Punahou’s defensive unit wastes no lessons, to be sure.
In the fifth-ranked Buffanblu’s 40-14 win over Farrington at Skippa Diaz Stadium on Saturday, the Buffanblu stuffed the box and provided tight press coverage from beginning to end. Farrington’s offense mustered seven first downs all night, including two by penalty.
Linebacker Maninoa Tufono wasn’t surprised by Farrington’s power up front, but the Buffanblu defense was ready. Over and over, they read Farrington’s play-action schemes perfectly, sometimes covering pass catchers before the ball got there.
“Farrington is a great team. It was a great experience. We learned from Kahuku,” said Tufono, referring to a season-opening 41-28 loss to the Red Raiders on Aug. 11. “We learned from those mistakes that we made, so we wanted to capitalize on that. We really focused on just stacking the box, attacking the blocks, just wrapping up and making our tackles.”
At times, Punahou had zero coverage deep, but it didn’t matter. Punahou consistently harassed Farrington senior Chris Afe in his first start since returning from a hand injury. Given a choice, the home team would’ve preferred to run the ball. Coach Daniel Sanchez has said point blank that smashmouth first, with an aerial attack to keep defenses honest, is his preference.
Farrington’s first touchdown was a 47-yard jaunt down the right sideline by speedy Raymond Millare on a third-and-1 toss sweep that caught the Buffanblu off guard. The rest of the night, Farrington struggled to move the ball. The Govs’ second TD came on a 2-yard run by Millare, one snap after Treshawn Kepa’s 97-yard kickoff return. The rest of the time, it was tough sledding for the Govs’ ground game.
“We’ll look at the film. We’ll get better. We’ll correct that and move on,” Tufono said.
Punahou improved to 2-1 in the ILH standings. Moving on means a trip to John Kauinana Stadium next Saturday, where the Buffanblu will meet the powerhouse Mililani Trojans, who lost 52-14 to No. 1 St. John Bosco (Calif.) on Friday night.
“It was a great win for us tonight, but we’ll get ready for Mililani. We’ll look at the film and prepare for them. I’m excited, first of all to play Dillon (Gabriel). That’s my friend and former classmate at Punahou,” said Tufono, who has 39 scholarship offers at last count. “This whole Open Division is just a great opportunity for all of us. I’m fired up to play Mililani.”
This coach doesn’t have a clue! The caveman mentality style offense that he brings to Farrington is so outdated that anyone with a football I Q of 1 will know what’s coming. Sure, you may get lucky with one guy getting free and scoring on a big run, but when the opposing team figures out what your doing, it’s all over. If Sanchez wants to play this style, he should go down a division and play in division 1. Even there, the kids are better coached and prolly be in the right position to stop this run first, pass just to keep them honest offense. We need an update, a reboot, a refresh on our coaches. They even accommodated Afe’s wishes to play quarterback when the freshman was doing just fine. He runs way faster , throws better and thinks smarter and should be developed into a good signal caller, instead, the choose the bigger, slower thinking senior to lead the team. No wonder everyone leaves when they get the chance. So much talent, year after year and what a waste. These kids can and should be taught the systems that are winning today not when the coaches were playing , otherwise, Farrington will stay in the loss column for a loom time! Just ranting.
Such hate in your heart, just ranting. You smear the kids playing their hearts out,even calling the farrington qb mentally slow. The bottom line here is that Punahou, like the rest of the ILH is destroying high school football. Punahou has done so much recruiting in the kalihi area that once proud farrington teams are now just doing “caveman offense.” Then to rub salt in the wounds, Punahou comes back to play farrington with the kids they poached from the community. Unreal. But that’s how the ILH is. I’ve already talked to some lawyers about suing the ILH over this because this won’t stop until we disband the ILH and #savehawaiifootball. RRFL!
