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Trojans' Purcell-Apana stepped up against Buffanblu's Noa




HALAWA — Not long ago, Ty Purcell-Apana was in the business of catching passes.

The wide receiver-turned-cornerback drew upon those skills in the first quarter of Mililani's 53-45 win over Punahou Friday night.

Purcell-Apana, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior, etched his name into the record books with an 83-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was the longest pick-6 in state-tournament history and was part of a 26-point first quarter for the Trojans.

"I saw (Heisman Hosoda) run an out route, I saw (Ephraim) Tuliloa look right at him and I just jumped it," Purcell-Apana said of his first interception of the season. "I had all my blockers ahead of me and I just cut back to the other side of the field and I was home from there."

It was quite the performance by Purcell-Apana, who drew the daunting task of covering Punahou's star receiver, Kanawai Noa, for most of the game. Noa, who entered the game leading all of Division I in both receptions and receiving yardage, was held to five catches for 61 yards.

"He was unbelievable, player of the game," Mililani defensive coordinator Roland Mason said of Purcell-Apana, who finished with a team-high seven tackles. "His interception changed the momentum, changed the game. He's a great kid. For his first year playing defensive back."

Not too bad for a kid who was on offense until the start of his senior year.

"Well, you know, we've got to coach 'em up. We didn't have any corners so we had to take our receiver and put him at corner and it's about just stepping up and playing for each other and doing their job," Mililani coach Rod York said.

Defensive tackle Rex Manu said Purcell-Apana has earned the respect of his teammates with his play over the course of the season.

"At first we put him at the corner position and honestly I was a little skeptical, but the first few games he just tore it up," Manu said. "He locked it down and you know, actions speak louder than words, so I had faith in him all season."

Purcell-Apana said he honed his craft through daily practices against the Trojans' talented corps of pass catchers.

"I only played some (last year), but this year I moved to defensive back to get more playing time and it turned out good," Purcell-Apana said. "I dropped about two picks this year, but I got the one that counts."

Despite all their defensive struggles, the Buffanblu still had a chance to tie it late. They started their final drive with 2:47 to play at their own 12-yard line and drove deep into Mililani territory, but saw their hopes dashed when Purcell-Apana forced a fumble by Wayne Taulapapa near the 5-yard line. The ball bounced out of the end zone for a safety, giving the Trojans possession with 56 seconds to play.

"We knew they were coming that way (to Noa) and (Purcell-Apana) had to make a play," Mason said.

Tuliloa threw Noa's way on four of his six pass attempts on the drive and connected on a 28-yard pick-up and a 15-yard completion three plays later to extend the drive on a 3rd-and-10.

"I knew they would test me against, but then I saw Taulapapa coming down and he was falling to the ground and I just saw the ball and I stripped it out," Purcell-Apana said.

Manu said Purcell-Apana took ownership of his assignment over the week.

"All week he knew the kind of responsibility and game he was going to get tonight and I guess within him he had a personal goal set to put out his best and leave it all on the field in order to hold down a talented receiver like Kanawai Noa," Manu said.

Punahou coach Kale Ane spoke highly of Purcell-Apana in his postgame comments.

"He played very well," Ane said. "He made a big play in the flats and took it to the house and that was one of the differences in the game. He defended real well against Kanawai. I'm not sure how many yards Kanawai had or how many targets, but we ran the ball more than we normally do, but he's a very good player and he's very deserving of all the recognition he gets."



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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