Steven Lakalaka rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and also caught a TD pass last night to help Punahou crush Kapolei, 35-6, in nonleague football action at Aloha Stadium.

It was the season opener for the Buffanblu, who had a bye last week when most other Hawai'i teams began play.

"We had to be patient," said Lakalaka, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior. "We saw all the other teams playing last week, but we just had to keep working hard in practice."

The patience and hard work paid off quickly, as Zachary Hernandez recovered a Kapolei fumble on the opening kickoff at the Hurricanes' 30-yard line. Lakalaka then carried four straight times, the final carry going four yards for a touchdown. Lakalaka later scored on a 16-yard ramble and Kaimi Fairbairn's extra point made it 14-0 two minutes into the second quarter.

Kapolei (0-2) cut it to 14-6 after the ensuing kickoff with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by Keaka Fernandez's 7-yard TD run, but the PAT attempt hit the left upright and bounced out.

Punahou made it 21-6 with 1:38 remaining in the half after Lakalaka's 16-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Lokahi Matsuo, then stretched the lead to 28-6 following Jacob Ioane's 1-yard TD plunge with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter.

The Hurricanes fumbled the ball away one play after the ensuing kickoff, and the Buffanblu cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown run by Ioane with 22 seconds left in the quarter. Punahou sealed it in the fourth quarter with Chase Tamashiro's interception.

Buffanblu outside linebacker Deforest Buckner, a 6-7, 230-pound junior, is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered during summer basketball and did not play last night.

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