In my humble opinion, Chris Afe’s pretty darn good, strong arm, experienced, big body, kind of like a Dante Culpepper mode. he’s just coming back from an injury and will take time to regain his polish. Rather have em then not. What Anywaaaaays said is true, plenty recruiting from Kalihi’s fertile grounds. Gives that Kalihi kid an opportunity to be in a private school educational system. it’s then up to them to take advantage Of that. This merger is what the AD’s, Principals and some of the public wanted, It is what it is. We’ll see how this comes out after this season.
@Anywaaaays!! You have too much hate in your heart. Every post is about dismantling the ILH. What about those kids? You need to leave Laie some time and appreciate Hawaii as a whole. Stop hating on the ILH. Anyone can choose to go to a private school regardless of district. I don’t understand why you have to run your mouth on every post then throw shade at another person for someone ranting in the same way you do. We’ll patiently wait for your other aliases to pop up on here posting RRFL with every post while hating on the ILH. #stopignorantfootballfans
This is directly to anywaaaays.You talk about other people smearing kids but you my friend are doing the EXACT SAME THING FROM THE THE BEGINNING. Let me be straight with you so you know exactly who I am. My son is the#7 for Punahou. I’m the dad, Ioane S Liufau and we live less than a mile from FHS. My son was NEVER RECRUITED by PUNAHOU. Going to Punahou was ALL his decision and his alone from 7 grade. He never put on a football helmet until he was a seventh grader at Punahou.I wish attending PUNAHOU was as EASY as you made it to be. My son went through the whole process like everyone else. Do you have any idea how many kids are competing just for ONE SLOT, let alone a skinny Samoan kid with no muscle but a BRAIN and the WILL to SUCCEED in EDUCATION. So maybe that is why KIDS from all over this great STATE of ours CHOOSE on their own which school to go to not because of football but EDUCATION. Don’t you agree? So it doesn’t matter which school our kids decided to attend ILH,OIA or where ever. They are ALL our kids. So please no more of this NONSENSE that going to ILH will make them better than OIA. ALL KIDS ARE SMART, TALENTED and SUCCESSFUL NO MATTER WHAT SCHOOL THEY GO TO. Like I always tell my boys, EDUCATION COMES BEFORE FOOTBALL. I WISH THE BEST TO THE OIA THIS SEASON AND OF COURSE ALL OUR KIDS TO BE SAFE. THANKS……IOANE
My rant was directed at the coaching staff of Farrington not the kids. But as for the quarterback, it was said that he wouldn’t return to the team if he is not the QB. What does that say for the coaches? They let a player dictate what happens on their team. If it was me, I’d cut him and focus on developing the freshman instead. Afe’s frame is better suited as a lineman, maybe even a tight end. It’s decisions like that and the style of offense that is so disappointing! I’d like to see someone step up and coach a run and shoot or zone read type of offense where the quarterback has to be athletically gifted with speed and a cannon. If you look at Campbell for example, they’re way better this year after hiring the coach who has implemented this new style last season. Good players from Kapolei left because they see the potential of that system. It starts from knowing what types of players to use at certain positions, not letting them tell you what they want. Their is no I in team. If the coaches had connections to that type of offenses like York and Chang for example, they can tweak the system as the seasons go. I don’t think that our kids will have a hard time understanding a run and shoot system, but maybe that’s the perception of people from Kalihi. Caveman, smash mouth, run first and pass to keep them honest is an offense of years past and won’t win today. Just ranting.
Anywaaays,
Whop your jaws!
Braddah! If you would look at it as a kid being able to go to a private school as means of a better education then what a public school has to offer then maybe you wouldnt be so angry! Parents still have to fork out a lot of money to send their kids there, its not just a free ride! Not sure what grounds you have on suing the ilh and for What! That’s the funniest nonsense I ever heard! If the state would spend more on the public education system then maybe the need for someone wanting to go to a private school for a better education wouldn’t be necessary! Think you have a better chance with a law suit against the state for lack of funds for the public schools. Go Big Red!!!