Campbell, Sagapolutele hand Punahou second straight loss

Greg Yamamoto | SL

In a battle of top-five squads, a quarterback with a last name very familiar to Buffanblu fans led Campbell to a decisivie 49-17 win over Punahou.

It was truly a game of two extremes.

As the sun set over Alexander Field, triumphant yells echoed from the Sabers climbing into their buses, while the song "Sons of Oahu" meant a blowout loss for the Buffanblu for the second week in a row, and the second defeat at the hands of the Sabers in as many seasons.

After a disconnected performance from the young Buffanblu offense leaves a myriad of questions for head coach Nate Kia, the Sabers can be sure of at least one singular truth: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

Sagapolutele (younger brother of the former Punahou quarterback John-Keawe) is one of the top ranked players in the state of Hawaii; and against a Punahou defense that boasts its own pair of D1 recruits, the Campbell signal caller showed why.

Whether the O-men sent the blitz or dropped back in coverage, Sagapolutele seemed unbothered. It didn't matter if he had to weave through defensive linemen, extend the play outside the pocket, or take a big hit. The ball always went to the right player, on time, on target, and on the money. The senior QB finished with 323 yards and five touchdowns, without throwing an interception or taking a single sack. As far as quarterback play, that's just about perfect.

The only point of concern came on the last play of the third quarter, when Sagapolutele delivered a 35-yard bomb to Tyson Ball, but got up clutching his side and in obvious pain. He returned to the game after sitting out the first play of the fourth, and proceeded to throw the most exciting touchdown of the contest, as Cameron Mamiya tipped a 5-yard fade ball to himself with one hand and then corralled it as he came twisting down to the ground.

"That was a great catch. We make hard catches in practice, that's what makes us better. I just [gave] him a chance," Sagapolutele said.

When asked about the injury, Sagapolutele reassured: "I'm good; I'm good; they weren't worried. They just wanted me to catch my breath."

Of course, Jaron couldn't have done it without excellent play from the Saber's receiving core. Three different receivers caught touchdowns: Zayden Aliviar-Costa, Tyson Ball, and Cameron Mamiya, all seniors. Ball led the way six grabs for 128 yards.

Slot-receiver Rusten Abong-Perez, although held scoreless, led the group in receptions with seven, and was utilized in multiple end-arounds and jet sweeps.

On the Punahou side of the ball, veteran players made some major contributions, as expected. On offense, slot receiver Dash Watanabe was Mr. Reliable, recording a team-high eight catches for 117 yards. Nelson Au led the way on the ground with 21 carries for 115 yards, slicing through Campbell defenders and running hard until the last whistle. He also scored both of the Buffanblu touchdowns. Defensively, Iloa Kaio (team-high eight tackles) and Koo Kia (five tackles, one for loss) made plays all afternoon.

Still, with youth comes struggle.

At times, and especially when the field got short, freshman quarterback Hunter Fujikawa seemed unable to string together completions. Sophomore Zion White, who has looked like every bit the marquee wideout thus far this season, was held to only 3 catches for 15 yards today. While the future is definitely bright, if Punahou is to make a deep run this year, they will need much more cohesive performances from these two underclassmen.

Both teams head into league play in their next matchups. Punahou will take on Iolani on the road on September 6th, and Campbell will have Farrington at home on September 14th.