The longest rivalry in high school football in the entire country resumes Saturday night at Aloha Stadium when Punahou and Kamehameha meet for the 187th time.
NO. 3 PUNAHOU BUFFANBLU (3-0, 0-0 ILH D-I)
Head coach: Kale Ane
Buffanblu roster
VS.
NO. 5 KAMEHAMEHA WARRIORS (3-1, 0-1)
Head coach: Abu Ma’afala
Warriors roster
No. 3 Punahou 21, No. 5 Kamehameha 0, FINAL
Barber, for some reason, takes off running downfield for a big gain. Illegal block brings it back with :03 left. Now he takes a knee and that’ll do it.
Shannon breaks loose on second-and-10 and is down the sideline for a 45-yard gain into Punahou territory. Blindside block on the play pushes the Warriors back to midfield. Keone connects with Freitas on third down to keep the sticks moving. Warriors at the Punahou 32. Timeout Kamehameha, 1:43. Keone to Kalamaku Burnett to the 14. Deston Watanabe with a sack back to the 22 to bring up third-and-18. The Buffanblu drop Keone again back to the 33. Fourth down throw is incomplete and Punahou takes over with :13 left.
Barber climbs the pocket, tucks the ball away and breaks tackle after tackle down the sideline before he gets to the end zone 55 yards later. TOUCHDOWN PUNAHOU. PAT good. 3:12.
Keone is sacked on first down and the Warriors punt it away gain. Punahou returner Ola Aina gets away from the first wave for a nice return but multiple flags on the field. Personal foul, blindside block gives Punahou possession at its 42. 4:00 left.
Barber drops off a short pass to Terrell for 12 yards and a first down. Barber to Falatea for 10. Kamehameha stops the Buffanblu there and third-down sack pushes the Buffanblu back to the 47 to punt. The ball is muffed but the Warriors recover to avoid a huge turnover. Kamehameha ball at the 10. 5:35 Q4.
Shannon picks up 6 yards, then 13, then 7 more to give him 65 yards on 20 carries going into the fourth quarter. He carries the ball on the first three plays of the final period. A mixup on a handoff results in a loss of two and a sack brings up third-and-14 at the Punahou 37. After Shannon’s 2-yard carry, the fourth-down pass is incomplete. Punahou ball.
On first down, Terrell finds a hole up the middle and he’s gone, 48 yards, TOUCHDOWN PUNAHOU. Unsportsmanlike conduct after the play will be enforced on the kickoff. PAT good. 1:33 Q3.
Kamehameha goes three-and-out and lines up to punt from its end zone. They get the kick away and it rolls dead at the Warriors’ 48. 1:44 Q3.
Barber back in for Punahou and completes a 24-yard pass to Iosivas. He goes deep over the middle and Kalamaku Kuewa is there for yet another interception at the Warriors’ 1. Kamehameha’s fourth pick, Kuewa’s second. 2:54 Q3.
Kamehameha running play is blown up in the backfield before the exchange for a loss of 4. After Shannon picks up 4, the Warriors try a quick hitch but Trent Shiraki stops Braden Akima for another loss of 4. Kamehameha going for it on fourth and 14 at its 48. Keone’s pass is complete to Micah Pasion but well short of the first down. Punahou takes over at its 43. 3:21 Q3.
Punahou faces third-and-15 and a deep throw draws a pass interference call to extend the drive. Somehow the officials spot the ball short of the first down and it’s third and 1. Now delay of game on Punahou. Barber keeps it and picks up the first down with a 13-yard run to the Kamehameha 39. Barber is slow to get up and the Punahou trainer is holding his left arm as they leave the field. Sophomore Hugh Brady in at QB. Warriors coming after Brady. On third-and-29, Punahou hands it off up the middle to Vincent Terrell for a short gain. Personal foul on Punahou brings up fourth-and-40 and the Buffanblu punt. Kamehameha ball at the Punahou 48. 5:42 Q3.
Shannon picks up 8 yards on first down, but a bad snap stalls the drive and Kamehameha punts. 8:38. Q3.
Kamehameha’s opening kickoff of the second half is fielded near the sideline and a short return gives Punahou first down at its 12. Antonio Cortez Feria in the backfield with Barber. Punahou gets out to midfield before facing fourth and 3. They snap it to Barber who punts it out of bounds at the Kamehameha 15. 9:50 Q3.
A few halftime numbers courtesy of Brian McInnis — Kanoa Shannon 14 carries, 31 yards, was stopped behind the line of scrimmage for an aggregate loss of 13 on his last three attempts. Kamehameha QBs Baniaga and JV call-up Kiai Keone combined 5-for-14 for 9 yards passing with three interceptions. Stephen Barber 6-for-12, 3 picks 64 yards for Punahou.
Kaufusi drives up the middle for a gain of 21. Timeout Punahou, 0:19 at the Kamehameha 43. Kaufusi again for a short gain and stays on the turf. He’s helped off the field. Play continues and Barber hits Falatea for 11 yards with :02 left. His throw into the end zone is intercepted by Kalamaku Kuewa. Kamehameha’s third of the game and sixth of the game combined as we go to halftime.
Baniaga gains 4 yards then loses 4 to bring up third and 10 at the Punahou 27. 1:23 Q2. After another sack, the fourth-down pass is tipped away and Punahou takes over at its 36. 0:32 Q2. Hang on, officials giving Kamehameha another fourth down. Same result on fifth down. Incomplete.
Punahou tries to run a reverse but the ball is dropped in the backfield for a loss of nine. The pick party continues when Kamehameha’s Akalea Kapono snags Barber’s pass over the middle.
Drive starts with Shannon dropped for a loss on his third straight carry. After a delay of game on third down, Ono comes down with another interception on a deep throw. Punahou’s third pick of the game, second for Ono. Punahou ball at its 44.
Barber fires deep down the right side and Joshua Mahelona is in perfect position for the interception. Kamehameha ball at its 32. 4:22 Q2.
After taking a series off, Shannon is back in but is stopped for a 2-yard loss by Maninoa Tufono. Third-down pass is incomplete and Kamehameha’s punt is downed at the Punahou 26, 4:30 Q2.
On third-and-7, Baniaga looks to his left but Tanner Ono is there for the pick. TOUCHDOWN PUNAHOU on the 30-yard return. PAT good. 5:35 Q2
Barber finds Andrei Iosivas down the left side for a 23-yard completion. Holding on the next play pushes Punahou back to the 39. On first-and-30, Barber escapes pressure and gets all the way to the 17 for a 22-yard gain. Timeout Kamehameha at 8:04. After Punahou takes timeout, the Warriors come after Barber again and catch him this time for a loss of 4. Third down pass falls incomplete. Timothy Horn’s 38-yard field goal attempt has plenty of distance but drifts wide. Kamehameha ball at the 20, 7:13 Q2.
Shannon goes up the middle three times to bring up fourth and 1. He gets it again and the Buffablu knock him backward. He tries to bounce it outside, but Tanner Ono wraps him up for a loss of 7. Punahou ball at the Kamehameha 45.
False start gives Punahou first and 15. After a 3-yard run and Barber’s11-yard completion to Tamatoa Falatea, Kaufusi is stopped short on third and 1. Fourth down coming up to start the second quarter. Barber keeps it around the right side and they’ll measure for the first down. It’s short and Kamehameha takes over at its 43.
Kamehameha goes three and out and the punt rolls out of bounds at the Punahou 48. 0:45 Q1.
Punahou faces third-and-13 but the drive is extended by a pass interference call. Barber tries to scramble for another first down, but is stopped a yard short. Buffanblu punt for the first time today. Kamehameha ball at its 27, 3:18, Q1.
Middle of the Kamehameha offensive line leading the way for Shannon, who picks up 19 yards on three carries before Punahou stops him in the backfield at the 14. False start pushes Kamehameha back to second-and-16 at the 19. After a short swing pass to Shannon, Baniaga goes into the end zone, but it’s too high for Onxy Freitas. Nokea Nakachi-Isaacs’ 35-yard field goal attempt is wide and Punahou takes over at its 20.
Punahou QB Stephen Barber complets his first two throws for 12 yards. But after being stopped for no gain, and trouble with the mesh with Sitiveni Kaufusi results in a fumble and Jonah Welch recovers for Kamehameha at the Punahou 39.
Kick goes into the end zone. Brandon Baniaga gets the start at QB for Kamehameha. After an incompletion on a deep ball, Kanoa Shannon finds room up the middle for two runs of 6 yards. Baniaga goes deep again and this time it’s intercepted by Kaulana Makula. Buffanblu take over at their 28.
Kamehameha wins the toss and will receive to open the second game of today’s ILH doubleheader at Aloha Stadium.
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NOTES: Punahou has won nine in a row in the series. Kamehameha hasn’t beaten Punahou since 2012. Punahou leads the series 91-89-6 dating back to 1903 after beating the Warriors three times last year. Punahou is 6-0 in the series when its QB throws for more than 350 yards. Punahou is 12-2 when it has a 100-yard rusher against Kamehameha. Punahou is 6-0 when it has a receiver go over 145 yards against Kamehameha. Kale Ane is 18-19 all-time against Kamehameha, he went 1-14 in his first 15 games but 17-5 since.
Top performances in the series:
Punahou passing vs. Kamehameha: Nick Kapule with 452 yards last year
Punahou rushing vs. Kamehameha: Mosi Tatupu with 249 yards in 1973
Punahou receiving vs. Kamehameha: Tafiti Uso with 192 in 1996
Kamehameha passing vs. Punahou: Caleb Spencer with 312 yards in 2002
Kamehameha rushing vs. Punahou: Kahe Santos with 225 yards in 2002
Kamehameha receiving vs. Punahou: Aaron Nichols with 233 yards in 2005
This kind of media coverage proves that hawaii prep world is complicit in the ILH Agenda. How about they actually investigate ILH recruiting in Kahuku’s backyard instead of fawning over some “longest rivalry in the nation.” RRFL!
Punahou made easy work of Kam as did Bingham of Kahukus JV team, or was it their Vars?
If you think that was the JV, then you must think very highly of our varsity. To think our JV teams D could do that to one of the top teams in the nation. Thank you for your support Education First. RR4L._.
Was at the game with my mom (aka my personal Uber). Brought my “GPAs>TDs” sign but was told by usher not to hold it over my head. WTH??!! BTW, don’t buy the chili dog from the concession. Junk and overpriced.
I see phony Ed 1st once again is 1. Pretending to be me and in post above and 2. masquerading as “anywaaaays!!!” on random threads. Hey stalker, anywaaaays looks bad enough as it is without you trying to post over the top messages that everyone knows isn’t from him. LOL!!!!!
Everyone tries to be, I understand but there’s only one me. Awesome and Desired are my middle names.
Kale needs Fred Salanoa to run the offense to complement the defense. Just appears to be too madden pop Warnerish.