Saint Louis outlasts Punahou to take ILH first round

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Even in the baking sun, a classic ILH rivalry filled the stands at Hemmeter Field.

The marquee matchup lived up to expectations as fans were treated to seven lead changes and a one possession game all the way until just 1:32 left in the fourth, when Saint Louis running back Tenari Maafala punched in the game-sealing one-yard touchdown run in a 31-21 win over Punahou.

Maafala would also play a crucial role in the most important SaintLouis drive of the game: their very last one.

But first, to set the stage. Saint Louis came into this game looking to close out their first round sweep of the ILH, clinching a spot in the ILH title game if they fail to win the second set of the round robin.

At the same time, this was a must win game for the Buffanblu. After an up-and-down preseason and a shocking loss to Kamehameha, patience — earned through program prestige and unbridled talent — was running thin.

So, from the kickoff both teams were blurring across the field. Punahou's game opening drive ended in under two minutes as edge rusher Vincent Tautua knocked the ball free from the grip of running back Nelson Aau.

The Punahou defense made their own stand against the short field and forced a field goal. Then, Buffanblu head coach Nate Kia's second unconventional offensive decision of the season paid off: Stanford committed DB Donte Utu, who started playing both sides of the football last week, scored the first touchdown of the contest on a 25-yard post route.

But he wasn't finished there, on the first play of the next drive, Utu then intercepted Saint Louis quarterback Nainoa Lopes. A score and then a takeaway on back-to-back snaps.

"Whatever I can to help this team. Especially this last year I just want to put out whatever I can to help the team improve... with me out there, the offense just has more firepower," Utu said on his expanded role.

Saint Louis responded right away with a defensive stand and a methodical drive that ended in a five yard scramble by Lopes to put the Crusaders up 10-7 early in the second. Both teams would remain scoreless until only 31 seconds remained in the half, when Zion White would rise up for a 30-yard rainbow from freshman quarterback Hunter Fujikawa to send Punahou into the half in the lead 14-10.

However, the Crusaders opened the scoring in the second half after a 50-yard bomb to Exodus Brown set up a Lopes sneak TD.

A 10-yard fade to Utu, a one-yard run by Crusaders' running back Tahlen Kekawa, and several stalled drives from both teams led to the most pivotal point in the game: with 5:39 left in the fourth and ahead 24-21, Saint Louis started their possession on their own 38 yard line. The Buffanblu needed a stop. Saint Louis needed to run the clock out.

Remember freshman running back Tenari Maafala? The 200 pound wrecking ball of a back decimated the Punahou defense on this drive. Bouncing off of tackles left and right, the Crusaders ran over 4 minutes off the clock on Maafala's back before he nailed the coffin shut from one yard out.

Crusaders' defensive lineman Pupu Sepulona, who helped the Crusaders effectively stifle Punahou's Nelson Aau in the running game, commented on the win:

"We had a lot of errors but still came out with the win. Winning this game was crucial because we won the first round and a chance at states... Everyone made an impact today, it was a team win."