With University of Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis watching closely from a golf cart behind the end zone, Punahou School senior Manti Te'o showed off his multitude of skills yesterday in helping the Buffanblu rout visiting 'Iolani, 49-7, in Interscholastic League of Honolulu action.

Weis and a "Senior Day" crowd of about 2,500 at Alexander Field watched Te'o — regarded by some as the nation's No. 1 linebacker prospect — score touchdowns on a 17-yard reception, a pair of tackle-busting runs and a 46-yard blocked punt return in addition to helping hold the Raiders to just 10 yards rushing. The Buffanblu, ranked No. 1 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the ILH.

'Iolani, ranked No. 6, fell to 7-3 and 5-2.

"This was a big statement for us, because we knew what 'Iolani could do, we saw what they did against the big powerhouses in our league," said Te'o, referring to the Raiders' 35-30 victory over then-No. 1 Saint Louis and 9-0 loss to No. 5 Kamehameha. "This was so much fun, to play like that against a talented and well-coached 'Iolani team."

With Te'o making spot appearances as a fullback, the Punahou offense was firing on all cylinders almost from the outset.

The Buffanblu took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter after Dalton Hilliard pulled down a leaping touchdown catch over a Raiders defender, then went up 14-0 two minutes later on Cayman Shutter's 17-yard TD pass to Te'o and Robert Izuta's extra point.

Te'o made it 20-0 early in the second quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run, and Robbie Toma made a diving catch on a 14-yard TD pass from Shutter to make it 26-0 with 7:25 left in the half.

'Iolani finally scored 36 seconds before halftime on Kela Marciel's 8-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Ho'ohuli, but Punahou made it 33-7 after Te'o snatched a deflected punt and sprinted untouched 46 yards down the right sideline with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter.

"We didn't play well, but no excuses — we just got outplayed," Raiders coach Wendell Look said. "They're a good team with a lot of weapons, and they showcased those kids today."

'IOLANI (7-3, 5-2) 0 7 0 0 — 7

PUNAHOU (7-1, 4-1) 14 12 7 16 — 49

Pun — Dalton Hilliard 16 pass from Cayman Shutter (Robert Izuta kick)

Pun — Manti Te'o 17 pass from Shutter (Izuta kick)

Pun — Te'o 14 run (kick failed)

Pun — Robbie Toma 14 pass from Shutter (run failed)

'Iol — Keenan Ho'ohuli 8 pass from Kela Marciel (Andrew Skalman kick)

Pun — Te'o 46 blocked punt return

Pun — Te'o 15 run (Izuta kick)

Pun — Safety, Marciel sacked in end zone

Pun — Stabren Caires 10 run (Izuta kick)

RUSHING — 'Iolani: Kellen Imada 4-11, Ammon Baldomero 6-5, Marciel 4-(minus-9), Jaron Teramoto 1-3, Jarrett Arakawa 1-0. Punahou: Hilliard 6-50, Shutter 3-9, Te'o 5-45, Caires 5-39, Alaka'i Aglipay 2-8.

PASSING — 'Iolani: Arakawa 11-20-0—63; Marciel 11-16-0—155. Punahou: Shutter 19-25-1—262.

RECEIVING — 'Iolani: Ho'ohuli 6-32, Kevin Barayuga 1-2, Brandon Ball 4-34, Marciel 1-3, Trevyn Tulonghari 6-71, Travis Muraoka 1-9, Travis Sato 1-8, Baldomero 1-4, Breland Almadova 1-55. Punahou: Hilliard 6-50, Toma 5-63, Caires 2-16, Te'o 1-17, Mark Silverstein 2-41, Kimo Makaula 2-18, Galen Arakawa 1-57.

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com