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The last time the Punahou Buffanblu traveled out west, Alaka‘i Gilman returned a pick and a fumble for touchdowns in a win at Waianae.
On Saturday night, Gilman was up to his deeds again, returning an interception 49 yards for a TD as No. 3 Punahou overwhelmed No. 8 Kapolei 44-13 in Open Division action.
Freshman quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 217 yards and a TD, and running back Vincent Terrell rushed for a hard-earned 46 yards and two TDs as Punahou improved to 3-0 in Open play (4-0 overall).
“When they brought that linebacker out and the safety out (to me), we just knew that the middle would open up,” senior wide receiver Koa Eldredge said. “People like Moku (Dancil-Evans) and Rayden (Kiaaina-Caires) and our other outside guy that stepped up today, Chris Paige, I knew they would be open.”
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Punahou and Kapolei.
Kapolei broke Punahou’s string of consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown. Jayven Reyes’ 5-yard run with 2:26 left in the first half put the host Hurricanes on the scoreboard after the visitors had opened a 24-point lead. It was the first TD against Punahou this season after more than 13 quarters.
Dancil-Evans (six receptions, 75 yards) and Eldredge (four, 74) led the receiving corps as Sagapolutele completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts. He was picked off twice in the first half by a scrappy Kapolei defense. The first-year starter, stepping in for veteran Hugh Brady (knee injury), had a strong start to the second half, completing five of his first six attempts. It was enough to keep Punahou’s momentum rolling while the ground game struggled with just 57 yards on 17 carries.
Kapolei (2-2, 1-0 OIA Open) finished with 212 yards of total offense as the Buffanblu picked off Noa Bailey three times.
“I’m happy the way the seniors played, but also the way the young guys stepped up,” Gilman said. “Especially in the secondary, the ’backers, the D-line. Everyone played on a high level.”
Bailey finished with 145 passing yards (18-for-39). Reyes led Hurricanes rushers with 60 yards on 14 attempts.
Punahou built up its lead while stifling Kapolei on its first six possessions. Quinn Maretzki’s 30-yard field goal opened the scoring early in the first quarter.
Terrell’s 3-yard run around left end made it 10-0 with 25 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Kapolei defensive back Dycen Coyaso had two first-half interceptions to thwart the Buffanblu, but Gilman seized momentum for Punahou with a scintillating pick-6. He tipped a deep sideline pass by Bailey, juggled the pigskin and corralled it before throwing a would-be tackler to the ground en route to a 49-yard TD return. That gave Punahou a 17-0 lead with 6:56 left in the first half.
“I just saw the quarterback’s eyes. I saw the tight end. I tipped the ball, made sure I caught it,” Gilman said.
From there, Punahou’s defense kept a wrap on Kapolei’s dangerous offense. Wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was limited to three catches for 19 yards by a very attentive Punahou secondary.
Tevarua Tafiti, a 6-2 sophomore, had two of Punahou’s three sacks.
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No. 3 Punahou 44, No. 8 Kapolei 13
At Kapolei High
>> Punahou (4-0, 3-0) 10 14 13 7 — 44
>> Kapolei (2-2, 1-1) 0 6 0 7 — 13
Punahou — FG Quinn Maretzki 30
Punahou — Vincent Terrell 3 run (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Alaka‘i Gilman 49 interception return (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Raydan Kiaaina-Caires 9 pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Maretzki kick)
Kapolei — Jayven Reyes 5 run (kick failed)
Punahou — Christopher Paige 30 pass from Sagopolutele (Maretzki kick)
Punahou — Terrell 10 run (run failed)
Punahou — Jonah Henry 27 interception return (Maretzki kick)
Kapolei — Haleola Thomas 15 pass from Noa Bailey (Micah Kapoi kick)
RUSHING — Punahou: Terrell 11-46, Nathaniel Kia 2-9, Sagapolutele 1-4, Zachary Johnson 2-0, TEAM 1-(minus 2). Kapolei: Reyes 14-60, Mason Gomez 1-2, Josh Nahulu 1-2, Dycen Coyaso 1-0, Noa Bailey 7-(minus 16).
PASSING — Punahou: Sagapolutele 19-32-2–217, Ian Eveleth 4-5-0–70. Kapolei: Bailey 18-39-3–145, e’Zhaun Stribling 1-1-0–19.
RECEIVING — Punahou: Moku Dancil-Evans 6-75, Koa Eldredge 4-74, Rayden Kiaaina-Caires 4-43, Terrell 3-7, Noa Takeyama 2-48, Paige 2-18, Johnson 1-16, Treyden Buder-Nakasone 1-6. Kapolei: Chanzyn Dupont 7-39, Bula White 3-67, Haleola Thomas 3-43, Stribling 3-19, Reyes 2-(minus 2), Jason Camarillo 1-(minus 2).
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