No. 4 Punahou tops Kamehameha, 17-14


Punahou RB Steven Lakalaka has two touchdown runs at the half. Scott Nishi | SL

HALAWA - Steven Lakalaka rushed for 151 yards and Christian Fairbairn made a 50-yard field goal to lift Punahou to a 17-14 win over Kamehameha Friday night.

A crowd of about 6,000 fans at Aloha Stadium saw the Buffanblu lead throughout the Interscholastic League of Honolulu game. Punahou, ranked fourth in this week's ScoringLive/OC16 Football Power Rankings, improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in league play. The sixth-ranked Warriors saw their four-game win streak snapped and fell to 4-3 and 3-1 in the ILH.

"What we do in practice shows in the game and we've been working hard in practice," said Lakalaka, who scored on runs of 14 and 12 yards. "We knew what we had to do, we just had to come out and execute."

With the win, Punahou extends its winning streak to five straight and is in sole possession of first place atop the ILH Division I standings.

"This was a good win for us, it puts us in a good spot in the ILH, but we still have work to do," Buffanblu head coach Kale Ane said. "Kamehameha is a good, tough football team and we were fortunate to hold on at the end."

The Warriors pulled within three points early in the fourth quarter following a 5-yard touchdown run by Tyler Meditz and the extra point by Kanekoa Pawn-White, but turned it over on downs on their final two drives and Punahou ran out the clock.

"We shot ourselves in the foot too many times," said Kamehameha head coach David Stant, whose team lost four fumbles, including on its first three drives of the game. "If we hadn't made those mistakes and were able to make a few more plays, maybe the outcome would have been different."

Lakalaka's first TD run came one play after a Kamehameha fumble was forced by Punahou's Logan Hanohano and recovered by teammate Chase Sakai. After he took the handoff from quarterback Larry Tuileta, Lakalaka turned the left corner and scooted in to open the scoring.

The Buffanblu extended its lead on a 12-yard TD run by Lakalaka with 1:33 to play in the second quarter. The scoring play capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive that took five minutes and 40 seconds. The Buffanblu were the beneficiaries of an illegal participation penalty against Kamehameha on a fourth-and-5 that extended the drive. Fairbairn converted the PAT to put his team ahead, 14-0.

Lakalaka finished with game-highs of 22 carries for 151 yards.

"It's all a credit to my offensive linemen and my fullback, Jacob Ioane," said Lakalaka. "They're the ones opening up the holes for me."

The Warriors got on the board with 23 seconds left in the half on a 42-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Nephi Stevens to Alika McGuire Kanekoa Pawn-White made the ensuing PAT.

Midway through the third quarter, Fairbairn extended the Buffanblu lead to 17-7 with a 50-yard field goal . He also booted four kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

"Only a coach can appreciate what he does for us," Ane said of Fairbairn. "To make your opponent start from the 20 (yard line) each time is such a huge advantage for your defense. He's definitely a big part of our success."

Meditz found the end zone on a 5-yard run with 9:02 left in the fourth quarter. The scoring play was set-up by a 43-yard connection between Stevens and Alii Pedrina. Pawn-White's PAT made the score, 17-14, however, the Warriors could get no closer.

On its penultimate possession, Kamehameha lined up in a punt formation on a fourth-and-6 from its own 21-yard line. Instead, punter Kamuela Grugier-Hill ran a fake but his rush attempt was short of the first-down marker and the Warriors turned it over. Fairbairn attempted a 42-yard field goal on Punahou's ensuing drive, but it was no good. Kamehameha had a chance to tie it or pull ahead on its final drive, but could get no further than its own 32.

Meditz had 71 yards rushing on 17 carries and Stevens finished 8-of-15 passing for 141 yards. Kory Rasmussen had two interceptions for Kamehameha, which committed 11 penalties for 97 yards.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].