Punahou knocks Saint Louis out of states with stunning road win

Kinue Miller | SL

On its last game of the season, the Buffanblu played the role of spoiler to perfection.

Punahou took control early then held off a furious second half comeback, taking down second-ranked Saint Louis, 33-28, to notch its first win in league play, and in the process knocking the Crusaders out of the state tournament.

The stunning result handed the ILH Open Division title to Kamehameha, who completed its season at 3-1 with a win a week prior over Punahou. The Warriors will make its first ever appearance in the Open Division in states.

"It wasn't so much to end their season, it was more to send our seniors off with a good run and just end the season with a win," said Punahou quarterback Hunter Fujikawa, who threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Buffanblu to victory.

The game marked his best output statswise for his sophomore campaign, completing passes for nine different receivers in the victory, with the biggest of those passes arguably being an 11 yard pass to Brady Lau, who made a diving catch with 3:24 left in regulation that padded the lead out to 12.

"Trusted my O-line, trusted Hunter, we do that stuff in practice all the time and we just had to execute it during the game and the moment finally came," said Lau of the play.

Lau (6 catches, 78 yards, TD) and Keola Ane (5 catches, 63 yards, 2 TD) each posted their best statlines since early in the season.

Punahou capitalized on Saint Louis miscues, which included a bevy of penalties and a lost fumble en route to a 20 point lead at the break.

Fujikawa got the scoring going with a 10 yard pass to Keola Ane at the 8:17 mark of the first quarter and then added to the lead with a nine yard keeper that spotted the visiting team a 13 point lead after one quarter of play.

Foilowing a goal line stop by the Buffanblu defense, its offense proceeded to march back the other way, capping a 99 yard drive off with a score when Johnson punched one in from a yard out to make it 20-0. That long drive down the field was aided by three personal fouls and a pass interference.

The Punahou defense did its part again just moments later, as Lim stripped the ball from Saint Louis QB Mose Lilio and John Luke Twigg made the recovery, putting the Buffanblu in business inside the Crusaders' 20, where Fujikawa found Ane for his second score of the afternoon from nine yards out, capping a four play drive that made it 27-0.

Saint Louis finally got on the board at the 2:55 mark of the second, when Nainoa Lopes connected with Jayse Braun on a two yard route that made it 27-7.

The second half saw a definite shift in mometum and urgency, as the Crusaders mounted its comeback behind the arm of Lopes, who threw for three second half scores, one to Kamana Collins, and two to Jordan Nunuha, but the onside kick attempt that followed that second toss to Nunuha skidded out of bounds, and the Buffanblu was able to run the clock out to end it.

Lopes finished with 210 yards and four scores, Nunuha 6 catches for 111 yards and running back Tenari Fuamatu-Maafala racked up a season-high 134 yards on 16 carries in the loss.