Punahou rallies

One provided the precision, while the other offered power.

Quarterback Cayman Shutter came off the bench to spark third-ranked Punahou to a come-from-behind 31-17 win over No. 6 Kamehameha last night at Aloha Stadium.

Manti Te'o, pulling double duty at linebacker and running back, ran for three touchdowns to power the Buffanblu against a resilient Kamehameha defense.

The victory kept Punahou's title hopes alive. The Buffanblu, 3-2 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, need to win their final two games to have a chance at unbeaten, first-place Saint Louis.

Shutter, waiting patiently for his turn, shared snaps with Kimo Makaula for much of the season. Makaula took over the reins in recent weeks, but the Buffanblu turned to Shutter after falling behind 17-3 in the second quarter. After going three and out on his first series, the junior guided Punahou to three touchdowns in a row and a 24-17 lead. But that's when the rivalry kicked up a notch.

Three times, the Warriors had the ball in Punahou territory. Three times, they could not score.

Te'o fumbled at the Punahou 24-yard line, and Kamehameha's Ula Nakamura returned the football to the end zone for an apparent touchdown. However, a long delay ensued and officials determined that the ball was dead at the 24 and in Kamehameha's possession.

"I put my brothers in a bad position," Te'o said of his earlier fumble. "I felt like I let my team down."

Kamehameha drove to the Punahou 8-yard line, but Te'o sacked Warrior quarterback Michael Hoke on fourth down to end the threat.

Kamehameha's next series stalled at the Punahou 38-yard line, and its final threat came to an end when a Hoke pass trickled off the fingertips of a receiver and into the hands of Buffanblu linebacker Geoffrey Miller, who made the diving interception at the Warriors 27-yard line with 2:27 to play.

Te'o scored his third touchdown moments later on a 2-yard run. Punahou had a comfortable 31-17 lead with 1:10 remaining.

"Our guys played with passion and they played with a team," Kamehameha coach David Stant said. "A couple of mistakes cost us the game, and that's preparation, maybe, on my part. We missed some tackles, and that comes back to preparation."

After the teams exchanged field goals to begin the game, the Warrior defense got a break. Te'o ran around the left side for a 12-yard gain, but apparently fumbled, and Jordan Gomes returned the ball 18 yards to the Punahou 24-yard line.

While Buffanblu fans were in an uproar after the replay on the Jumbotron showed that Te'o was down before the fumble, Kamehameha went to work. Hoke connected with Pii Minns on a corner route for a 7-yard touchdown strike, and the Warriors took a 10-3 lead with 5:03 left before halftime.

Three plays later, Gomes picked off a pass by Makaula, cut to the right sideline and raced 52 yards for another Warriors touchdown. Kamehameha led 17-3 with 4:31 to go in the half.

Shutter replaced Makaula and directed the Buffanblu to their first touchdown late in the half. Two Kamehameha penalties, including a personal foul call, helped Punahou march upfield. Dalton Hilliard lined up at wideout, ran a go route and hauled in a perfectly placed 28-yard touchdown pass from Shutter to bring the Buffanblu within 17-10 with 37 seconds remaining in the half.

Te'o tied the game with an 8-yard run to start the second half, and later added scoring runs of 3 and 2 yards as the Buffanblu ran hard between the tackles with plenty of work by Hilliard.

Pac-Five 21, No. 10 Iolani 14

The Wolfpack came up with a turnover-free game and shut out the Raiders' potent run-and-shoot offense in the second half to pull off the upset. Jaime Rivera rushed for 88 yards and Jon-Ray Rodrigues threw for 153 as Pac-Five won its first game in league play after four defeats.

Despite the loss, Iolani (3-2) moved a step closer to the Division II title thanks to Damien's loss earlier in the day.

No. 1 Saint Louis 54, Damien 27

Micah Mamiya threw for 198 yards and a touchdown, and scrambled for 150 more yards and four touchdowns as the Crusaders ran away with the win. Saint Louis improved to 5-0 in ILH play and clinched at least a tie for the ILH title.

The Crusaders amassed 497 total yards as Mamiya completed passes to seven receivers. Defensively, they sometimes stacked the box and limited Damien's Kama Bailey to just 33 yards on nine carries.