Hawaii: Punahou Raising the Bar

In the middle of Hawaii’s waves, beaches and beautiful scenery is one of the greatest, but most unlikely, high school sports programs in America – Punahou, a co-educational, exclusive college preparatory school. 

The list of past Punahou student-athletes reads like a Who’s Who, including Norm Chow, Mosi Tatupu and Charlie Wedemeyer, all of whom went on to NCAA or NFL success, LPGA player Michelle Wie and a little-known basketball player back in the 1970s named Barack Obama.

The first national spotlight of Punahou athletics came in Sports Illustrated in May 2005, when the magazine published an 11-page spread ranking the 25 best high school athletic programs in the country.

 

The Buff 'n Blue were ranked fourth.

Last year, Punahou was ranked by SI and MaxPreps as the best sports program in the country out of 38,000 high schools.

“I’m very proud. Everyone reads Sports Illustrated and when the article hit the streets, you couldn’t get a copy anywhere. It sold out everywhere,” current football coach Charles “Kale” Ane said.

Despite the honor, Ane takes it all in stride.

“We know we’re not the best,” Ane said. “There’s a lot of great schools out there and the question remains, 'How can you really pick one school?' There’s great teams all over the country. There’s great football teams in California, Texas and Florida and the Midwest has great basketball. We are proud to be there and smart enough to know we are good at certain things. The kids at Punahou are awesome.”

The football program is the most storied of all the great sports at Punahou. The reason is the Polynesian culture.

“Polynesian kids love contact,” Ane said. “When they get hit, it gets them excited even more. The game of football incorporates running, jumping, heart, loyalty and courage. It has all the values that run deep in our culture."

Another reason the football team has made a name for itself is Punahou’s willingness to travel anywhere to play a game.

“We’ve played on the mainland,” Ane said. “We’ve gone to Seattle before to play in a tournament, we’ve been to San Diego and we’ve played Timpview from Utah. It’s a matter of fundraising, but we’ve done it. It is exciting for our kids and is always a big production. It’s always a rewarding trip.”

Ane says there are several factors that go into making his program one of the best.

“The kids, coaches and tradition we have make us special. There are a lot of expectations at Punahou and we are also good in academics. We have great facilities."

We Can Play

Back as a player at Punahou, Ane was quite aware that there also was a little football played in the mainland since his father was a standout for the USC and the Detroit Lions.

Following a stellar prep career of his own, Ane took his game to Michigan State, where he was a center, before playing six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Green Bay Packers.

Despite some high-profile players from the islands, a nagging question remained: How good are we in Hawaii?

“That is something I asked myself all the time when I was in college. When I was growing up, there were a few kids from Hawaii that moved on and had success. I think everybody here questions if we measure up in terms of competition,” Ane said.

What’s the answer?

“Hawaiian kids have a lot to prove and they play with a chip on their shoulders,” Ane said. “We tell everyone they are representing their entire state here. Hawaiian kids are tough kids who want to do well. We are behind the curve on height and speed, but we are getting close.”

Throw in the recent success the University of Hawaii has had on the gridiron, and Ane says it’s easy to see why so many in Hawaii are gushing over football.

“Kids go to the University of Hawaii games and it gives them a dream,” Ane said. “It has expanded their vision of what they can do and achieve.”

Success Took Time

As Ane enters his 11th season as the head coach, he does so in a new position this year - defending state champion.

However, Ane, who has been involved in Punahou football for decades, has not let the recent success go to his head. He remembers well what Punahou was like when he returned as head coach.

“It has taken 10 years for success, and this was something we had to work at,” he said. “It’s been fun. We had a vision every year, and every year, we got better in all aspects. You could see the program getting better.”  

While the wins and losses took care of themselves on the gridiron, Ane reached out to the community and former players, inviting the legendary 1961 team back to speak to the players. That team, which went undefeated at 9-0, featured the likes of Buzzy Joa, Clinton Albao, Walter Macfarlane, Don Parker, Walter Harrington and Wayne Williams – all legends in the islands.

“We are very fortunate to have the tradition we have,” Ane said. “The 1961 team is considered to be the best here, and I asked them to come back to speak to our team and it was a sight to see. Before you knew it, they were talking to each other like it was just yesterday, and I told our players that my goal is for them to come back in 40 years and have that friendship and bond that these men have.”

In 2005, Punahou experienced its first taste of real success under Ane as the Buff 'n Blue claimed the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) title after a 28-year drought and played in their first-ever Division I IHHSAA state championship game.

“We lost in the final eight seconds. The kids needed to find a way to believe that they could compete and this provided it,” Ane said.

In 2008 the Buff ‘n Blue again found themselves in the state championship game, and they took advantage of the opportunity, thumping defending state champion Leilehua 38-7. Punahou racked up 518 yards of total offense and its defense held the Mules to 210 yards. Punahou’s point total was the highest for any team in a state championship game since 1999.

The title was the first football state crown for a school that has won more than 360 total titles since 1958.

“It was sweet,” Ane said of the championship. “It felt great to achieve the success of the championship. It was the first in our history and that is very special. We had a great season.”

One major reason why Punahou was able to claim the state title was due in part to the play of talented linebacker Manti Te'o, who will play at Notre Dame this fall.

 

Te’o became the first high school recipient of the Butkus Award and recorded 129 tackles, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and one blocked punt en route to being named the state defensive player of the year and the ESPN Rise Gatorade football player of the year for Hawaii. He also rushed for 176 yards and four TDs.

“We won’t replace him. There is absolutely no way we can. Manti represented our state well. He’s a kid and he’s going to make some mistakes, but he is something special,” said Ane, who had five other players from the 2008 season sign Division I scholarships.

Repeat the Feat?

Two players Ane is leaning on for big time production and leadership this fall are lineman Kaiwi Crabb and strong safety Jeremy Ioane. Crabb, who is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, is drawing attention from schools such as Oregon, California, Arizona and Washington. Ioane (5-11, 190) has been hearing from both Stanford and Washington.

With a tough schedule on the horizon, Ane has a few concerns.

“We play some of the top teams in Hawaii. It’s challenging,” Ane said.

In addition, Ane enters the season trying to find a quarterback.

“Right now, that is our biggest obstacle,” he said. “We have some good junior varsity kids coming up.”

But with the team’s first state title under its belt comes even greater expectations. Ane acknowledges he has already heard all the whispers about repeating.

“We have a good team coming back, but there’s a few missing pieces. Every year we raise the bar,” Ane said. “We have to replace not only great athletes, but also great kids who were good role models. They have sacrificed and shown what it takes to be successful.”

 

Paul Gable is the Senior Prep Writer for football.com. Check out football.com. for NCAA football and NFL coverage.