ILH Football
Kamehameha edges Punahou, 9-3


Wes Nakama
October 1, 2010, 8:52pm

  

Fri, Oct 1, 2010 @ Aloha Stadium [ 7:45 pm ]

Punahou

3

Kamehameha

9

Final 1 2 3 4 T
Punahou (6-3-0) 0 0 3 03
Kamehameha (5-5-0) 0 3 0 69
Christian Akana 50 yd 1 TD
Steven Lakalaka 35 yd



Christian Akana scored on a 2-yard quarterback sneak with 16 seconds remaining last night to lift Kamehameha to a 9-3 victory over Punahou in thrilling Interscholastic League of Honolulu football action at Aloha Stadium.

The defending state champion Warriors, No. 10 in the ScoringLive/OC16 power rankings, improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ILH. Punahou, ranked No. 4, fell to 4-2, 2-2.

"This was a 'must-win' game for us, not just because of the ILH (title chase), but also because we've had some hard weeks and there's so much expectations," said Akana, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound junior. "It was important for us to get redemption, to get our confidence back."

Following Akana's touchdown, a penalty on the extra point kick pushed a second PAT attempt back to 35 yards, and it fell short.

The ensuing kickoff sailed into the end zone, and three Buffanblu pass attempts fell incomplete from the 20 before time expired.

The winning drive went 78 yards in 15 plays, and was kept alive by an encroachment penalty against the Buffanblu on fourth-and-1 from the Punahou 22. Kamehameha then gained its final 17 yards on four straight rushes despite starting right tackle Blaze Ryder leaving the game with a banged-up right knee. Ryder, a 6-1, 260-pound senior, is considered to be an anchor on the offensive line in particular and the team in general.

"In the huddle, we said, 'Let's do it for him,'" Akana said. "He's a key guy for us, not just physically, but also because of his leadership."

Ryder's blocking helped the Warriors' balanced ground attack gain 169 yards, including 62 from Tyler Meditz (on 16 carries), 52 from Jason Muraoka (11) and 50 from Akana (12).

But until Akana's touchdown, Kamehameha had only Kanekoa Pawn-White's 23-yard field goal three seconds before halftime to show for it.

The Buffanblu tied it on Kaimi Fairbairn's 38-yard field goal with 8:47 left in the third quarter.

Punahou was held to 57 total yards in the first half, and ILH rushing leader Steven Lakalaka was limited to 13 yards on just four carries as the Buffanblu went through various formations in attempts to move the ball.

"We would have liked to use (Lakalaka) more, but he hurt his leg, he was a little bit bruised," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "That hurt us, because he's the heart of our offense."

Lakalaka finished with 35 yards on 11 rushes.

The Buffanblu's biggest scoring threat came on their first drive, when they gained second-and-goal from the 7. But Warriors strong safety Micah Choy forced a fumble that was recovered by Kikau Pescaia at the 4.

Choy later had an interception; cornerback Walter Santiago added another pick in the third quarter.

"Good thing we have a (strong) defense," Kamehameha coach David Stant said. "We're still finding ourselves on offense. But Christian is tough, and I believe in him. With the game on the line, he's gonna suck it up and make something happen. That's why he's our quarterback."

Stant said Ryder's injury is not serious and he should return to action soon.



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