There have been state championship squads at Saint Louis that finished the year with more rushing plays than pass attempts.
This might be another of those seasons. AJ Bianco passed for 273 yards and three touchdowns while the top-ranked Crusaders rushed for 265 yards in a 41-23 win over No. 4 Punahou on Saturday afternoon at Alexander Field.
“Our defense made some big-time stops. I feel good, just excited that we got to play,” Bianco said.
Saint Louis (1-1, 1-0 ILH) had not played since Aug. 20 in a preseason game at Bishop Gorman, (Nev.).
“Our defense is really young. I was impressed. We made some stops at the end,” Saint Louis coach Ron Lee said.
A 90-yard kickoff return by Astin Hange and a 50-yard fumble return by Tevarua Tafiti kept Punahou in the game, but Saint Louis was simply too balanced to stop. Punahou had four first-half sacks, but the home team never led.
With Punahou’s blitz thwarting Saint Louis’ offense, the Crusaders dialed up some old-fashioned draw plays to neutralize the Buffanblu (1-1, 1-1). Trech Kekahuna and Jaysen Peters-de Laura, normally slotbacks, lined up in the backfield and sprinted through open pastures for touchdowns.
Saint Louis also kept the pressure on Punahou quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was 19-for-36 for 213 yards and one touchdown.
The visiting Crusaders scored touchdowns on their first four possessions. Bianco connected with 6-foot-4 Devon Tauaefa for a 28-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive.
After a Punahou three-and-out, and despite four sacks by the Buffanblu defense during the first two Saint Louis series, Bianco drove the visitors to the end zone. Saint Louis drove 74 yards in 10 plays to paydirt. Kekahuna’s 38-yard score on a draw play opened the lead to 14-0 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
Punahou needed only four plays to get on the scoreboard. Sagapolutele found Noah Macapulay for a 19-yard gain, then connected with him on a screen pass for a 39-yard touchdown. That brought the home team within 14-7 with six seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Saint Louis jolted the host team just three plays later. After a 42-yard kickoff return by Kekahuna, Bianco handed the ball to Peters-de Laura on another draw for a 49-yard sprint through the defense. Saint Louis led 21-7 with 10:49 to go in the first half.
Hange answered on the ensuing kickoff, racing down the left sideline for a 90-yard touchdown.
Saint Louis responded with a 13-play, 80-yard march. Bianco hit Yosei Takahashi on a short pass, and Takahashi raced to the pylon after breaking a tackle for an 11-yard touchdown. Saint Louis led 28-14 with 5:56 before halftime.
Jordan Kapisi’s 33-yard field goal with no time on the clock ended the first half, narrowing the lead to 28-17.
Punahou got a boost when its defense forced a three-and-out by Saint Louis to open the second drive. That series featured the Buffanblu’s fifth sack of the game. However, Punahou’s offense could not muster a first down after opening the series at its 48-yard line.
Bianco then caught fire with five consecutive completions of 11 yards or more. His sixth completion of the drive was a 9-yard touchdown pass to Keola Apduhan, opening the lead to 35-17 with 5:21 to go.
Saint Louis’ defense held its ground for the next two Punahou possessions. The long fumble return by Tafiti on a sack of Kamakawiwo‘ole by Travis Ross cut the lead to 35-23 with 9:35 remaining. However, Punahou’s next two drives into Saint Louis territory ended with fumbles by Sagapolutele as he was sacked.
‘Oa Kamakawiwo‘ole’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Chyler DeSilva provided the final scoring for Saint Louis with 5:06 left.
—
At Alexander Field
Saint Louis (0-1, 0-0) 14 14 7 6 — 41
Punahou (1-0, 1-0) 7 10 0 6 — 23
STL—Devon Tauaefa 28 pass from AJ Bianco (Lason Napuunoa kick)
STL—Trech Kekahuna 38 run (Napuunoa kick)
Pun—Noah Macapulay 39 pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele (Jordan Kapisi kick)
STL—Jaysen Peters-de Laura 49 run (Napuunoa kick)
Pun—Astin Hange 90 kick return (Kapisi kick)
STL—Yosei Takahashi 11 pass from Bianco (Napuunoa kick)
Pun—Kapisi FG 41
STL—Keola Apduhan 9 pass from Bianco (Napuunoa kick)
Pun—Tevarua Tafiti 50 fumble return (run failed)
STL—Chyler DeSilva 9 pass from ‘Oa Kamakawiwo‘ole (kick failed)
Individual statistics
Rushing—Saint Louis: Bianco 9-36, Apduhan 14-87, Trech Kekahuna 5-85, Jaysen Peters-de Laura 2-55, Kamakawiwo‘ole 2-(-6), William Lentz 1-3, Elijah Dolor 2-10, Vu Nguyen 1-(-5). Punahou: Sagapolutele 10-(-19), Ean Kamau-Waikiki 1-(-3), Ala‘i Williams 1-2, Noah Macapulay 1-5.
Passing—Saint Louis: Bianco 24-34-1-273, Kamakawiwo‘ole 1-2-0-9. Punahou: Sagapolutele 19-36-1-213, David Dikeman 1-1-0-14.
Receiving—Saint Louis: Kekahuna 9-99, Mason Muaau 1-14, Devon Tauaefa 3-58, Apduhan 3-17, Peters-de Laura 4-38, Titan Lacaden 1-9, Takahashi 1-11, DeSilva 2-25, William Reed 1-11,
Punahou: Astin Hange 5-50, Kamau-Waikiki 3-42, Peyton Macapulay 2-32, Williams 2-6, N. Macapulay 6-85, Donte Utu 2-12.
