Second-ranked Punahou looked vulnerable against ‘Iolani early in the third quarter when its lead shrunk to 6.
By the time the fourth quarter started, the 35-point mercy rule was in effect.
Punahou scored 31 points over the final seven minutes of the third to turn a close ILH season opener against the Raiders into a 59-22 blowout on Friday evening at Kozuki Stadium.
Backup quarterback Nicholas Kapule, who played the last three quarters in place of injured starter Ephraim Tuliloa, threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior Eamon Brady had seven catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the span of 57 seconds in the third quarter to break the game open.
"When (Tuliloa) went down, I was ready," Kapule said. "(The receivers) were making plays for me and making me look good."
The Buffanblu (4-0, 1-0) opened defense of their four consecutive ILH Division I titles by beating the Raiders (2-2, 0-1) by the same score as last season.
This game was much different.
Punahou had a 28-9 lead cut to 28-22 after ‘Iolani quarterback Tai-John Mizutani threw his third touchdown of the game to senior Keoni-Kordell Makekau, who caught two of them.
The 9-yard score made it a one-possession game before Punahou rattled off 31 unanswered points.
Aaron Woo and Seyddrick Lakalaka intercepted passes for the Buffanblu defense and Kapule hit Brady on touchdown throws of 16 and 30 yards.
Running back Wayne Taulapapa, who left the game in the first quarter with an injury, came back to score on two touchdown runs for the final margin.
"We responded pretty well," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "The defense rose up and got some stops and gave us great field position."
Kapule was 15-for-25 in place of Tuliloa, who left the game with a minor shoulder injury, according to Ane.
"We didn’t want to take a chance (with Tuliloa) and gave him a rest," Ane said. "(Kapule) was a little nervous at first, but it was nice to give him some action."
‘Iolani, which has dominated Division II for more than a decade, made the jump to Division I and kept it close for more than two quarters.
Running back KJ Pascua was the first ‘Iolani running back with more than 100 rushing yards against Punahou in 12 years, finishing with 131 on 25 carries.
Mizutani threw for 175 yards and three scores but was only 15-for-39 and had the two picks.
"I thought (Mizutani) played well at quarterback," ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. "He’s going to throw some picks and make some mental errors because he’s young, and against a team like this, they’ll force you into making some mistakes."
Makekau finished with 107 receiving yards and six catches.
Tuliloa led the Buffanblu to two touchdowns after going three-and-out on his first series. Punahou took a 14-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Enoch Nawahine. Tuliloa carried the ball five times for 48 yards on the drive and took a few shots to his shoulder, forcing him to leave the game.
Kapule came in on the next drive and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Takeyama, who made a full-extension diving catch in the end zone.
Kapule added another touchdown pass on a 27-yarder to Judd Cockett on a perfectly thrown ball to give the Buffanblu a 28-9 lead. ‘Iolani tacked on a touchdown on a 7-yard TD pass from Mizutani to Makekau on fourth down.
Defensive back Helam Baldomero then intercepted Kapule in the end zone with less than two minutes to go in the half to keep the score 28-15 at the break.
