Punahou made sure to savor its first — and only — appearance on the refurbished playing surface at Alexander Field this season.
The new turf on the school’s field passed its final inspection last Wednesday, and the Buffanblu rolled past Damien 48-0 on Saturday in their lone on-campus game on the schedule.
"Coach (Kale Ane) talked about it before the game started," senior quarterback Larry Tuileta said. "Before I went out for the coin toss he was saying, ‘cherish the moment and enjoy your time on the field because this is the first and last game. It’s really special.’ "
Tuileta was among the Punahou seniors playing their only game on the new field on Saturday, and his efficiency made for a relatively short afternoon. He completed eight of 13 attempts for 153 yards and three touchdowns and top-ranked Punahou improved to 3-0 overall while winning its opening game of the ILH schedule.
His last throw of the game, a 22-yard touchdown to fellow senior Luke Morris, came with 6:55 left in the second quarter as Punahou scored on five of its first six possessions.
Tuileta went 3-for-4 for 41 yards on the Buffanblu’s opening drive, finishing it with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Micah Ma’a.
The Punahou offensive line gave Tuileta more than ample time to throw and opened holes for sophomore running back Wayne Taulapapa to rush for 93 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries — all in the first quarter.
"They did great. They’re always working hard and getting better," said Taulapapa, who ran for 153 yards in a win over Helix (Calif.) a week earlier and got the start Saturday with Kotoni Sekona out with a foot injury.
Morris caught four passes for 67 yards and Tuileta also connected with Kanawai Noa twice for 52 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown. Running back Heisman Hosoda’s touchdown run gave Punahou a 42-0 lead at halftime.
Punahou’s defense held Damien (2-2, 1-1) to 27 yards of total offense while allowing four first downs (two coming by penalty) in the first half.
The defense keyed the
10-6 win over Helix, and the Buffanblu carried the momentum of the road win into their on-campus appearance.
"It was a great trip to bond and do things together and recommit to each other," Ane said.
"You never know what’s going to happen after a trip, so it was really nice to see them take that responsibility to focus."
Upon returning home, the Buffanblu had a chance to practice on the new field in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
"Everyone was really happy about the field being finished because it’s been worked on for a long time," Tuileta said. "I think everyone is used to it, playing at Aloha Stadium. But it’s good to have the stadium feel at our home field. It’s really awesome."
Punahou will play four of its final five regular-season games at Aloha Stadium, starting with a showdown with No. 2 Kamehameha on Saturday.
At Alexander Field
| Damien (2-2, 1-1) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
0 |
| Punahou (3-0, 1-0) |
21 |
21 |
6 |
0 |
— |
48 |
Pun–Micah Ma’a 7 pass from Larry Tuileta (Charles McDonald kick)
Pun–Wayne Taulapapa 1 run (McDonald kick)
Pun–Taulapapa 16 run (McDonald kick)
Pun–Kanawai Noa 6 pass from Tuileta (McDonald kick)
Pun–Luke Morris 22 pass from Tuileta (McDonald kick)
Pun–Heisman Hosoda 3 run (McDonald kick)
Pun–Kala’ianakupuna Santos 18 pass from Ephraim Tuliloa (kick failed)
RUSHING–Damien: Kaliu Lapera 11-34, Bransen Apao 4-24, Syles Choy 8-17, Kepono Kawaakoa 4-5, Trevor Caspillo 3-(-5). Punahou: Taulapapa 9-93, Hosoda 5-50, Tuliloa 5-42, Tuileta 1-2, Jonathan Matias 1-1, Reupena Fitisemanu 1-0, Team 1-(-10).
PASSING–Damien: Choy 3-10-0-(-2), Apao 4-6-0-36. Punahou: Tuileta 8-13-0-153, Morris 1-2-0-11, Tuliloa 6-8-0-42.
RECEIVING–Damien: Dylan Flores 3-16, Caspillo 2-11, Kealii Kaanapu 2-7. Punahou: Morris 4-67, Noa 2-52, Dylan Combs 2-20, Trent Sitar 1-27, Santos 1-18, Andrew Schweitzer 1-9, Ma’a 1-7, Jun Kim 1-4, Adam Higashino 1-2, Slater Hobbs 1-0.
