By

POSTED: Saturday, October 18, 2008

They don't call it “;Zero”; for nothing.

Punahou's revamped defense, nicknamed Zero, all but shut down 'Iolani's potent passing attack in a 49-7 rout yesterday at sunny Alexander Field.

A crowd of about 2,000, including Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, saw Punahou improve to 4-1 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The No. 1-ranked Buffanblu (7-1 overall) remained in a tie for first place with Saint Louis.

“;I went into this game very edgy,”; Punahou coach Kale Ane said. “;Any time you can beat a team like 'Iolani, you're very happy. 'Iolani's multi-faceted with screens, deep passing, multiple receivers. You can't focus on one.”;

Since reworking its defense, which uses a three-man line, Punahou has allowed only 7.8 points per game. 'Iolani managed 191 total yards, including minus-24 yards rushing. Punahou linemen Sani Fuimaono and Trevor Iosefa collected fumbles.

'Iolani dropped to 5-2 in league play (7-3 overall) and still has a significant lead in the Division II race. Still, the Raiders were crushed about seeing their chances for a piece of the outright ILH title diminish.

“;Right now, we're kind of bummed. We had a chance, but they outplayed us,”; senior Kela Marciel said.

Marciel, a full-time defensive back, saw action at wide receiver but was bottled up by Punahou. He moved to quarterback, his old position, late in the second quarter and led 'Iolani on its only scoring drive of the game, but Punahou dominated the rest of the afternoon.

Punahou racked up 426 total yards, with Cayman Shutter operating behind a highly successful offensive line. Shutter was 19-for-25 for 263 yards and three touchdowns with one pick.

“;('Iolani) did a good job bringing pressure, but it's a tribute to our offensive line to be able to adjust and slide without any checks,”; Shutter said.

Manti Te'o, who had seven tackles at linebacker, was prolific offensively. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior ran for touchdowns of 14 and 15 yards and made a one-handed catch for a 16-yard score. He also returned a punt block 45 yards for another score.

The Buffanblu unveiled a new look or two, using an unbalanced line out of the pistol formation that gave Dalton Hilliard more running room. Hilliard ran for 49 yards and caught six passes for 50 yards.

“;We were ready to play. It's the last home game for us as seniors,”; Hilliard said. “;Our younger guys set the tempo. We have a young O-line and they gave Cayman all the time in the world.”;

Punahou used Hilliard at running back, wide receiver, slotback and cornerback. Robby Toma, who caught a highlight-reel touchdown pass, also saw time at corner.

Breland Almadova had a team-high eight tackles for 'Iolani. Carl Gibson had seven tackles, Kaena Moose added six and Marciel chipped in five.

'Iolani's Sean Nada picked off a Shutter pass to end Punahou's first possession, but Shutter came back with a 16-yard pass to Hilliard on a streak route with 6:29 left in the first quarter.

A 30-yard punt return by Hilliard gave Punahou first down at the 'Iolani 22-yard line. Three plays later, Shutter found Te'o on the left side, and Te'o reached back to make a tough catch in traffic for a 16-yard touchdown play. Punahou led 14-0 with 4:04 to go in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Te'o got a toss sweep and rambled in behind blocks from Hilliard and Alaka'i Aglipay for a 14-yard scoring run. Punahou led 20-0 with 10:30 left in the second quarter.

After another 'Iolani three and out, Punahou scored again. On fourth and 7 at the Iolani 14, Shutter lofted a pass to the right corner, where Toma made a spectacular diving catch.

“;It was me and Dalton. I was in the slot, and Cayman has a choice,”; Toma said. “;I didn't think I'd get to it. I saw it and laid out. I barely dragged my foot (inbounds).”;

That gave the Buffanblu a 26-0 lead with 7:25 remaining in the first half.

Marciel moved to quarterback to lead Iolani on a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown march. A late hit and a roughing-the-passer call—the latter on fourth down at the Punahou 15—helped the Raiders. Marciel found Keenan Hoohuli open in the back of the end zone and hurled an 8-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds to go in the half.

In the third quarter, Marciel made another big play. Ambushed on a punt, he eluded two tacklers and tossed a pass to one of the up blockers, Almadova, who turned it into a 55-yard gain. However, 'Iolani's offense was mostly quiet after that.

Later, a low punt by Marciel was blocked by Sione Mataele, and Te'o returned the ball 45 yards down the right sideline for another Punahou touchdown.

Early in the fourth quarter, Te'o lined up in the I slot formation at tailback and raced around the right side for a 15-yard touchdown, hurdling one defender and dragging three more over the goal line. Punahou led 40-7 with 8:29 to play in the game.

Moments later, defensive lineman Kolu Buck chased Marciel backward and sacked him in the end zone for a 20-yard loss and a safety—two more Punahou points.

Stabren Caires, a backup running back, capped the scoring with a 10-yard run with 5:12 left.

Toma, who had five receptions for a team-high 64 yards, wore eye-black stickers that had the numbers “;293”; and “;579”; written on. The 293 represents the prefix phone number for his hometown of Laie. The “;579”; are the jersey numbers of Te'o, himself and recently graduated safety Siu Tafuna—all residents of Naupaka Street in Laie Point.

It was the end of a bruising stretch of Division I challengers for 'Iolani, which upset then-No. 1 Saint Louis two weeks ago and lost to Kamehameha last week.

Punahou won last year's game with arch rival 'Iolani 48-14.

Weis watched the game from a golf cart near the end zone. He left before the game was over to make his flight back to the mainland. Notre Dame is recruiting Te'o and has made an offer to Hilliard.

---

At Alexander Field

                                                                                                                                   

     

 

 

'Iolani (7-3, 5-2)	0	7	0	0	—	7
Punahou (7-1, 4-1)	14	12	7	16	—	49

Pun—Dalton Hilliard 16 pass from Cayman Shutter (Robert Izuta kick)
Pun—Manti Te'o 17 pass from Shutter (Izuta kick)
Pun—Te'o 14 run (kick failed)
Pun—Robby Toma 14 pass from Shutter (run failed)
Iol—Keenan Hoohuli 8 pass from Kela Marciel (Andrew Skalman kick)
Pun—Te'o 45 punt block return (Izuta kick)
Pun—Te'o 15 run (Izuta kick)
Pun—Safety, Kolu Buck sacked Marciel
Pun—Stabren Caires 10 run (Izuta kick)

 

RUSHING—'Iolani: Kellen Imada 4-12, Jaron Teramoto 1-2, TEAM 1-(-5), Ammon Baldomero 9-(-6), Jarrett Arakawa 3-(-12), Marciel 6-(-15). Punahou: Hilliard 6-49, Caires 6-49, Te'o 5-41, Alaka'i Aglipay 3-14, Shutter 4-10.

PASSING—'Iolani: Arakawa 11-20-0-64, Marciel 12-17-0-150. Punahou: Shutter 19-25-1-263.

RECEIVING—'Iolani: Hoohuli 7-37, Trevyn Tulonghari 6-72, Brandon Ball 4-23, Breland Almadova 1-55, Travis Muraoka 1-9, Travis Sato 1-8, Marciel 1-4, Baldomero 1-4, Kevin Barayuga 1-2. Punahou: Hilliard 6-50, Toma 5-64, Mark Silverstein 2-41, Caires 2-17, Kimo Makaula 2-17, Galen Arakawa 1-57, Te'o 1-17.