Punahou place kicker John Toner kicked two fourth quarter field goals, including a 48-yarder with under a minute to play in a win over Kahuku. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Punahou's Kanawai Noa secures a pass reception against Kahuku. Noa also returned the game's opening kickoff for a touchdown and added a game-clinching interception in the win. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Sat, Nov 15, 2014 @ Aloha Stadium [ 7:00 pm ]

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Kahuku

10

Punahou

13

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Kahuku (9-3-0)	0	10	0	0	10
Punahou (8-1-0)	7	0	0	6	13

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Ephraim Tuliloa 138 yd

Tuli Wily-Matagi 161 yd

Wayne Taulapapa 25 yd

Kesi Ah-Hoy 69 yd

Kanawai Noa 89 yd

Keala Santiago 73 yd

On a night he was not a factor as a receiver, Kanawai Noa made a difference in other roles on the first and last plays of the game.

Noa returned the opening kickoff 83 yards and intercepted a pass in the red zone with no time left and No. 1 Punahou rallied by No. 4 Kahuku, 13-10, in the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank Division I state football tournament Saturday night.

"it's very exciting and relieving at the same time," said Noa of his bookend feats, despite being limited to eight receptions for 89 yards and no TD catches. Noa did lead with 238 all-purpose yards (89 receiving, 123 on kickoff returns and 26 from the interception.

A Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium crowd of 10,455 watched Jet John Toner boot a 48-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to snap a 10-all game to send the Buffanblu to their sixth title game and set up a rematch with No. 2 Mililani (12-0). He also hit a 35-yard field goal with 2:53 left to tie the game at 10.

The game had 14 turnovers, seven by each team, not including a high snap from punt formation that set up Kahuku's only TD of the game.

This is the fourth time in the Oahu Prep Bowl/State Tournament eras that both teams enter the season finale undefeated. The winner will be the 19th Oahu team to finish season unbeaten. Punahou was 11-0 last year and will try to become the first team to finish successive season unbeaten since Saint Louis did it from 1986 to 1989.

Punahou, 6-0 in semifinals, beat Kahuku for the first time in the state tournament. Kahuku beat Punahou in three in title games.

"It was tough just hanging in there," said an emotional Kahuku's Salanoa-Alo Wily, contained to just nine rushes for 34 yards as a running back because he also was needed at defensive end. He had two tackles for losses, including a sack.

A 51-yard Kahuku punt planted Punahou at its 23 with 1:47 left. The drive was aided by successive pass interference penalties against Kahuku, putting Punahou at the Red Raiders' 35. The drive stalled at the Kahuku 31. Toner launched his 48-yarder - one yard shy of the state tournament record held by Kahuku Cameron Mercado in the 2009 semifinals against Farrington - to give Punahou the lead.

"We're always prepared for it," Toner said of coming through in a clutch situation. "My offense did a great job of putting me in a great place…We've always been good in special teams because the coaches do a good job. My field goal team did great. My snapper (Kevin Yoshimoto) and my holder (Alexander Trifonovitch) did great. Glad we were all prepared."

Kahuku coach Lee Leslie was not pleased with the interference calls, which accounted for 30 of the 46-yard drive.

"Those were the two poorest flags I've ever seen," Leslie said. "He throws two 30-yard flags in the air; I've got two referees next to me and they're not throwing it, so I have a real hard time with that."

On the ensuing kickoff Kahuku started from its 20 with 30 seconds left after on the touchback. Kahuku reached the Punahou 41, but Tuli Wily-Matagi's pass to Alohi Gillman was tipped and intercepted by Noa to end the game. It was Noa's first time playing defense this season.

"We were in prevent at the end," Noa said. "We practiced that just in case anything like that would happen, a last-minute Hail Mary."

Kahuku had its chances, forcing seven turnovers (three interceptions, four fumbles), but failed to capitalize as it turned the ball over seven times, too, (five interceptions, two fumbles).

"We had a couple critical fumbles, we got the picks," Leslie said. "We tried to push it. Salanoa(-Alo Wily)  was playing so hard on both sides of the ball, it was hard to get him in there, keep us on offense."

Kahuku found itself in a hole early on Noa's kickoff return to start the game. Toner's PAT gave Punahou a 7-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game. He looked like he was going to be stopped at about the 30, but he bounced off a tackler, found his holes and was off to the races.

"I just bounced off the tackle, fortunately stayed in bounds and ran for the touchdown," Noa said.

It looked like Punahou was en route to a rout, when Justin Matias intercepted Wily-Matagi's pass that gave the Buffanblu possession at the Kahuku 22. But Punahou gave the ball back when Ephraim Tuliloa was intercepted by Stokes Botelho at the Kahuku 1.

The teams exchanged punts before Kahuku got on the board on Gabriel Pinheiro-Alves' 37-yard field goal with 11:08 in the second quarter.

The teams continued their turnover exchange before a high snap from center in punt formation netted a 38-yard loss to the Punahou 5. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Wily-Matagi bulled his way behind the line into the end zone to put the Red Raiders up, 10-7, with 4:29 in the half.

After a scoreless third quarter featured by more turnovers, Punahou tied the game 10 on Toner's 35-yard field goal with 2:53 in the game.

Kahuku's defense limited Punahou to 147 yards of offense. Tuliloa was 19 of 37 for 138 yards passing with three interceptions. Running back Wayne Taulapapa had 25 yards on eight carries.