By Larry Tuileta's standards, he was just OK in Punahou's 24-0 win over Kamehameha Friday at Aloha Stadium. The senior quarterback completed 16 of 30 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

The numbers, however, can be misleading. That's because Buffanblu pass-catchers dropped at least five of Tuileta's throws, including an uncharacteristic drop by star wideout Kanawai Noa midway through the third quarter.

Noa, who led the state with 1,289 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions in 2012, finished with four catches for 92 yards — both team-highs — against the Warriors. However, he missed out on a sure-fire touchdown when he couldn't handle a second-down pass from Tuileta on a deep ball. Noa had beaten Kamehameha defensive back Dylan Kane on the play and was two steps in front of him when Tuileta delivered a near-perfect pass.

The Buffanblu dropped passes on consecutive plays on their first drive of the game, which ended in a missed Charles McDonald field goal from 47 yards out. Later in the first quarter, Punahou got the ball back on a Cole Obana interception of Warriors' quarterback Fatu Sua-Godinet, but had two more dropped passes in the next three plays and were resigned to a 43-yard McDonald field goal to take a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Noa, who had three receptions for 52 yards by halftime, didn't find the end zone all night, but did factor into two of his team's touchdowns. He set-up Wayne Taulapapa's 2-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter with his 41-yard punt return down to the Kamehameha 9-yard line. Early in the fourth quarter, Noa pulled down a 40-yard pass on the first play of a Punahou drive and five plays later, Taulapapa scored his second rushing touchdown from 14 yards out.

Tuileta, who was 9-of-19 passing for 104 yards in the first half, connected on 7 of his 11 second-half throws — including six of his last eight — for 102 yards.

Red Raiders lose Afalava to shoulder injury

Kahuku junior running back Soli Afalava will likely miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken collarbone and torn shoulder ligaments suffered two weeks ago in a win over Moanalua.

Afalava had his arm in a sling on the sidelines when the two-time Division I state champion Red Raiders beat Castle Friday, 48-13, at Carleton E. Weimer Field.

He suffered the injury in the first half against Moanalua and said he felt discomfort in the shoulder during the second half, but decided to play through it. The pain worsened on Sunday and a trip to the hospital and X-rays revealed the damage.

Afalava ran for 51 yards and a 12-yard touchdown on 13 carries against Na Menehune. He has a team-high 50 carries for 256 yards (5.1 yards per rush) and three rushing touchdowns this season. In his absence Saturday, Kahuku tried out 12 different ball carriers — including a few players normally on the other side of the ball. Linebacker Hiapo McCandless started at tailback and finished with five rushes for 26 yards. Fullback PJ Liua shouldered most of the load without Afalava, finishing with team-highs of 51 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.

Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said Afalava will continue rehab toward a projected return date of Nov. 4 — three days after the date of the OIA championship game.

Afele cleared for Campbell game

Mililani senior linebacker Jacob Afele will be eligible to play when the Trojans host Campbell Saturday at John Kauinana Stadium.

Afele was ejected after just the second play from scrimmage of his team's 39-12 OIA Red West win against Waipahu on Sept. 6 at the Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex. He was initially flagged for illegal helmet contact on a hit to Marauders' quarterback Kai Mercado-Aiona, but was disqualified after drawing another flag for allegedly taunting Mercado-Aiona after tackling him.

By OIA league rules, any player or coach ejection not only pertains to that specific game, but also the team's next immediate contest. With Mililani on bye last week, Afele would have had to sit out this week's game, but Trojans' coach Rod York appealed the ruling last Monday through league football coordinator Harold Tanaka.

York confirmed to ScoringLive last week that the appeal was successful and the initial decision was overturned and Afele will be allowed to play against Campbell.

Mililani athletic director Glenn Nitta said the report from the game officials said Afele launched himself into Mercado-Aiona, but it did not specify why he was ejected from the game. Nitta provided video evidence to support his argument that Afele led with his shoulder, not his helmet, and did not leave his feet to launch himself on the tackle.

The Trojans will also benefit from the return of running back Vavae Malepeai, who missed the game against Waipahu due to a rib contusion he suffered against Waianae the previous week.

Waveriders reeling after second straight loss

Three-time Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I champ Kealakehe suffered its second home loss to a Division-II opponent in as many weeks. A 27-6 loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii Saturday followed a 34-21 loss to Hawaii Prep last weekend.

The Waveriders opened the season on Oahu in a 34-0 loss at Kamehameha on Aug. 24. They trailed a still-winless Keaau team 12-6 at halftime the following week before they rallied with 15 second-half points.

Kealakehe is tied with Waiakea at 1-2 in the four-team BIIF Division I race with four games to play in the regular season. The Waveriders visit Honokaa (0-3) Friday and division-leading Hilo (3-0) next week. They finish with home games against Waiakea and crosstown rival Konawaena before the BIIF playoffs begin on Oct. 18.

Lunas keep on rollin' through MIL

Aside from top-ranked Division I team Punahou, the only other team still undefeated in the state is Lahainaluna — the No. 1 team in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Power Rankings.

The Lunas (5-0 overall, 3-0 Maui Interscholastic League) took care of business over the weekend yet again with their 28-7 win over Baldwin (a Division I team) Friday before an estimated crowd of 6,000 fans at War Memorial Stadium.

Running back Jared Rocha-Isalas and quarterback Makoa Filikitonga led the way for the reigning state runners-up. Rocha-Isalas carried 23 times for 156 yards and had a 1-yard touchdown run and Filikitonga ran 21 times for 150 yards with a 43-yard scoring run. Christian Whitehead, the leading rusher for the season, opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Jared Ancog closed it out with his 65-yard run to pay dirt late in the fourth quarter.

The Lunas allowed just one touchdown against the Bears and have given up just 20 points through five games in 2013. Lahainaluna averages just 5.4 points and 135.8 yards defensively.