Kalakaua Timoteo reels in one of his four touchdown passes of the game propelling Mililani on Punahou. Josh Lopez | Special to SL

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Mililani's Ty Apana-Purcell and Kainoa Wilson celebrate after defeating Punahou to help the Trojans' capture their first state title. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Fri, Nov 21, 2014 @ Aloha Stadium [ 7:30 pm ]

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Mililani

53

Punahou

45

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Mililani (13-0-0)	26	20	7	0	53
Punahou (8-1-0)	7	24	14	0	45

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Ephraim Tuliloa 285 yd 2 TD

McKenzie Milton 421 yd 7 TD

Wayne Taulapapa 260 yd 3 TD

Vavae Malepeai 89 yd

Kalaianakupuna Santos 95 yd 1 TD

Kalakaua Timoteo 117 yd 4 TD

The much-anticipated game of the season lived up to all its hype.

In the highest-scoring game in the First Hawaiian Bank state football tournament history, No. 2 Mililani held off No. 1 Punahou, 53-45, Friday night to capture its first Division I crown before 19,254 at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

The Trojans (13-0) became the 19th Oahu team to finish unbeaten and untied, denying Punahou (8-1) successive unblemished seasons.

Ty Purcell-Apana stripped Punahou running back Wayne Taulapapa of the ball at about the 4-yard line after a 13-yard gain, the ball rolling out of the end zone for a touchback with 56 seconds left in the game to preserve the Trojans' lead. Mililani was able to run out the clock on fourth-and-26 at its own 4.

"I was going for the strip," Purcell-Apana said. "I saw Tielu (Mamea) wrap him up and saw him falling down slowly so I saw the ball falling out little bit and I stripped it."

After low-scoring semifinals a week earlier - Punahou edged Kahuku, 13-10, and Mililani beat Farrington, 17-14 - the Trojans and Buffanblu set tournament scoring records for most combined points, beat the previous high of 89 set in the 2010 semifinals when Waianae beat Mililani, 48-41.

Mililani led 26-7 after the first quarter. The 33 points was the most scored in the first quarter (29 in 2000 quarterfinals between Kahuku and Waimea). The 77 points by the half obliterated the 2001 quarterfinals between Kahuku and Lahainaluna, which combined for 50.

Yet after all the offensive fireworks in the first half, it was defense that made the difference.

"It's a team effort," Mililani coach Rod York said. "As the saying goes, 'Offense puts butts in the seats, defense wins the championships. Guys were dropping down, guys were coming in stepping up. We were playing guys who hadn't played all year. Credit our kids and their hearts."

Moreover, Purcell-Apana's 83-yard interception return for a TD was the longest, beat Punahou's Robby Toma's 74-yarder set in the 2008 semifinals against Farrington.

"It's great to know I'll be in the books," Purcell-Apana said. "I saw Tulo (Punahou QB Ephraim Tuliloa) coming, so I just cut back in (toward the center of the field)."

Even Punahou kicker Jet John Toner set a tournament record with a 53-yard field goal, breaking the previous long of 49 set by Kahuku's Cameron Mercado in 2009 against Farrington in the semifinals. It was still four yards shy of the overall state record of 57 shared by Hilo's Christian Daog vs. Kamehameha in 2009 and Kailua's Naia Graham vs. Kaimuki in 2013.

The teams combined for a staggering 1,214 yards of offense. Punahou amassed 630 to Mililani's 584. Mililani QB McKenzie Milton completed 29 of 47 passes for 421 yards and seven touchdowns, one shy of the tournament record set by Saint Louis' Timmy Chang in the 1999 quarterfinals against Waianae. Punahou QB Tuliloa completed 17 off 33 passes for 285 yards and two TD. Punahou RB Taulapapa had 260 yards rushing, including three TDs. Mililani receiver Kalakaua Timoteo had seven receptions for 117 yards and four TDs, tying record held by Saint Louis' Desmond Hanohano in the 2003 quarterfinals.

Neither coach expected a shootout.

"I didn't know what to think," York said. "I thought we'd score 80 against Kahuku, 80 against Farrington and we barely scored 10."

"I thought it'd be about 35-28 or something like that," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "But it was 40-something in the first half."

It was an amazing season for the Trojans, who opened the season beating Saint Louis, 63-47, and closed it with their fourth 50-plus points game.

"It's just about getting better everyday and beat whoever you have to play," York said. "Fortunately for us, it worked out in our favor."

The Trojans had a scare in the third quarter, when their top running back Vavae Malepeai left the game with a knee injury. He finished the game with 89 yards on 13 carries. His replacement, Cheyne Constantino, filled the void with 41 yards on nine carries.

"My knee twisted," Malepeai said. "I don't know. I can walk. I'm thankful it's not any worse than it is. I have a lot of time to heal up."

Mililani, as it had most of the season, stormed out to a 26-7 lead after the first quarter on three Milton TD passes and Purcell-Apana's interception return. Punahou's only response, when it tied the game at 7, was on Tuliloa's 48-yard TD pass to Kalai Santos.

Punahou outscored Mililani, 24-20, in the second quarter, yet still trailed by 15 at the half.

The Buffanblu even outscored the Trojans in the second half, 14-7. But Mililani stopped Punahou's last three series of the game to hold on.

"I think they were pushing a little bit," Ane said of his offense. "They felt the pressure that they had to score. It was sometimes a little too much and (the Trojans') defense is good…I knew our offense could come back from last week, but it was just a matter of getting a couple more stops."