Astin Hange barely made it into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown on a pass from John-Keawe Sagaolutele to boost Punahou over Kamehameha 33-28 on Friday night in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu football opener at Aloha Stadium.
Only 1:28 remained when, just after crossing the goal line, Hange lost control of the ball and it wound up in the hands of Ean Kamau-Waikiki’s hands anyway. But that part did not make the scoring sheet.
The Buffanblu and Warriors hadn’t played an official game in nearly two years because of safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 flu pandemic.
Punahou vs. Kamehameha (photo from a few years ago) is usually a classic battle.
On Friday, the Buffanblu came back to defeat the Warriors 33-28 at Aloha Stadium. (Image credit: Punahou.edu).
Keawe-Sagapolutele wound up throwing for 382 yards, a whopper of a night with three touchdown passes for the Buffanblu, who are ranked No. 4 in ScoringLive.com’s Hawaii power rankings.
After Kamehameha took a 7-0 edge, the lead changed hands five times, and Punahou fought back from deficits of 25-19 and 28-26.
With 4:56 left in the game, Oshyn Ferreira’s 34-yard field goal gave the sixth-ranked Warriors that two-point, 28-26, edge.
And that’s when Sagapolutele led a seven-play, 82-yard drive, culminating in the winning TD throw to Hange.
Hange finished with 211 yards receiving and two TDs on 10 catches.
Bartley Dashes For 116 Rushing and 124 Receiving Yards
Kamehameha’s Noah Bartley turned in an outstanding performance, rushing for 116 yards and a TD and catching six passes for 124 yards and another TD.
Warriors quarterback Kealii Ah Yat threw for 235 yards.
The game’s defensive leaders were Punahou’s Tevarua Tafiti and Kamehameha’s Brennan Dupio with two sacks each.
Below is a YouTube video on Bartley’s big game by Pupule Paul.
Punahou 33, Kamehameha 28
at Aloha Stadium
Kamehameha (0-1). 7. 0. 18. 3. — 28
Punahou (1-0). 7. 12. 0. 14. — 33
KAMEHAMEHA—Kealii Ah Yat 2 run (Oshyn Freitas kick)
PUNAHOU—Astin Hangt 81 pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Jordan Kapisi kick)
PUNAHOU—Kapisi FG 32
PUNAHOU—Ean Kamau-Waikiki 23 pass from Sagapolutele (kick failed)
PUNAHOU—Kapisi FG 42
KAMEHAMEHA—Noah Bartley 39 pass from Ah Yat (Bartley rush)
KAMEHAMEHA—Freitas FG 40
KAMEHAMEHA—Bartley 31 run (Freitas kick)
PUNAHOU—Alai Williams 1 run (Kapisi kick)
KAMEHAMEHA—Ferreira FG 34
PUNAHOU—Hange 15 pass from Sagapolutele (Kapisi kick)
RUSHING—Kamehameha: Bartley 18-116, Blaze Kamoku 2-1, Dwight Apao 1-0, Ah Yat 8-(minus-10). Punahou: Sagapolutele 6-28, Williams 10-21.
PASSING—Kamehameha: Ah Yat 14-25-1—235. Punahou: Sagapolutele 27-42-0—382.
RECEIVING—Kamehameha: Bartley 6-124, Kamoku 2-35, Levi Maafala 2-34, Shayden Iokia 2-25, Apao 1-10, Raiden Morris 1-7. Punahou: Hange 10-211, Williams 7-37, Kamau-Waikiki 5-63, Peyton Macapulay 2-31, Noah Macapulay 2-21, Kalen Smith 1-19.
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