Punahou goes to air,
routs Damien

Punahou quarterback Brett Kan completed 13 of 20 passes for 136 yards to lead the Buffanblu to a 35-0 victory over the Damien Monarchs yesterday at Alexander Field.

Kan started on a hot streak, completing his first nine passes, which included a 24-yard throw down the right sideline to senior wide receiver Brian Matsumoto to place the ball at the 2-yard line. Junior Colin Viloria took over from there, running the ball into the end zone on the next play to give the Buffanblu (3-3, 1-2 Interscholastic League of Honolulu) an early lead.

During the second quarter, Damien (2-3-1, 0-2-1) tried to make a game of it after the Monarchs' Feyton Castillo intercepted an errant Kan pass that sailed over his intended target. But the Monarchs were unable to capitalize on the mistake.

Damien quarterback George Martin was sacked twice during the ensuing series, leaving the Monarchs scoreless at the half. Kan had a pair of nice completions earlier in the second quarter, but it resulted in no points.

"Brett's growing up," Punahou head coach Kale Ane said. "It's a work in progress. But he's getting better every week. He can see things quicker. ... And the running game always helps."

Leading the Buffanblu on the ground was senior running back Kainoa Johnson, who picked up 74 yards on seven carries.

"We really did everything right (in the first half)," Kan said. "Damien plays hard every play, but we got everything right from the beginning, from the blocking to the receivers."

Going into halftime down 7-0, Damien co-head coach Dean Nakagawa said he felt his team was still in the game. But a 28-point second-half outburst by Punahou -- aided by two interceptions and miscues by the Monarchs special teams -- resulted in the lopsided score.

"We played very sloppy," Nakagawa said. "It's part of us growing up, our growing pains. Today was just one of those days."

The Buffanblu broke the game open late in the third quarter after Punahou recovered a fumbled punt. The Buffanblu scored on the next play on a reverse, as Steven Dannaway broke to the outside and sprinted 45 yards to the end zone.

A few plays later, Buffanblu junior Maika Murashige returned an interception 60 yards for another score and the rout was on.