It’s a strange world when a Punahou-Kamehameha football game means much less than it used to.

But this week’s prep football games kick off just that way, with the two ILH powerhouses meeting tonight at Aloha Stadium. Punahou clinched the league title with a win over Saint Louis last week, so this regular-season finale is moot.

But on Saturday, the ILH D-II title hangs in the balance when Pac-Five travels to ‘Iolani. Over in the OIA Red there are tossups galore in the semifinal round.

Here’s a look at this week’s matchups.

TODAY

No. 2 Punahou (6-0 ILH, 7-1) vs. No. 5 Kamehameha (4-2 ILH, 6-3), Aloha Stadium: If the Buffanblu play it out like a “normal” game rather than bench their most valuable starters, this could be another entertaining battle. By any metric, Larry Tuileta has compiled a breakout season: 65-percent completion rate; 2,001 passing yards; 24 touchdowns with just one pick; a yards-per-attempt average of 11.2 and a passer rating of 204.12.

What may be most astounding of all is that he’s done it against a slew of tough defenses in the ILH, and that he can do it without his favorite target. While Kanawai Noa (ankle) continued to heal up, Tuileta passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns last week in a title-clinching win over Saint Louis. He spread the ball around to six teammates, including sure-handed running back Ryan Tuiasoa (five receptions, 79 yards) and emerging tight end Dakota Torres (five, 83, one touchdown).

Mastery is the word.

Punahou’s defense kept Saint Louis’ explosive offense out of the end zone, the only unit to shut out the Crusaders all season long.

Kamehameha will play full tilt, no doubt, in its closing game. Quarterback Makoa Camanse-Stevens, like Tuileta, has been efficient and protective with 14 touchdown passes and just one interception. The last time they met, Punahou won 34-14 and limited Camanse-Stevens to 8-for-27 passing with 75 yards.

Friday

No. 1 Kahuku (8-0) vs. No. 6 Leilehua (7-2), Aloha Stadium: The Red Raiders can roll out their passing package, throwing on first down, using superb athletes like Kawe Johnson in space. But instead, they prefer low risk and high return. That’s why Aofaga Wily had a season-high 32 carries for 175 yards in last week’s narrow 14-10 win over Waianae. With Wily carrying the load — Big Red asked Viliami Livai to throw just 10 times (for 24 yards) — a shutdown defense is essential to the blueprint.

Against a run-first Waianae squad, the plan worked, even if it needed a late touchdown to win it. Against Leilehua, matching up against an army of quick receivers is one of the themes.

Keoni Piceno continues to be a first-down magnet for Mules quarterback Justin Jenks. Piceno has a state-high 68 receptions for 652 yards and four touchdowns. In lieu of a dominant running game, Jenks is part of the new school, a slinger with full understanding of a complex web, a series of route trees that his targeted teammates must understand and adjust to on the fly.

Jenks has come through with accuracy (64 percent) and precision (15 touchdowns, seven picks) for 1,496 yards. Coach Nolan Tokuda and his staff would like nothing more than to control the tempo, keep Kahuku’s dominant defense on its heels and limit the impact of Wily and a mobile, pancaking offensive line.

The last time the Mules faced a run-first offense, they limited Waianae’s Jemery Willes and Alakai Kealoha to a combined 106 yards, but barely pulled out a 36-34 win.

No. 3 Farrington (8-1) vs. No. 4 Mililani (8-1), Aloha Stadium: First order of the day — kickoff is 4:30 p.m. — for Mililani’s defense will be to contain the state’s premier rushing tandem of Abraham Silva (1,178 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Tyler Taumua (773, 9). The duo was fresh and explosive after a bye week, combining for 273 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in a rugged win over Kapolei.

Silva dinged his left knee in the first half of that game, but returned and finished strong. His play at tailback and fullback in coach Randall Okimoto’s West Coast offense is dynamic, and Okimoto will occasionally send Taumua to the slot, where he can go in motion and run fly sweeps.

The Trojans have been sensational during a five-game win streak, averaging 43.2 points per game against a slate of solid defensive units. Jarin Morikawa’s early-season, moderate-risk approach required patience with a number of first-time starting receivers. That virtue has led to monster results: 330 yards and four touchdowns against Kapolei, 387 yards and three scores against Aiea, 408 yards and four scores against Waipahu, and 367 yards and three touchdowns last week against Campbell.

Morikawa, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior, now has 2,532 yards and 26 touchdowns for the season. He’s gone four games without tossing a pick, and he leads the state in completions (221) and attempts (372). Farrington’s roving, matchup-style defense, with two down linemen, might have its most cerebrally challenging task to date.

But it still comes down to Farrington’s ground-and-pound, and whether the Mililani defense led by Dakota Turner will get worn down.

