No upset after Iolani’s

Coming on the heels of Iolani's indelible upset of league-leading Saint Louis, the Punahou Buffanblu had additional reason to be confident Saturday night.

OIA Playoffs Friday Red Division first round » Kailua vs. Nanakuli, at Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m. » Aiea vs. Roosevelt, at Mililani, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 Red Division quarterfinals » Mililani vs. Kailua/Nanakuli winner, at Aloha Stadium, 4:30 p.m. » Kahuku vs. Aiea/Roosevelt winner, at Aloha Stadium, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 Red Division quarterfinals » Castle vs. Kapolei, at Moanalua H.S. field, 6 p.m. » Farrington at Leilehua, 6 p.m. White Division semifinals » Kaiser at Waipahu, time TBA » Radford at Campbell, time TBA Friday, Nov. 5 Red Division semifinals Teams TBA, at Aloha Stadium, times TBA Friday, Nov. 12 Red Division championship Teams TBA, at Aloha Stadium, 7:30 p.m. White Division championship Teams TBA, at Aloha Stadium, 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Nov. 13 Red Division third-place game Teams TBA, at higher seed, 7 p.m.

Iolani didn't drop a pass, amassing 357 total yards in a 36-31 shocker over Saint Louis. The Crusaders tallied 533 yards in total offense, but weren't able to overcome six turnovers and the loss of quarterback Stanley Nihipali (shoulder).

The win dropped Saint Louis to 3-1 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play (5-2 overall). And Kamehameha needed a win to move into a first-place tie.

Still, if Iolani could outslug Saint Louis, surely Punahou could do the same to Kamehameha, right? It appeared so for a while, until Kamehameha prevailed 39-21.

For a half, Punahou's run-and-shoot had Kamehameha on its toes, and quarterback Brett Kan was Jesse James. The sophomore completed 15 of 23 attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Punahou took a 21-12 lead at halftime.

Kamehameha's offense seemed stuck in the prehistoric age. The Warriors pounded away at Punahou's defensive line, mustering little more than 100 yards of total offense by intermission.

The good thing about a run-and-shoot attack is the efficiency with which it operates. Quick-striking and effective without requiring mammoth linemen, Punahou's offense resembled Iolani's potent attack in the Raiders' win over Saint Louis.

Unlike Iolani, however, Punahou wasn't able to establish a ground game. Where Iolani's Mike Hirokawa had precision trap blocks to run through out of the shotgun formation, Punahou's backs found far less room. The chains, which had moved up and down the field like a Slinky in the first half, began to rust when the Buffanblu had the ball.

By the time Punahou missed a field-goal attempt in the third quarter, Kamehameha's dominance at the line of scrimmage began.

Kamehameha's defense began to read Kan's eyes and disrupted Punahou's corps of receivers. Kan completed only seven of 20 attempts for 98 yards after intermission. The offense that gave Punahou its points early was still instant, but only in getting on and off the field, and the Buffanblu defense needed rest.

Kamehameha had little mercy, scoring 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The Warriors lined up in an offset I and got stronger as the second half wore on. Rego finished with 171 rushing yards on 29 attempts, including 92 yards on 19 carries after halftime.