Punahou quarterback Larry Tuileta is second among Division I passers with 1,997 yards passing and second with 23 touchdowns. ScoringLive file photo

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Mililani quarterback Jarin Morikawa leads all Division I passers with 3,275 yards and 34 touchdowns this season. ScoringLive file photo

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One thing about Punahou football is that when it gets to the state football tournament, it's there for the duration.

The Buffanblu (7-2), second in the ScoringLive//OC16 Power Rankings, are in their fourth semifinal in as many tries and have yet to be beaten in this tier of the tournament. But No. 3 Mililani (10-2) might have something to say about it when the teams meet in the First Hawaiian Bank Division I state football tournament. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. Friday at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

Defending champion Kahuku, which beat Punahou in last year's title game, will play Farrington in the other semifinal at 7 p.m.

While the state tournament has been relatively kind to the Buffanblu, who are 5-2, the Trojans got their first win ever in last week's quarterfinal against Baldwin on Maui. The Trojans are 1-4; they last reached the semifinal in 2010 (drawing a first-round bye), but lost to Waianae, 48-41, in the highest-scoring tournament game.

Punahou hasn't played since Oct. 25, when it sat a number of starters in a 42-27 loss to Kamehameha. The Buffanblu had already clinched the Interscholastic League of Honolulu D1 title, so it was a good time to mend injuries and give backups reps that might be important down the line. Despite the idle time, don't expect the Buffanblu to miss a beat.

"Depends on how you prepare," Mililani coach Rod York said. "I don't think Punahou will have a problem. They've got  a great coaching staff. They've been there before. I don't think being off will hurt them. They know how to practice."

Punahou coach Kale Ane said the rest helped his players and they're prepared.

"At this time of year, everyone's dinged up a bit, so it was good for our kids to get healthy," Ane said. "We tried to vary practice schemes, looked at a lot of film and worked on fundamentals."

The Trojans will be facing a team that might be as athletic as Kahuku. Quarterback Larry Tuileta is a junior and already has championship game experience to his credit. Despite playing in only eight games - he was one of the players to sit out the Kamehameha game - he still is second among Division I passers with 1,997 yards passing and second with 23 touchdowns. He is highly accurate, completing 64.2 percent of his passes.

"The more experience you get in situations like this, where there is a lot of pressure both from outside and from within, everyone wants to do the best they can," Ane said of Tuileta. "He's been in situations like this in both football and volleyball, so he's a very, not just talented, but poised individual as well."

Tuileta's performance is no fluke. He had his best games against Division I opponents, passing for a season-high 363 yards against Kamehameha in the first-round meeting, and 359 and 258 yards in both Saint Louis games. He also passed for 244 yards against Kahuku in a non-league contest.

He has one of the best receivers in the state in sophomore Kanawai Noa, who leads D1 with 978 receiving yards and 15 TDs.

To balance the offense, running back Ryan Tuiasoa has flown under the radar because his OIA counterparts have each rushed for more than a 1,000 yards. Tuiasao is fifth among D1 backs with 878 yards and 12 TDs.

The Trojans counter with a talented QB of their own in senior Jarin Morikawa. He leads Division I passers with 3,275 yards and 34 touchdowns. He has completed 274 of 468 passes, leading both categories by a large margin. His three primary receivers have been busy all season. Ekolu Ramos, Erren Jean-Pierre and Kainoa Wilson ranked fifth through seventh, respectively, in D1 receiving yardage.

But for the first time all season, Mililani showed a running game in its win against Baldwin. The Bears were prepared for the pass and kept waiting for it, but the Trojans kept taking what they were being given. Fullback Dayton Furuta, whose first job is linebacker, showed he was capable of more than short-yardage situation running. He carried a season-high 23 times for another season-high 118 yards. His second and third effort runs enabled Mililani to control the ball and keep Baldwin QB Keelan Ewaliko sidelined.

"I was somewhat surprised," Ane said. "That's not their M.O. They've been very successful throwing the ball. I think they felt they could keep (the Bears') quarterback off the field and control the game. They ran the ball well and I think that was their  game plan."

York said the Trojans had to adjust to the Bears, who were relatively successful defending the pass. Morikawa's 177 yards passing was his second-lowest output of the season.

"We don't want him to carry the load," York said of Furuta, whose just as valuable at LB. "But if we got to, we have no problem doing it."

Both teams have athletic players on defense. Among them are Punahou LB Isaac Savaiinaea and Mililani DE Dakota Turner, who stripped the ball from a Baldwin player and returned the loose ball 70 yards that helped set up a Trojans' TD.

Ironically, both teams are coming off losses at Aloha Stadium. Punahou's came with the title clinched, while Mililani's came in the OIA title game.

"We have to bring our 'A' game to the stadium," York said. "Against Kahuku, we didn't start off too well. (Last week), we had a sluggish first half with Baldwin, but I think a lot of it had to do with the travel and making the most of the bad situation we were in. We're excited to be back at the stadium again and play against a team like Punahou."