The Buffanblu celebrate after Johnnie Dodge's goal iced the game for Punahou in the second half. Michael Lasquero | SL

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The Buffanblu celebrate after Johnnie Dodge's goal iced the game for Punahou in the second half. Michael Lasquero | SL

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MAKIKI — Micah Williams and Johnnie Dodge each scored goals to lift second-ranked Punahou past fifth-ranked Saint Louis, 2-0, in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I matchup at Alexander Field on a muggy Saturday morning.

The Buffanblu (10-1) also clinched the ILH D1 title with 30 championship points after Kamehameha tied No. 1 Iolani, 2-2, on the same day. The Raiders, who handed Punahou its only loss of the year, dropped to 8-2-1 (26 championship points) and cannot catch the Buffanblu with one game left in the regular season.

The league title gives Punahou, the defending D1 state champion, a first round bye in The Queen's Medical Center Boys Soccer Championships in February. 

"This was a really important game for us," said Williams. "We knew we had to come out strong and make a statement with a win."

Williams got the Buffanblu on the board as he fired a shot from the left side and into the right corner of the goal just past the eighth minute mark. The lane was there and Williams seized the opportunity.

"I got the ball on the outside and the way the defender set up, he let me have the whole left side of the field and I took a long touch and I was in," said Williams, who ends his scoring drought.

"Our plan is to possess the ball and move forward," added Punahou coach David Trifonovitch. "If we can finish it with a shot or attempt on goal, that's what we want to do. Luckily today we were doing that. We had a number of attempts, but put it in. We were thankful Micah got the first one."

The Crusaders (7-3) had a chance to tie the game up toward the tail end of the first half, but Zion Farias hit the ball into the goal with his hand and wiped out the score.

"That was definitely big," said Saint Louis coach Rick Sandry. "Anytime you tie it up, it gives confidence to the boys and a pep in your step. That was big but we had other opportunities, but couldn't put it away."

Saint Louis had its chances, but couldn't cash in.

Daunte Mangiarelli's header off of Skyler Goo's free kick early in the second half was too high and sailed over the goal.

"I think we got complacent and comfortable offensively," said Trifonovitch. "We let some marks go."

Goo, the Crusaders' leading scorer with five goals on the season, was relentless on his attack and worked for every possession in Punahou territory. 


"He's a marked man and he's a special player with a lot of skills and that's how he'll be defended," Sandry of Goo.

Goo had a shot near the 68th minute mark, but his attempt went left.

"He's an incredible player," Trifonovitch said of Goo ."We couldn't contain him, when we were trying to put two players on him and he beat two, three, four guys and still get there. I think we let down defensively after the goal."