The good news for No. 2 Punahou is that freshman quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele heaved an 82-yard touchdown pass in his first regular-season game.
Punahou came away from Skippa Diaz Stadium with a bittersweet feeling, however, even after a 31-0 win over Farrington. Starting QB Hugh Brady left the game with 7:31 left in the first half with an apparent knee injury. Brady scrambled out of the pocket on a broken play and was tackled near the right sideline and could not get back up. He was helped to the bench by trainers.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s tough not knowing,” Punahou coach Kale Ane said. “He’s worked hard and he’s a senior. It could be heartbreaking.”
Brady completed his first six passes and was 8-for-9 for 74 yards, and Punahou had a 14-0 lead when he departed. Sagapolutele was ready.
“True freshman. He made some great decisions. We have high expectations for him and he has them of himself, as well,” Ane said. “He was under fire and he did very well.”
Running back Vince Terrell was one of the spark plugs for Punahou with 58 hard-earned yards, including TD runs of 8 and 15 yards. Defensively, Punahou limited Farrington’s powerful offense to 200 total yards.
After wide receiver Koa Eldredge filled in at QB, first-year starting place-kicker Quinn Maretzki nailed a 27-yard field goal moments later. Sagapolutele entered the game on the next offensive series and found Raydan Kiaaina-Caires on a seam route for the explosive TD pass to give Punahou a 24-0 lead with 3:03 to go in the second quarter.
Eldredge finished with eight catches for 86 yards in addition to his temporary role as a wildcat QB after Brady’s injury.
“Hugh said he heard a pop in his knee. We’re praying for him. That’s all we can do right now,” Eldredge said.
Punahou had the edge in field position from the start. Maretzki’s first three kickoffs went for touchbacks. After Farrington’s first possession, Punahou took over at the Governors’ 40-yard line and scored seven plays later on Terrell’s 8-yard dash to the left pylon.
Terrell’s second TD came just two minutes later, a 15-yard run with a nifty jump cut to the left sideline.
After defensive end Siupelimani Uluave recovered a fumble by Raymond Millare at the Farrington 38, Punahou took aim for the end zone again, but Farrington came up with two sacks of Brady to end that threat.
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No. 2 Punahou 31, Farrington 0
At Skippa Diaz Stadium
>> Punahou (1-0, 1-0) 17 7 0 7 — 31
>> Farrington (0-2, 0-0) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Punahou — Vincent Terrell 8 run (Quinn Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Terrell 15 run (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Maretzki FG 27
Punahou — Raydan Kiaaina-Caires 82 pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Moku Dancil-Evans 51 pass from Sagapolutele (Maretzki kick)
RUSHING — Punahou: Terrell 13-58, Koa Eldredge 2-3, Sagapolutele 2-(minus-6), TEAM 2-(minus-10), Hugh Brady 2-(minus-16). Farrington: Raymond Millare 11-29, Darius Chaffin 13-25, TJ Paleafei 2-20, Selau Kalani 1-1, AJ Fernandez 1-0, Floyd Faleao 1-2, TEAM 2-(minus-27).
PASSING — Punahou: Sagapolutele 9-14-1-194, Brady 8-9-0-70. Farrington: Chaffin 14-36-1-150.
RECEIVING — Punahou: Eldredge 8-86, Kiaaina-Caires 4-106, Dancil-Evans 2-58, Kanoa Kalahiki 2-16, Terrell 1-(minus-2). Farrington: Christian Havea 7-95, Kainoa Mane 5-42, Millare 1-6, Faleao 1-5.
