The gift of grab paid off for the Kamehameha Warriors last night.
Noah Borden stripped the ball from Punahou running back Steven Lakalaka, and Pono Choy took the airborne football 62 yards for the go-ahead touchdown as No. 6 Kamehameha outlasted the fourth-ranked Buffanblu 17-10 last night at Aloha Stadium.
"It just happened. We practice that every day. I tried as hard as I could," said Borden, a senior linebacker.
The play gave Kamehameha a 10-3 lead late in the third quarter.
"I was just at the right place at the right time," said Choy, a senior defensive back. He did it perfect. It’s team D. I was just running, hightailing it down there."
The defensive gem broke a 3-all stalemate in the second half, and the Warriors hung on from there. Kamehameha’s win kept the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I race wide open.
"That play changed all the momentum," Kamehameha coach David Stant said.
Kamehameha improved to 5-1 in league play, while Punahou dropped to 6-1. Saint Louis, which has two losses, is still in the picture and will play Kamehameha and Punahou in the final two weeks of regular-season play.
For now, Warriors nation is revved up after knocking off Punahou. When the teams met two weeks ago, it was Punahou that eked out a 17-14 victory. It was three turnovers that night that cost Kamehameha.
"They knew everything we were doing," Stant said of Punahou. "We took care of the ball. We still had two fumbles, though, and they came out with a game plan, with (new) alignments with their linebackers, a lot of different fronts, so we had a hard time adjusting."
Kamehameha overcame the fumbles, including one by Barretto, who went on to finish with 80 rushing yards on 18 carries. The defense harassed Punahou sophomore quarterback Larry Tuileta constantly; he finished 21-for-40 for 215 yards with a pick.
Momentum and field position were with the Warriors for much of the first half, but they failed to capitalize more often than not. They blocked a 53-yard field-goal try by Kaimi Fairbairn early in the game and picked off Tuileta to stifle another drive.
That set up a 33-yard field goal by Kanekoa Pawn-White for a 3-0 Kamehameha lead two plays into the second quarter.
Kamehameha fumbled away opportunities on the next two possessions. Bronson Barretto’s fumble in the red zone was recovered by Punahou linebacker Chase Sakai at the Buffanblu 11-yard line, and a mishandled exchange between Nephi Stevens and Tyler Meditz allowed Tyler Mizota to recover for Punahou at the Buffanblu 46.
Punahou, which hadn’t crossed midfield since its opening drive, made the most of the final minute before halftime. Tuileta connected with Taylor McClafferty on two passes before hitting Malik Johnson for a 25-yard gain to the Kamehameha 4-yard line with 2 seconds left. Fairbairn’s 21-yard field goal tied it at 3-all as the half ended.
The game was still tied when Punahou drove into Kamehameha territory late in the third quarter. Lakalaka, who finished with 57 hard-earned yards, found an opening on the right side. As he fell forward, Borden came along and tugged at the ball, just like he does every day at practice. The ball went airborne, end over end, and Choy plucked it. He went straight to paydirt, untouched, to give Kamehameha a 10-3 lead with 1:48 to go in the third.
Kamehameha’s defense, which limited Punahou to 46 rushing yards, came up with another stop, and the offense answered with a short 46-yard drive in 11 plays for another touchdown. A roughing-the-kicker call on Punahou as Pawn-White drilled a 45-yard field goal kept the drive alive for the Warriors.
They accepted the penalty, took three points off the scoreboard, and kept moving forward. Prior to that play, Punahou was whistled for encroachment, and an illegal helmet contact call soon after helped Kamehameha again.
The Warriors capitalized with a 6-yard scamper around left end by Barretto for a 17-3 lead with 9:56 remaining.
Punahou scored its first touchdown with 1:23 left on an 18-yard lob from Tuileta to Johnson to cut the margin to seven points, but Kamehameha recovered the ensuing on-side attempt and ran out the clock.
At Aloha Stadium
Punahou (6-1, 8-2) 0 3 0 7 — 10
Kamehameha (5-1, 6-3) 0 3 7 7 — 17
KS—Kanekoa Pawn-White FG 33
Pun—Kaimi Fairbairn FG 21
KS—Pono Choy 42 fumble return (Pawn-White kick)
KS—Bronson Barretto 6 run (Pawn-White kick)
Pun—Malik Johnson 18 pass from Larry Tuileta (Fairbairn kick)
RUSHING—Punahou: Steven Lakalaka 20-57, Larry Tuileta 10-1, Jacob Ioane 1-4, team 1-(-16). Kamehameha: Raymond Pedrina 1-1, Bronson Barretto 18-80, Tyler Meditz 5-8, Cid Camanse-Stevens 2-14, Tristan Peterson 2-12, Nephi Stevens 7-20.
PASSING—Punahou: Tuileta 21-40-1-215, Lakalaka 0-1-0-0, Luke Morris 0-1-0-0. Kamehameha: Stevens 4-10-0-22, Camanse-Stevens 7-13-0-35.
RECEIVING—Punahou: Caden McAfee-Torco 1-1, Noah Wiley 3-36, Taylor McClafferty 8-89, Malik Johnson 3-46, Kale Dyas 3-18, Lakalaka 3-25.
Kamehameha: Pedrina 1-14, Keoni Bush-Loo 4-18, Barretto 3-2, Jake Kealohi 1-6, Noah Mataele 1-7, Peterson 1-10.
‘Iolani 21, Pac-Five 6
The Raiders rushed for 189 yards to clinch the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II crown.
At Aloha Stadium
‘Iolani (5-4, 3-3) 7 0 14 0 — 21
Pac-Five (4-5, 1-5) 0 6 0 0 — 6
Iol—Tanner Nishioka 9 run (Jordan Lee kick)
P5—Reece Alvarado 10 run (run failed)
Iol—Lee 21 run (Lee kick)
Iol—Sheldon Gallarde 8 pass from Nishioka (Lee kick)
RUSHING—‘Iolani: Kody Mento 21-74, Lee 14-93, Reece Foy 6-1, Nishioka 3-21. Pac-Five: Drew Wilson 17-73, Ben Keller 4-22, Carter Kauwenaole 3-7, Roycen Routt 1-(-2), Alakai Kealoha 6-21, Jack Foster 2-18, Alvarado 1-10.
PASSING—‘Iolani: Foy 13-19-1-159, Nishioka 1-1-0-8. Pac-Five: Foster 6-13-0-43, Wilson 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING—‘Iolani: Kasey Takahashi 5-35, Lee 3-45, Sheldon Gallarde 6-87.
Pac-Five: Alvarado 1-4, Ikaika Carney 1-13, Kaohukea Sanborn 1-6, Kellen Nakamoto 1-8, Kauwenaole 1-3, Justin Layco 1-9.
