MOORPARK, Calif. >> Kale Ane noted that Punahou’s romp over Long Beach Poly on Saturday night might have “looked easy,” but it was nothing of the sort.
It was a tough argument to make after the Buffanblu dominated the longtime national powerhouse in the finale of the California Classic tripleheader at Moorpark High School, taking advantage of nearly every Poly miscue and finding myriad paths to the end zone.
The 45-0 rout — the most lopsided of Punahou’s five wins on California treks since 2011 — was built on shut-down defense, superb special-teams play and an attack fueled by Vincent Terrell’s 120 yards on the ground. Punahou (5-0) posted its third shutout in five games, limiting the talented Jackrabbits to 144 total yards — just 43 on the ground — and sacked quarterbacks Shea Kuykendall and Mekhi Jordan nine times, with D.J. Utu in on five of them, three by himself.
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Punahou and Long Beach Poly.
“The kids played really well, the coaches did a good job of preparing them, and you never know what’s going to happen, especially when you travel,” said Ane, who posted his 149th victory over 20-plus seasons with the Buffanblu. “There’s so many distractions, but I’m so proud of the way they came together and focused and committed to the game plan. It was great.”
The defense repeatedly pinned Poly deep within its own territory, leading to short fields. Three Punahou drives in the first half started inside the 50 and the Buffanblu permitted their foe, playing its season opener, past midfield just twice, and inside the 49 only once.
Things were going Punahou’s way from the start. Tevarua Tafiti collected Kuykendall’s dropped snap on the first play from scrimmage, leading to the first of three Quinn Maretzki field goals 78 seconds into the game. The score jumped to 10-0 five minutes later when Jarrin Sato blocked a punt and Kanealii Scullion took it 10 yards to the end zone.
The Buffanblu offense did little until their third drive, then scored on four straight possessions, with Legend Matautia finishing one short drive, quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele connecting with Koa Eldredge on another, and Maretzki kicked two more field goals.
It was 38-0 at halftime after a safety — Poly’s snap on a punt sailed out of the end zone — and Terrell’s 57-yard return of the ensuing free kick.
Terrell was outstanding, gaining his 120 yards on 18 carries against what is traditionally one of Southern California’s finest defenses, and freshman quarterback Sagapolutele overcame a slow start to complete 12 of 23 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown to Eldredge during a 28-point second quarter.
“Vince has that ability, and he showed it tonight,” Ane said. “He put his dues in, he works hard, he never complains about not getting enough touches. … He gets the ball, he’s so explosive. It’s such a mismatch.”
Terrell said he had a blast.
“It’s not always in the game plan for me to get a lot of carries, but I’ve got to do what the team needs, and that’s what it takes to win,” he said. “It was just my game, and I’m thankful for it.”
Punahou’s reserves got its final score, with Ian Eveleth hitting Kai Miyaki on a 13-yard pass in the fourth quarter, which was played with a running clock.
Poly, with a team largely led by underclassmen, wasn’t ready for the Buffanblu, especially when playing its first game against a team in midseason form.
“One-hundred percent,” Long Beach Poly coach Stephen Barbee said. “But my hat’s off to them. They’re a very well-coached, physical team. … They’re very disciplined and they’ve got athletes all over the place.”
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Punahou 45, Long Beach Poly 0
At Moorpark H.S. field
>> Long Beach Poly (0-1) 0-0-0-0 — 0
>> Punahou (4-0) 10-28-0-7 — 45
Punahou — FG Quinn Maretzki 27
Punahou — Kanealii Scullion 10 blocked punt return (Maretzki kick)
Punahou —FG Maretzki 30
Punahou — Legend Matautia 4 run (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Koa Eldredge 29 pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — FG Maretzki 36
Punahou —Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
Punahou —Vincent Terrell 57 free kick return (run failed)
Punahou — Kai Miyaki 13 pass from Ian Eveleth (Jordan Kapisi kick)
RUSHING — Long Beach Poly: Malachi Rice 10-31, Mekhi Jordan 14-30, Kyren Rachel 1-14, Shea Kuykendall 3-(-3), John Jaster 1-(-9), team 1-(-20). Punahou: Terrell 18-120, Zachary Johnson 2-12, Matautia 1-4, Eveleth 1-(-3), Sagapolutele 3-(-4).
PASSING — Long Beach Poly: Jordan 6-10-1-60, Kuykendall 5-10-1-40. Punahou: Sagapolutele 12-23-1-153.
RECEIVING — Long Beach Poly: Ashun Brown 8-43, Keyonta Lanier 3-58. Punahou: Eldredge 5-59, Rayden Kiaaina-Caires 4-52, Moku Dancil-Evans 3-18, Terrell 1-13, Johnson 1-9, Treyden Buder-Nakasone 1-7.
