblefield 11-186, Cui 4-45, Jordan Eugenio 2-20, Noga 2-10, Johnson 1-69, Kobayashi 1-2, Keanu Momoa 1-0.
‘Iolani 31, Pac-Five 19
Raiders sophomore Keoni-Kordell Makekau broke Raul Pacheco’s 21-year-old school record with 220 receiving yards as ‘Iolani (5-4, 3-3) clinched the No. 1 seed in the ILH Division II playoffs with its 11th straight win over the Wolf Pack (1-6, 1-4).
Makekau scored on touchdown passes of 41 and 39 yards from quarterback Austin Jim On, who threw for a career-high 367 yards and three scores.
Makekau’s 15th and final catch went for 7 yards midway through the fourth quarter to break Pacheco’s record of 219 set on Nov. 4, 1992, in a 42-14 loss to Saint Louis.
Jim On finished 33-for-41 to post the fifth-highest total by an ‘Iolani QB in the past 40 years.
Only Reece Foy, Kiran Kepoo and Ryan Dung have thrown for more yards in a game.
Roycen Routt had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown and scored on a 2-yard run for Pac-Five, which will play Damien in the semifinals of the ILH Division II playoffs.
The Raiders, who have won the past nine ILH Division II titles, will play St. Francis.
‘Iolani played without starting defensive backs Max Look and J.T. Los Banos and running back Jordan Ross, who are all injured.
Tamatane Aga filled in for Ross and carried the ball 26 times for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown.
At Aloha Stadium
‘Iolani (5-4, 3-3) 7 3 7 14 — 31
Pac-Five (1-6, 1-4) 7 6 0 6 — 19
P5–Austin Silva 5 run (Peter Kim kick)
Iol–Keoni-Kordell Makekau 41 pass from Austin Jim On (Jordan Genovia kick)
Iol–FG Makekau 39
P5–Roycen Routt 2 run (kick blocked)
Iol–Chad Hanaoka 6 pass from Jim On (Genovia kick)
Iol–Makekau 39 pass from Jim On (Genovia kick)
Iol–Tamatane Aga 1 run (Genovia kick)
P5–Routt 13 pass from Anthony Canencia (pass failed)
RUSHING–‘Iolani: Aga 26-154, Brent Tonaki 1-4, Hanaoka 2-(minus 2), Jim On 3-(minus 3). Pac-Five: Jarrod Infante 14-77, Silva 5-32, Canencia 13-18, Routt 4-13, Christian Vasconcellos 2-0, team 1-(minus 2).
PASSING–‘Iolani: Jim On 33-41-1-367. Pac-Five: Canencia 13-23-2-146.
RECEIVING–‘Iolani: Makekau 15-220, Hanaoka 9-75, Chase Kanekuni 7-49, Tyler Teruya 2-23. Pac-Five: Routt 6-77, Tsubasa Brennan 4-40, Infante 2-16, Andrew Maybin 1-13.
