Punahou keeps focus, tops ‘Iolani

Although its seeding in the ILH playoff hinged on a card draw, Punahou instead focused on what it could control against ‘Iolani.

Led by a stifling defense that recorded three first-half interceptions, the host Buffanblu shut down the Raiders 38-14 on Friday.

Holding on to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, defensive lineman Miki Suguturaga’s bruising hit on ‘Iolani quarterback Jarin Yokogawa paved the way for an Aaron Woo interception return for a 55-yard touchdown.

“It was really hot and humid,” Suguturaga said. “I came into the game thinking it was going to be hot, but we came out and wanted to do our best. Our DBs came out and did their jobs, our D-line and linebackers came out. It was just a lot of unity.”

The Buffanblu, who led 31-0 in the third quarter, were led by Enoch Nawahine, who ran for a touchdown and caught another, finishing with 78 total yards.

“Everyone knows our receivers are good. It was just a matter of time until our running game opened up,” Nawahine said. “We gotta give credit to the linemen — they’ve been working all week.”

Added Punahou coach Kale Ane: “It was great to have everybody have a chance to play, and ‘Iolani always gives you a difficult puzzle to solve, so we’re happy with the win.”

The Raiders were paced by running back KJ Pascua, who continues to get the bulk of the Raiders’ carries. The senior finished with 108 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

After Saint Louis beat Kamehameha in the second game at Aloha Stadium, the Buffanblu and Crusaders both held 5-1 ILH D-I records at the end of the regular season. They were 1-1 against each other, but Saint Louis won the card draw held after the game and will get the top seed in the ILH playoffs.

“There’s not much more to control right now,” Ane said. “We took care of business today, which is always good … You never know what’s going to happen, especially in high school.”