After slow start, Punahou rolls by Mililani

It took a quarter for quarterback Larry Tuileta to get in sync with his offensive line.

After that, No. 2 Punahou’s high-octane offense was running full-throttle against No. 4 Mililani.

Tuileta survived six sacks, including four by Mililani senior Kelii Padello, to throw for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 win over the Trojans on Thursday night at John Kauinana Stadium.

Junior Kanawai Noa had seven catches for 87 yards, and Luke Morris, who has been the backup quarterback to Tuileta, caught five balls for 85 yards and a touchdown for Punahou

(1-0), which scored on four of five possessions after punting the ball three times in the first quarter.

"Any time you can beat someone on their home field who’s ranked in the top five, it’s a very good feeling," Punahou coach Kale Ane said.

Punahou running back Kotoni Sekona, listed at 237 pounds, rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Backup Wayne Taulapapa added 83 yards on 14 attempts as Punahou stayed balanced on offense, rushing for 143 of its 398 total yards.

"We have some new guys on the offensive line so we wanted to run the ball a little bit and get them used to it," Tuileta said. "There was a little rust, especially because it was our first game of the season, but I think we did pretty well tonight, especially after we found our rhythm."

Mililani (1-1), which beat Moanalua 39-9 last week, dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball early.

Tuileta was sacked three times on the Buffanblu’s first two drives as Punahou started slowly in its season opener.

Once the first quarter ended, Tuileta got the Punahou passing game going, tossing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Morris for a

7-0 Punahou lead.

Mililani answered with running back Vavae Malepeai, who carried the ball 19 times for 97 yards in the first half.

Malepeai carried the ball all four times on the Trojans’ ensuing drive, which was helped out by two Punahou encroachment penalties.

After a penalty on third down allowed Mililani to move the chains, Malepeai darted right before cutting back left and going 26 yards for the score to answer Punahou’s touchdown less than 3 minutes later.

Tuileta, who was 16-for-22 for 163 yards in the first half, came right back, leading Punahou on a seven-play drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sitar.

"Always first is protection and Tui moved himself around a little bit to buy himself time," Ane said. "Any time a quarterback scrambles, the tendency for a defensive back is to come up and our kids kept running."

Mililani ran the ball on all 12 plays of its next drive but came up a yard short. On fourth-and-1 from the Punahou 1-yard line, defensive tackle Joseph Saula led an onslaught of Punahou defenders that stopped Malepeai just short of the goal, allowing Punahou to take a 14-7 lead into the break.

Charles McDonald’s 33-yard field goal stretched the Punahou lead to 17-7 early in the third quarter after the Trojans went three-and-out on three incomplete passes.

Sekona added to the Punahou lead, scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run as the Buffanblu scored 17 straight points to pull away.

Malepeai added a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to finish with 139 rushing yards on 26 carries to lead Mililani.

Sophomore McKenzie Milton got the bulk of the snaps at quarterback in the second half for Mililani, finishing 5-for-15 for 56 yards.

Malepeai finished with 212 all-purpose yards, adding 73 return yards on two kickoffs.