Nelson Maeda had a lot of laundry to do, but he works as quickly as his Castle Knights do. Well, normally, the "Black Knights" can march up the field with the pace of a 2-minute drill.

Against Punahou, things were more deliberate. There wasn't a no-huddle offense to be seen. Instead, Castle took the best shot Punahou had to give. The smaller, spunkier Knights found themselves with the ball in Punahou territory, down 13-7 just before the half.

That drive ended with an interception.

The second half offered another opportunity. Castle neared mid-field, still down by six. The Knights called for a shovel pass.

Enter linebacker Manti Te‘o, who had seen the same play unfold earlier. He stepped into the passing lane as Blake Rapozo released the ball. It was almost too easy for Te‘o, who wrapped the pigskin into his paws and outran everyone to paydirt 46 yards away.

It was a backbreaking play, one that Te‘o -- who galloped for a 99-yard touchdown run as a running back last season -- has made before. With an entire regular season ahead, there will probably be many more.

Castle dropped to No. 10 in this week's Star-Bulletin Top 10 with the 41-14 loss, but there's plenty of upside. Farrington, another OIA title contender, is up next. The Knights, who used a minimum of play-action — Rapozo offered no bootleg runs against Punahou — could unveil some new goodies soon.

Late into the night, though, Maeda has his quiet time. The new wrinkles might just show up during the wash.

Still the king: Punahou retained its hold on the No. 1 spot with 22 first-place votes today. Leilehua (nine), Saint Louis (1), Kamehameha and Farrington remained locked into the top five positions, but Kahuku rose three spots to No. 6 after a decisive win at Kealakehe.

Waianae returned to the Top 10 after a resounding home win over Kapolei.

Uprising: A handful of teams are still unbeaten and unranked. Waipahu routed Pearl City 42-7 and rose to 3-0. Kalaheo is also 3-0 after a 31-7 win at Kaiser. A field goal by the Mustangs in the final minute drew the ire of Kaiser coaches and fans alike.

Konawaena is also 3-0 following a 35-30 win at Division-I Waiakea.

Damien rallied for a 21-20 win at Kailua to reach 3-0 for the first time in recent memory.

Campbell, which installed the run-and-shoot this season, is up to 3-0 after a 40-7 win at Aiea.

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