Sunday, October 21, 2001
Kamehameha's 24-6 win over Punahou last night at Aloha Stadium was perhaps its most efficient victory of the season, if not its most spectacular. Warriors make
quick work of BuffanbluBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe Warriors used two long touchdown passes early in the game to grab the lead, then kept the Buffanblu at arm's length the rest of the way to pick up the Interscholastic League of Honolulu win.
"We had to get some big plays and the guys got it done," said Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza. "We got to get some kids playing time and we're just happy like heck to get a win."
Kamehameha improved to 4-0-1 (6-0-1 overall) to remain tied with St. Louis for first place in the ILH's Division I standings. Punahou fell to 1-4 in the league and 3-4 overall.
The Warriors and Buffanblu played like they were double parked, as the game took just about two hours to complete. Both squads kept the clock running by sticking to the ground most of the way.
Of Kamehameha's 47 offensive plays, 33 were hand-offs. Kelena Ho'okano, the leading rusher in the ILH, carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Punahou's offense suffered a setback when quarterback Todd LaFountaine, who carried the ball 12 times for 41 yards in the first quarter, left the game with a knee injury on the last play of the period. He spent the second half standing on the sideline on crutches.
"We hope it's not too serious, but it's a big blow if he's out," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "We're concerned, so hopefully it's not as bad as it sounds."
Drew Monahan stepped in for LaFountaine and was Punahou's leading rusher with 56 yards.
While Kamehameha spent most of the game plodding along on the ground, the Warriors built a 17-6 halftime lead thanks to a pair of lightning strikes.
Kamehameha quarterback Caleb Spencer completed just 2 of 5 passes in the first half, but both went for long touchdowns.
Spencer connected with Keoni Ruth on a 47-yard scoring pass on the Warriors' first play from scrimmage. After Punahou tied the game at 6, Kamehameha regained the lead when Spencer threw a swing pass to Josh Vierra, who then sprinted past the Punahou defense for a 49-yard score.
"That's the way it's been both against St. Louis and Kamehameha," Ane said. "We played well, but we just had a couple of breakdowns, and against those kinds of teams you just can't do that and be successful."
Punahou found success running behind the right side of its offensive line early in the contest. LaFountaine led the Buffanblu on a nine-play, 52-yard drive in the first quarter and found the end zone on a 3-yard run for Punahou's only score. He carried the ball six times and accounted for 27 yards on the drive, forcing the Kamehameha defense to make a quick adjustment.
"They came out in a different setup," Kamehameha defensive lineman J.P. Kennedy said. "Usually they have that unbalanced (formation), but they came out even. So we had to change our defense. We weren't expecting that. ... We just switched to our regular defense."
The switch worked, as the Warriors held Punahou to 155 yards in total offense. The Buffanblu managed just 74 yards in the first half.
St. Louis 35, Pac-Five 3: Crusader quarterback Bobby George passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Crusaders to a rout of the Wolfpack.
St. Louis improved to 4-0-1 in the ILH Division I and 6-0-1 overall. Pac-Five fell to 2-3 in Division II and 2-5 overall.
George posted his best outing of the season, completing 17 of 24 passes as St. Louis racked up 362 yards in total offense. In one stretch, the junior completed nine consecutive throws, including a 78-yard touchdown pass to Jason Rivers. Rivers finished with three receptions for 103 yards.
Pac-Five actually controlled the opening moments of the game, forcing St. Louis to punt twice. The Wolfpack took a 3-0 lead on Darci Hata's 27-yard field goal.
But St. Louis responded by scoring on its next four possessions. George threw scoring passes to Jon Amano, Ross Dickerson and Rivers. Prince Brown, who led all rushers with 49 yards, also scored on a 1-yard run.
The only score of the second half came on a completion from George to Tito Sallas, who fumbled the ball at the 1. But Sallas recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
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