Photos: Chase Eveleth ’25
Kūnuiākea Stadium – The first game of Punahou’s doubleheader at Kamehameha ended unfavorably for the Buff ‘n’ Blue.
Punahou’s Varsity II team entered Kūnuiākea Stadium seeking their first win against a 3-0 PAC-5; the Buff ‘n’ Blue, 0-2 on the season, lost previously by 14 points to Waialua and 35 points to Iolani. Instead of getting a win, however, Punahou got questions from the Wolfpack that they couldn’t find answers to.
PAC-5 quickly mounted a deficit against Punahou, ending the first quarter up 13-0. By the end of the second quarter, the gap grew to 36. Offensive lineman Ethan Lee, sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, attributed Punahou’s dysfunctional effort to a “lack of heart.” When asked what contributed to the eventual loss, Lee said “We knew they’d be bigger and taller, and we played to our level, not to theirs.”
The Buff ‘n’ Blue’s miscues continued throughout the game. Two of Punahou’s punts were blocked, and starting quarterback Conner Yunker was injured and forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter. Despite efforts made by Sophmore quarterback Vaea Higgins, the team failed to build any sort of comeback. PAC-5 didn’t score any points after halftime, but neither did Punahou, and the mercy rule’s running clock eventually ended the game at 36-0.
Despite scoring no points, the team made sure they found something positive to take home. Reflecting on lessons from the game, Lee said, “We [learned that we] can’t let our skills falter in the face of adversity, but we need to instead build off it.” He also noted, “even though we shot ourselves in the foot, we battled until the last second.”
PAC-5 and Punahou both play their next games this coming Friday. PAC-5, now 4-0, will face Iolani, while a winless Punahou II will return to Kūnuiākea Stadium to play Kamehameha II.