Punahou holds off 'Iolani

Punahou QB Larry 'Tui' Tuileta has passed for 94 yards and 3 touchdown passes at the half against 'Iolani. Brien Ing | SL

Sophomore quarterback Larry "Tui" Tuileta threw three touchdown passes and Steven Lakalaka ran for two more TDs yesterday afternoon as Punahou took advantage of five 'Iolani turnovers to win, 38-18.

An estimated crowd of about 1,200 at the Raiders' Eddie Hamada Field watched the Buffanblu, No. 7 in the ScoringLive Power Rankings, improve to 4-1 overall with the victory in their Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener.

No. 8 'Iolani fell to 3-2, 1-1.

Punahou was coming off a 19-7 win at Vista (San Diego) last Saturday and just returned home from the Mainland on Monday.

"It was an extremely short week, but we told the kids, 'No excuses,' " Buffanblu coach Kale Ane said. "We knew it would be a tough game, because we would be hot and tired, and 'Iolani puts constant pressure on you. They're well-coached, and they never give up."

The Raiders dug themselves a 24-0 hole in the game's first 14 minutes after three costly turnovers.

The first mistake -- a muffed fair catch at their own 15-yard line -- set up Kaimi Fairbairn's 33-yard field goal barely three minutes into the game. Punahou made it 10-0 after Tuileta's 2-yard touchdown pass to KJ Sekona with 2:01 remaining in the first quarter, then cashed in on Ka'aha McAfee-Torco's interception and 25-yard return less than a minute later, when Tuileta connected with 6-foot-5 receiver Malik Johnson on a 10-yard fade pass in the back right corner of the end zone.

On the ensuing possession, linebacker Zach Hernandez made another interception and returned it 36 yards to the 'Iolani 4, and despite a couple penalties the Buffanblu made it 24-0 after Tuileta's 19-yard TD pass to Kale Dyas on third-and-goal.

'Iolani finally responded early in the second quarter with a quick five-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by Reece Foy's 34-yard pass to Tanner Nishioka, but the extra point attempt failed.

Punahou later opened the second half with another interception -- this one by Quincy Marting near midfield -- on the first play from scrimmage, and cashed in seven plays later on Lakalaka's 2-yard touchdown plunge. Fairbairn's PAT made it 30-6.

Foy finished with 27 completions in 54 attempts for 392 yards, but he was just 8 for his first 22 with three picks against an unusual scheme sometimes featuring a two-man rush with just about everyone else dropping into coverage.

"We knew he likes to run and scramble, so we practiced against a lot of scrambling plays," said Marting, who also made an interception at Vista. "He's also a good passer, so we tried to defend against any kind of long ball."

Foy and the Raiders regrouped to put together a 13-play, 79-yard drive culminating in his 5-yard pass to Nishioka, but the two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. After Christian Donahue's interception on the next play from scrimmage, 'Iolani struck quickly, going 45 yards in just six plays capped by Foy's 10-yard strike to Nishioka.

That cut it to 31-18 with 4:09 left in the third quarter, but the two-point conversion pass failed and the Raiders would not score again. Lakalaka effectively sealed the victory with a 40-yard TD scamper down the right sideline with 3:16 remaining in the game.

Lakalaka finished with 162 yards rushing on 28 carries.