Buffanblu, Trojans come full circle

Punahou will finish its season just the way it started it — against one of the only Hawaii teams that has given it even a little bit of trouble this year.

The Buffanblu beat Farrington 48-6 in the second semifinal of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships at Aloha Stadium, and will return to Hawaiian Airlines Field for their third straight appearance in the state title game. They won their past three semifinal contests by at least 30 points, but that didn’t mean much heading into the championship. They lost to Kahuku in the past two title games.

"We all know Mililani is a great team on all sides of the ball," said running back Wayne Taulapapa, who scored two TDs. "They’re solid … all that talent and great coaches and great leaders; we’ve seen all of that. We knew they’d be here (state final) somehow."

Punahou, which has had only one serious challenger since August — it beat Saint Louis by three points in early October — will take on a Mililani team that gave it all kinds of trouble in a season-opening 24-14 win at Mililani on Aug. 15. Players and fans alike could see this matchup coming since before the brackets were announced and the teams were given the top two seeds.

The state championship has pitted the ILH champion against an OIA team every year since the state tournament began in 1999.

"Mililani is a great team," said Punahou linebacker Ronlee Lakalaka, who had two of the Buffanblu’s nine sacks. "The key will be to stop the run and contain the quarterback, communicate with each other. I expect them to put up a great fight. Both teams have gotten better, and we’ve been watching them on tape since Week 1. We’re prepared. I think we’re going to do it (win the title). We’re going to finish."

The Buffanblu followed their opener with an even closer game, traveling to California to beat Helix 10-6. All they have done since then is outscore their opponents 371-65 with three shutouts.

"I’m enjoying this win right now," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "And we look forward to playing a team the caliber of Mililani. They’re on a roll and seem to have a lot of momentum, and that’s two great values to have."

Punahou quarterback Larry Tuileta was sacked six times by the Trojans in that meeting, and he can expect the same kind of heat after seeing Mililani harass Campbell for 11 sacks.

Tuileta was clean against the Governors, being taken to the turf twice by Breiden Fehoko and once by Aaron Kesi. The offensive line helped him complete 23 of his 34 passes for 430 yards and an interception off a tip by Kanawai Noa, his only miscue of the night. Tuileta torched the Trojans for 420 yards in a state semifinal last year. He is 28-5 as a starter in his career, but 0-2 in state championship games.

Mililani defensive tackle Rex Manu barely got off the field from three sacks, his season high, against Campbell before he turned his attention to next week. All of Mililani’s players and coaches were careful to give Farrington the respect it deserved before Punahou ripped the Governors apart, but each wore a knowing smile that a rematch was probably in the works.

"The game we really want is next week, especially if Punahou wins." Manu said. "We just did what we needed to do to get to the state championship."