For a quarter, Mililani’s pass rush was a force to reckon with.

But Punahou, as always, found the right adjustment and quarterback Larry Tuileta benefited in a big way. The junior passed for 420 yards and five touchdowns as second-seeded Punahou rolled to a 49-19 win over unseeded Mililani on Friday night at Aloha Stadium.

Punahou (8-2) will play in the Division I final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships next Friday against Kahuku. Mililani, the OIA Red runner-up, finished 10-3. Punahou returns to the state final. Last year, the Buffanblu lost to Kahuku 30-24. They last won the state crown in 2008, during Manti Te’o’s senior year.

"Mililani played great. I was surprised they didn’t throw more screens. We were able to stop their running game for the most part. They had some guys open and missed them, but they have a great team," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "We brought some heat, and our three-man rush brought some heat."

Tuileta went through a first-half stretch of five incompletions in seven attempts — a rare downturn for a passer with a 68 percent completion rate. But Punahou quit the deep drops and went back to three-step drops and quick releases by Tuileta, who completed 11 of his aerials to standout sophomore Kanawai Noa for 229 yards and a touchdown.

"They kind of switched it up on us with cover 2, cover 3, press," Noa said. "I’m just doing whatever I can for the team. It’s a team effort. In the beginning, it was a little rusty, but we got into a rhythm."

Tuileta credited his coaches.

"In the beginning, I had some nerves, but the coaches opened it up. It was good to get hit again and get the nerves out. The O-line did a really good job of adjusting," Tuileta said of Mililani, which blitzed often from the short side of the field.

Punahou countered by rolling Tuileta a bit and using more crossing routes, Ane said. The offensive line persevered despite injuries. Derek Nishimoto sat out and Davis Miyashiro-Saipa’ia suffered a mid-game injury.

"Their O-line did their blocks and assignments good. Our D-line did pretty good, but they’re a great team," said Mililani defensive tackle Dakota Turner (four tackles). "Their screen pass with Ryan (Tuiasoa) and they got back fast and fired the ball instead of dropping (deep) in the pocket."

Noa looked perfectly fine after returning from a late-season ankle injury, and Tuileta finished with 24 completions in 35 attempts despite being sacked by Mene Perese, Tamatoa Silva and K.K. Padello.

Punahou put major pressure on Mililani’s gun-slinging quarterback, Jarin Morikawa, sacking him five times. Three of the sacks were by 6-foot-7, 265-pound sophomore Canton Kaumatule, who faced one of the state’s top offensive linemen, Joey Anglemire.

"Once he’s got a hand on you, it’s pretty hard to get out. Both of us had a lot of wins," Kaumatule said, alluding to his defense’s tight coverage. Morikawa held onto the ball longer than usual.

Linebacker Isaac Savaiinaea had a game-high 10 tackles, including one sack.

"I’m just happy we’re going back to the ‘ship and get another chance to win everything," said Savaiinaea, who blocked two kicks. "We just needed to wake up."

The Buffanblu kept Morikawa to sub-50 percent passing (23-for-49), but the senior still threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

Dayton Furuta led Mililani with eight tackles and also rushed for 27 hard-earned yards on 12 carries.

Punahou struck first with the help of its defense. A sideline pick by Dayson Watanabe set up a quick 10-yard scoring drive. Tuileta found tight end K.J. Sekona in the flat for a 6-yard touchdown pass.

Mililani responded with back-to-back scoring drives. The Trojans marched 80 yards in eight plays, with Morikawa tossing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ekolu Ramos down the sideline to tie the game at 7-all.

After a Punahou punt, the Trojans went 74 yards in just six plays to hit pay dirt again. Morikawa found Erren Jean-Pierre on another streak route for an 18-yard touchdown pass for a 13-7 lead with 2:22 left in the first quarter. Savaiinaea blocked the PAT kick.

Punahou took advantage of a short field in the second quarter and drove 47 yards in four plays to regain the lead. A 49-yard bomb from Morikawa to Noa set up a 1-yard leap over the goal line, and Kainoa McDonald’s extra-point kick gave Punahou a 14-13 lead with 8:52 to go in the half.

Punahou’s defense locked down through most of the second quarter and Punahou got another big play, a 68-yard touchdown pass from Tuileta to Noa, who broke out of a tackle near the 10-yard line for the score. Punahou took a 21-13 lead with 2:27 before the half, but the Trojans gave it one more push before the break.

With no time outs left, Morikawa directed a long drive to the Punahou 11-yard line, but he got sacked by Kaumatule for a third time with time running out. Mililani’s field-goal unit scrambled onto the field for a 33-yard try, but Savaiinaea rejected the kick with another leap at the line of scrimmage as time expired.

Punahou took a 28-13 lead midway through the third quarter, driving 64 yards. Tuileta tossed a 3-yarder to tight end Dakota Torres for the score.

With Mililani’s normally prolific offense stalling out, the Buffanblu went for the kill, keeping the ball in the air on three out of four plays in a quick 52-yard scoring drive late in the third quarter. Tuileta’s high toss to 6-foot-4 Noah Willey for a 28-yard touchdown opened the lead to 22 points.

Tuiasoa’s second touchdown, a 1-yard blast up the gut, put the game out of reach at 42-13 with 9:26 remaining.

Mililani needed less than a minute to score for the first time since the opening quarter. Morikawa found Jean-Pierre in the left corner for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Mililani’s Padello recovered the ensuing on-side kick and the Trojans drove to the 11-yard line, but Punahou safety Ronley Lakalaka deflected a fourth-down pass to end the threat.

On the next play, Tuiasoa scored on an 87-yard screen pass play with 5:56 remaining to cap a thunderous win.