Many tributes were paid to the late Tommy Heffernan Sr., who died on Tuesday, at Kahuku on Friday night.

A shrine with pictures of Heffernan was placed outside the Red Raiders’ locker room along with a chair that had his clothing on it, including a Vietnam War veteran hat. Junior varsity and varsity players gathered and prayed there before and after their games. A moment of silence was also held before the varsity game.

It was all a representation of a loss that was clearly felt in the community, of a man who has been a constant in the program. Known affectionately by Uncle Tommy to those he came across, Heffernan was a quarterback for Kahuku during his prep days and graduated in 1967. He began coaching at the school in 1972 and also held administrative positions.

Duke Heffernan, a senior on this year’s Kahuku team, walked out with the rest of the Heffernan contingent for the coin toss in what he called a after the game a “heart-touching” moment.

The No. 5 Red Raiders were victorious 33-13 over Kapolei on Friday night, thanks to a pair of touchdowns and extra points by Heffernan.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster for us this year. We miss Uncle Tommy. We love and respect him. Not just our team, but the whole community,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “To get this win and for his grandson to score twice on his behalf was a sight to see tonight.”

“It’s been pretty rough,” Duke Heffernan said of the previous few days, understandably. “But I took it as motivation to push through adversity when it gets hard. I haven’t really put up any points in the past couple of games, maybe just extra points.

“It felt great, like my hard work paid off.”

Castle shocks Moanalua

Moanalua was undefeated, ranked No. 7 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, and the top seed in the OIA Division I playoffs entering postseason play on Saturday.

Now the pads will be turned in.

Na Menehune was shocked by fourth-seeded Castle, losing 28-14 on Saturday night at Mililani to see their season come to a sudden end.

Castle’s Senituli Punivai went off for 231 rushing yards and three touchdowns. It was his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game since moving from linebacker to playing primarily on offense.

In a game against Moanalua to start the season, Punivai scored three touchdowns and had three interceptions — all in the first half.

“He’s special,” Castle coach John Hao said. “Bottom line is we’re putting the ball in our best player’s hands. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last seven games.”

The Knights (5-6) are in the OIA D-I championship on Friday against Waipahu after starting the season 0-4.

No. 9 Leilehua also falls

The OIA Division I championship game pits the No. 3 seed after the No. 4 seed after Waipahu stunned No. 9 Leilehua 29-6 on Friday at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Turnovers fueled Leilehua’s second-half surge against Waipahu in their regular-season meeting, which the Mules won 50-20.

When the teams met again — with far higher stakes — on Friday, Waipahu did the taking.

The Marauder secondary, living up to the school’s nickname, swiped four interceptions in the second half.

The pick total could have been even higher with four potential interceptions falling off the hands of Waipahu defensive backs in the first half. The Marauders secured those opportunities in the second half with safety Zeondre Benjamin coming up with the first and Deacon Kapea snagging the next two.

Kapea returned his first interception 12 yards for a touchdown that all but sealed the upset in the fourth quarter and made a juggling one-handed catch moments later. Cornerback Armani Miles capped the second-half shutout with a pick on Leilehua’s final offensive play of the season.

“We adjusted and prepared this week for our best game and that’s what we came out to do tonight,” said Kapea, with the team’s “94 Block” chain hanging around his neck.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 for ILH title

This was one of the strangest 35-0 games in recent memory.

No. 2 Punahou (7-2, 6-2) advanced to the ILH Open Division championship game with a lopsided win over No. 8 Kamehameha (4-6, 3-5), but it was defense instead of the usual offensive exploits that carried Punahou.

“The kids performed really well. They played with discipline. Kamehameha’s very athletic with a big offensive line, good receivers, athletic quarterback, so we’re proud of the kids and the way they played,” Punahou coach Kale Ane said.

Punahou forced four turnovers by Kamehameha in the first quarter and for a second week in a row, the Buffanblu got a defensive score.

Trent Shiraki, whose forced fumble helped Alaka‘i Gilman on one of his two returns for touchdowns against Waianae last week, came up with the gem of the night. The senior linebacker slid into a lane and picked off a pass by Christmas Togiai for a 48-yard return to the end zone. That opened the lead to 21-0 with 2:40 left in the first quarter.

The second-ranked Buffanblu will face No. 1 Saint Louis in a winner-take-all ILH championship game on Saturday at Aloha Stadium. The Crusaders beat the Buffanblu in the regular season, 35-28.

Governors win coin flip

Farrington won a three-team coin toss on Saturday for the last playoff spot in the OIA Open Division.

The Governors (2-8 overall) finished in a three-way tie with Kapolei and Waianae at 1-4 in league games.

Farrington will play at top-seeded Mililani on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. No. 2 seed Campbell (7-3, 4-1) will host No. 3 seed Kahuku (6-3, 3-2) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a rematch of the Sabers’ 28-27 win in Ewa Beach two weeks ago.

The coin flip was held Saturday at Central Oahu Regional Park, site of the OIA cross country championship meet.

Kapolei finishes its season 3-7 overall. This is the fifth consecutive year the Hurricanes season ends after a loss to Kahuku.

Waianae finishes its season 1-8 overall, marking the worst season in school history. Waianae was 1-7 in its first year of varsity football in 1959.