Punahou wide receiver Kanawai Noa tries to break free from a Kamehameha defender on a pass reception. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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102513_PunKam_7936.jpg - Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Punahou played three quarters of postseason-form football to beat Kamehameha, 38-12, Friday night to capture its third consecutive Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I football championship at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

The Buffanblu (9-0), top in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings since Day 1, won their third consecutive league crown by winning the regular-season championship and Friday's tournament title. It was the first year the ILH held a postseason football tournament. The No. 2 Warriors (9-2), whose only losses are to Punahou, needed to win to force a playoff next week.

Punahou's 25th overall ILH crown since 1909 secures the Buffanblu a Division I state tournament berth.

Larry Tuileta's 26-of-43 passing for a season-high 395 yards and four touchdowns keyed the Buffanblu offense.

"Once we found the rhythm, we just made plays happen and seized the opportunity," Tuileta said.

The return of 6-foot-7, 275-pound junior defensive lineman Canton Bourke Kaumatule sparked a defense that stopped the Warriors to 59 yards of total offense. Kaumatule had five tackles, two of them for lost yardage on running back Kainoa Simao, who tallied 54 yards on 20 carries, after coming of a 230-yard game against Saint Louis in last week's tournament semifinals.

"He played outstanding," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "He's such a force. It's great to have him back. (His backups) played well; they held up the fort and played well. Just having him back just makes things even better."

"This is only my second full game back," said Kaumatule, who has been nursing various injuries all season. "It's been great. I've been really hungry."

Ironically, his only other game was against Kamehameha during the regular season.

Just as Punahou was able to contain Simao, the Warriors were clogging the running lanes for running back Wayne Taulapapa, who was held to a season-low 42 yards against Division I opponents. But Punahou was able to find mismatches with two passes to the sidelines. He had only two catches, but they were for TDs of 22 and 25 yards; his 47 yards receiving was more than his rushing total.

"We got him some space and his instincts took over," Ane said. "Those guys (the Warriors) are good, so for him to get yards for us whether it's the run or the pass, is good for us."

On Taulapapa's TD before the half, he used his running back skills, breaking two tackles en route to the end zone.

Taulapapa had only 19 yards on his first 12 carries, though one was on a 2-yard TD. He broke off a 25-yard run late in the game.

"We wanted to run the ball a lot, but they stuffed it up," Taulapapa said of Kamehameha's defense. "But we looked to the passing side. That worked out."

Punahou came out crisp, scoring on its second and third series of the game to take a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Buffanblu looked like they were in preseason form in the second quarter when two misplays from punt formation led to all of the Warriors' scoring came in a five-minute span. A fumbled snap squirted into the end zone for Caleb Chow's fumble recovery in the end zone; later a high snap sailed out of the end zone for a safety; and Kamehameha cashed in on the ensuing free kick from Punahou with a 24-yard field goal by Tyler Fitzsimmons to pull the Warriors to 14-12.

But Punahou snuffed any momentum the Warriors gained by scoring a TD with 33 second left in the half that started a run of 24 unanswered points. Needing a response to the Warriors, Punahou drove 75 yards in 11 plays with Taulapapa scoring on a 22-yard swing-out pass from Tuileta to give Punahou a 21-12 lead at the break.

"That was huge for our egos and our psyche," Ane said of the TD before the half. "We came out the second half, the defense played great. (Kamehameha's) a great team. That offensive line is tremendous. That was the best D I've seen; it was very rewarding."

Kamehameha was without RB Brandon Kahookele once again, nursing a leg-related injury. The Warriors also were without DB Javen Sablay, also injured.

While the Warriors were effective stopping the run, they could not stop Tuileta, who pretty much all the time needed to find his receivers. He was sacked once early in the game. He found wide receiver Kanawai Noa 10 times for 147 yards, including a 39-yard TD that started the Buffanblu scoring. Besides his two TD passes to Taulapapa, Tuileta connected with Kotoni Sekona for a 17-yard TD pass late in the game.

Punahou opened the second half with a 24-yard field goal by Charles McDonald to open its lead to 24-12. But its second drive was just devastating to the Warriors' secondary. Tuileta complete 6 of 7 passes for 92 yards on the seven-play, 92-yard drive that ended with Taulapapa's 25-yard TD reception to make it 31-12 with 4:53 in the third quarter.

The Buffanblu ended their scoring in the fourth quarter on Sekona's TD catch with 4:07 in the game.