St. Francis steps up

Foki Kailea and Tyson Shimabukuro combined for 247 rushing yards and three touchdowns as St. Francis overwhelmed Pac-Five 30-0 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II football playoffs at Aloha Stadium on Thursday night.

St. Francis (5-2 overall) will face Damien next week for the “Round 2” title. The two teams finished tied in first place at the end of the regular season (Round 1), but Damien won the card draw and got the bye to start the playoffs.

Shimabukuro posted his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game for the Saints. The junior had 123 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Kailea, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior, finished with 124 yards and two TDs on just 10 attempts.

“This is a breakout game for him,” Saints coach Kip Akana said. “He showed some flashes last week (during the final regular-season game against Pac-Five).”

Out of their I formation, the Saints ran to either side effectively, especially as Pac-Five’s defense wore down in the final minutes of the first half. The Saints finished with 345 rushing yards on 49 carries.

All-purpose playmaker Wembley Mailei was another key factor. The 6-2, 200-pound junior blocked a punt, picked off a deep pass and ran for a 2-point conversion.

In all, the Saints took advantage on special teams with two blocked punts, and Pac-Five had a punt snap sail out of the end zone for a safety.

“We had to take care of this game. Pac-Five is a formidable opponent. Their coaching staff is awesome,” Akana said. “We’re fortunate to come out with a win today.”

Defensive back J.J. Paaluhi-Caulk added two interceptions.

“They were inspired, no question. They came out ready to play and we had a great week of practice,” Akana said. “We hang our hat on defense all season long and tonight, they showed up.”

Pac-Five, which was 2-0 in nonconference play, finished 2-5.

It was a 23-0 game at intermission, but the Wolfpack had their chances to stay close in the early going despite the special teams snafus.

The Saints scored on their opening series, capping a seven-play, 67-yard march — all on the ground — with Kailea’s 5-yard blast up the middle.

After the Saints blocked a punt and returned it to the Pac-Five 25-yard line, they came up empty. A 30-yard field-goal try sailed wide left.

One play later, the Saints popped Pac-Five running back A.J. Ulufale in the backfield and Takaamoatoa Lautaha returned the fumble to the 1-yard line. But a holding call sent the Saints backward, and a short fourth-down pass by Mailei sailed over the head of a wide-open receiver in the end zone.

St. Francis missed a 37-yard FG try early in in the second quarter, but Pac-Five gave their foes an easy 2 points on the punt snap out of the end zone. The Saints led 10-0 with 7:09 left in the first half.

Pac-Five recovered the ensuing free-kick on-side attempt, but stalled again, and their punt was blocked by Wembley Mailei and returned by older brother Supilani Mailei to the Pac-Five 38. Three plays later, Kailea scored his second TD on a 30-yard run for a 16-0 lead.

The Saints, who won their fifth game of a season for the first time in program history, added a 12-yard TD pass from Bubba Akana to Micah Kalei with 11 seconds left in the half.