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Damien has one more game left before quarterback AJ Tuifua wraps up his freshman campaign.
And it’s been a year of incredible growth for the rookie, who is Bedrock Sports Hawaii’s WEEK 12 outstanding player.
Tuifua passed for 400 yards, breaking the school record of 299 set by Jake Holtz in 2018, on Saturday in a 42-14 victory over ILH rival PAC-5 at the Farrington High field. He also threw four touchdown passes in the game, including two to sophomore Sylas Alaimalo.s
In eight games for the Monarchs (5-3), Tuifua has passed for 1,254 yards and nine touchdowns with nine interceptions.
This Saturday, Damien plays its final game of the season at 9 a.m. against Punahou II on the Buff ‘N Blue’s campus.
The Monarchs’ bid to make the playoffs fell short in a 42-13 loss to ‘Iolani on Oct. 7, a game in which Tuifua missed the whole second half with an injury. Earlier in the season, with Tuifua at the controls, the Raiders tipped Damien 13-12. Had Allison Chang not kicked a winning field goal for ‘Iolani in the final moments, the Monarchs would have qualified for an ILH D-I playoff game at the very least.
On Aug. 24, Tuifua was the subject of an ESPN Honolulu feature story along with Moanalua’s Tayden-Evan Kaawa about freshman starting quarterbacks in Hawaii: Into The Fray: Moanalua And Damien Go Forth With Freshmen Quarterbacks.
The two met in an Aug. 19 game in which Na Menehune held off a Monarchs’ comeback bid for a 16-7 win.
Look below for links to all of the previous Bedrock Outstanding Player of the Week stories this season.
>> WEEK 11: Bedrock’s Outstanding WEEK 11 Football Player Kayman Lewis Of Roosevelt Finishes High School Career In Style (Oct. 20)
>> WEEK 10: Campbell sophomore Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Is Bedrock’s Outstanding Football Player Of WEEK 10
>> WEEK 9: Aiea Junior Quarterback Ezekiel Olie Is Bedrock’s Outstanding Football Player of WEEK 9
>> WEEK 8: A ‘Tama-Of-All-Trades’: Waipahu’s Uiliata Can Throw, Too, And Is Bedrock’s Outstanding Player Of WEEK 8
>> WEEK 7: ‘Iolani Kicker Allison Chang Is Bedrock Sports’ Outstanding Player Of WEEK 7
>> WEEK 6: Radford’s Michael Hayslett Is Bedrock Sports Hawaii’s Outstanding Player Of WEEK 6 (Sept. 14)
>> WEEK 5: Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Michael Perry Is 2022’s Third Football Player Of Week From Big Island (Sept. 8)
>> WEEK 4: Mililani Cornerback Jordan Fetu Is Bedrock’s Outstanding Player Of WEEK 4 (Sept. 1)
>> WEEK 3: Honokaa’s Uhane Mock Chew Is Second Straight Player Of the Week From The BIIF (Aug. 25)
>> WEEK 2: Keaau’s Diego Pettypool Selected As Bedrock Sports Hawaii’s Player Of The Week (Aug. 17)
>> WEEK 1: Mililani’s Jabiel Lauvao Is First Bedrock Football Player Of The Week In 2022 (Aug. 10)
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8 League Football Titles And 5 State Berths Are On The Line In WEEK 13; Plus The Latest Power 5s
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The season as it unfolds:
