Upon further review, Damien's Kama Bailey is not 318 yards shy of Joe Igber's Interscholastic League of Honolulu single-season rushing record of 1,993.

Igber, a former 'Iolani standout, set the record in a 10-game ILH season in 1998; Bailey has rushed for 1,675 yards in eight games including two non-league contests. Minus those two games, Bailey's total is 1,287. That total surpasses former teammate Kealoha Pilares' previous seven-game ILH mark of 1,226 set in 2005.

Bailey has one league game left, against Pac-Five, on Friday.

Records notwithstanding, Bailey had a game for the ages Saturday when he rushed for 317 yards and five TDs on 29 carries against Punahou. He fell just 26 yards short of Igber's ILH single-game record of 343 yards set in 1998.

"He's a special kid, one of the best I've seen since I've been playing or coaching," said Damien coach Brian Derby. "He's like Joe Igber; he plays with so much heart."

What makes Bailey's performance even more impressive is that it came against The Advertiser's No. 2-ranked team in the state.

"We did our best to try to stop him," Punahou linebacker Manti Te'o said. "But with Kama, you cannot stop until the whistle blows, because he can make something out of nothing."

Buffanblu coach Kale Ane said Bailey showed all the attributes of a great running back.

"His moves are instinctive, and he has good vision," Ane said. "He won't go down after the first tackler hits him. He has a great burst, and when he sees something, he just goes."

Ane said his players were told to "be disciplined and play the lanes," but admits it's not that easy.

"A couple times, it looked like our guys were right with him," Ane said, "and then he was gone.

"It was amazing."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.