Hawaii Prep (5-3 BIIF D-II, 7-3) at No. 9 Konawaena (7-1 BIIF D-II, 7-4): Ka Makani threw a wrench in the machine with a surprising 19-10 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii last week. The home-field win means HPA, 3-0 in the second round, can further angle its way into the BIIF’s D-II title game with a win over the Wildcats.

Konawaena routed HPA 43-0 five weeks ago on the slopes of the Kohala mountains. With a bye last week — or rather, a forfeit win over Kohala — the Wildcats will be rested, healed up and probably edgy. Since the league punished them with three forfeit losses, one in BIIF D-II play, the Wildcats have outscored two opponents 140-18.

A shootout is what Konawaena prefers, but HPA will count on running back/defensive Bobby Lum to keep the tempo under control. Lum ran for a touchdown and had a pick-6 in the win over KS-Hawaii.

Lahainaluna (6-1 MIL, 7-1) vs. Maui (3-4 MIL, 4-4), War Memorial Stadium: The Lunas have had nearly two weeks to rest and, perhaps, dwell a bit on the overtime loss to rival Baldwin. A win over the Sabers moves them one step closer to the league’s D-II crown. Lahainaluna trounced the Sabers 41-0 in their first-round meeting.

Ka‘u (1-7 BIIF D-II, 1-7) at Kamehameha-Hawaii (6-2 BIIF D-II, 9-2): The Trojans announced late Tuesday night that they will forfeit this game. Coupled with next week’s forfeit win over Kohala, the Trojans are effectively done of the season.

Ka‘u suffered a blow when Kohala — the most similar competitor — closed shop last month. Both teams have cited low turnout numbers at practice as a key factor. Ka‘u’s young, gritty squad scored 30 points in a loss at Hawaii Prep three weeks ago, but has been outscored heavily in the rest of its games.

The lack of an offseason training program, as well as dwindling enrollment since the closure of the area’s sugar mills over the years, made it tough task for first-year coach DuWayne Ke. But Ke told ESPN Radio Hawaii’s Josh Pacheco on Wednesday that the school intends to field an 11-man team next season, rather than explore the possibility of 8-man football, which has thrived in the MIL.

Saturday

Pac-Five (2-4 ILH, 3-6) at No. 8 ‘Iolani (3-3 ILH, 6-3): The Wolfpack have engineered the best possible scenario despite the lack of a consistent passing game. Senior Keoni Tom-Millare has evolved from a wide receiver to running back to quarterback. He had 227 rushing yards and 156 passing yards, accounting for three touchdowns in a close win over Damien two weeks ago.

Tom-Millare, a 5-11, 180-pound senior, gives the ’Pack enough stability on offense to make a game of it against ‘Iolani. Pac-Five led the Raiders 10-0 late in the game before a touchdown by Max Look on a punt return and a botched snap on fourth down led to a miraculous ‘Iolani win. Tom-Millare rushed for 150 yards in that game.

Hilo (4-2 BIIF D-I, 7-2) at Kealakehe (7-0 BIIF D-I, 9-1): The Vikings got a late touchdown pass from strong-armed Drew Kell to eke out a semifinal win over Waiakea last week. Kell had a productive performance against Kealakehe early in the season, but the Waveriders used a smashmouth attack to keep Kell under control in a 14-6 win three weeks ago.

Coach Sam Papalii has finesse and power in his backfield with speedy Lennox Jones and bulldozing, 348-pound fullback David Fangupo. Hilo’s defense will have to contend with a big offensive line that Papalii calls his best ever at Kealakehe.

Kapaa (2-3 KIF, 4-3) at Waimea (1-4 KIF, 2-5), Hanapepe Stadium: The KIF championship has already been claimed by Kauai, so this game is all about pride. The Warriors are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kauai, watching one of their own — running back Waika Alapai — contribute significantly to the Red Raiders’ title-clinching win. Alapai (6-2, 235) was at Kapaa until his senior year.

The Warriors’ early-season momentum was derailed in a loss at Waimea on Sept. 14, but they won the second matchup 14-3 behind Leevi Bethel’s 84 rushing yards.

King Kekaulike (1-6 MIL, 1-7) vs. Baldwin (6-1 MIL, 6-2), War Memorial Stadium: The Bears will go as far as Keelan Ewaliko takes them. The senior remains unbeaten since his return from a rib injury. He ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 42-20 win over Kamehameha-Maui in a game that was close (21-13) at the half.

Abraham Reinhardt’s remarkable season on defense and special teams got a little more polish with two more touchdown returns, one on a punt and one on a kickoff, in the win.

The Bears’ one-dimensional ways — Ewaliko threw two passes and didn’t have a completion against KS-Maui — are a recipe for an MIL D-I title. However, the Bears have no more offensive balance than they had last year, when they lost 35-0 to Punahou in the state semifinals.