Lauti rushes for 175 yards to carry Damien past Castle

Damien came into Friday’s season finale at Castle knowing it would not taste the playoffs this football season.

So the Monarchs did the next best thing — sent their seniors out with a 26-10 win on Saturday night.

Running back Logan Lauti scored three touchdowns and ran for 175 yards on 25 carries for Damien (5-4 overall), which improved to 5-3 in ILH Division I play but remained behind ‘Iolani (7-1 ILH) for the league’s lone state playoff spot.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank the man above, and second I would like to thank my O-line for blocking,” said Lauti, a 5-foot-7 junior. “They did a hell of a job blocking — they made holes and I made plays. But this game meant a lot for us. It was for the seniors. We played for them tonight.”

Lauti matched his season output for touchdowns coming into the night. After Castle drew to within 13-10 on Bruce Pakele’s third-quarter 2-yard touchdown run, Damien quarterback Jake Holtz tossed a 14-yard fade touchdown to senior Lindon Sevilleja that pushed the lead back to 10. Lauti’s fourth-quarter score was his flashiest, as he evaded a couple of tackles on his way in from 33 yards to seal the outcome.

“We’re just excited and happy for our seniors to get those guys out on a good note with a winning season,” Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said. “If you watched the game, you could see we had a bunch of young guys that did really well that kind of carried us throughout the game. Our running back, our quarterback, a couple receivers. Our defense is really, really young, and those guys play hard-nosed. We’re just excited for the future of the team.”

Both teams were locked into their respective fates on Castle’s senior night. The Knights seniors kept their heads up during their postgame senior ceremony knowing they still have a game to play.

Castle faces Moanalua in the OIA Division I playoffs on Saturday. Knights coach John Hao said it will be at Farrington at a time to be determined.

Hao brought up JV quarterback Mana Kahoopii this week. The sophomore saw action alongside do-it-all quarterback/running back Senituli Punivai against the Monarchs, going 4-for-12 for 44 yards, and nearly extended a fourth-quarter drive for Castle with his legs, picking up 15 on fourth-and-17.

Punivai was his prolific self, carrying the ball 31 times and netting 107 yards.

“We need to get him some reps prior to the playoff game,” Hao said of Kahoopii. “I just wanted to see how he handled the speed, how he handled the pressure. This is something new for him. He moved the ball, did a good job. We gotta eliminate our small mistakes for whole games. … We just need to do assignment football on the interior.”

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GAME SUMMARY

Damien 26, Castle 10

At Castle

>> Damien (5-4, 5-3) 6 7 7 6 — 26

>> Castle (4-6, 4-4) 0 3 7 0 — 10

Damien — Logan Lauti 8 run (kick blocked)

Castle — FG Cheyden Costa 38

Damien — Lauti 14 run (Christian Souza kick)

Castle — Bruce Pakele 2 run (Makana Kiakona kick)

Damien — Lindon Sevilleja 13 pass from Jake Holtz (Souza kick)

Damien — Lauti 32 run (kick failed)

RUSHING — Damien: Lauti 25-175, Aperamo Sulu 8-33, River Iaea 1-(minus-2), Holtz 4-(minus-8). Castle: Senituli Punivai 31-107, Mana Kahoopii 2-8, Pakele 6-5.

PASSING — Damien: Holtz 3-8-0-42. Castle: Kahoopii 4-12-0-44, Punivai 2-4-0-35, Samuel Judd 1-2-0-9.

RECEIVIING — Damien: Sevilleja 2-33, Lauti 1-9. Castle: Jonah Figueroa 3-52, Elijah Catrett 2-20, Punivai 1-9, Justice Ching 1-7.