Defense and reliable running back Steven Lakalaka aided Punahou in a 10-0 win against Moanalua in a non-league game Saturday afternoon at Alexander Field on the Buffanblu campus.

After a scoreless first half, Punahou (2-0) broke the silence with a 20-yard field goal from Kaimi Fairbairn with four minutes, 53 seconds in the third quarter.

Then a fourth-quarter 73-yard catch-and-run TD reception by Mountan Mitchell from Kale Dyas made it a little difficult for Moanalua (2-1) to mount a comeback against the Buffanblu defense, which got a pair of sacks from 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior defensive lineman Luke Kaumatule and a strong presence from 6-7 linebacker DeForest Buckner, who knocked down several passes.

"Mountan did a good job," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "He's been itching to get his hands on the ball, so it was nice for him. He's a senior."

Moanalua threatened to score on its first series of the game, but it had a 30-yard field goal try blocked.

Punahou had chance to break the ice late, but Jordan Tanioka blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Fairbairn with 19 seconds left in the half.

The Buffanblu finally got on the board in their second series of the third quarter. Despite getting first-and-goal from the Moanalua 9, they had to settle for Fairbairn's 20-yard field goal that gave the Buffanblu a 3-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the fourth quarter when Dyas hit Mitchell on a short pass to the right. Mitchell then outran the Moanalua defense, broke a tackle before getting into the end zone, as Punahou extended its lead to 10-0 after Fairbairn's PAT with 9:31 left in the game.

Moanalua, 1-0 in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East play, used the non-league game to iron out kinks and look at some other players. Coach Arnold Martinez brought in reserve Dillon Turk late in the third quarter to get some work, despite being only down by 3.

"We wanted to give Dillon, our second quarterback, some game time," Martinez said of the move. "He's a good player. It's a non-conference game. We wanted to try to get him some reps."

Turk played in two series, but the Buffanblu had pulled to 10-0. Amaral returned midway through the fourth quarter but Punahou's defense kept Na Menehune's offense in check the rest of the way.

Moanalua's defense also played well. Defensive end Richard Villasenor, who also played receiver on offense, had a sack on Dyas, who was 8 of 17 for 132 yards, the bulk from Mitchell's run-after-catch TD. But Lakalaka was able to give his team some ball control by rushing for 99 yards on 22 carries. He also had five catches for 50 yards.

"Moanalua is a lot better than people think.," Ane said. "We knew that (after) looking at film. They played very well against Castle, which is a good team. We have a young quarterback, but I think he picked it up. The team rallied behind him."

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