Ty McCutcheon threw for 427 yards and five touchdowns as No. 4 Punahou rallied past No. 6 Saint Louis 42-28 on a windy Saturday night at Skippa Diaz Stadium.

Punahou needed a resourceful performance on both sides of the ball to counter a vastly improved Saint Louis squad on the Crusaders’ homecoming night. The Buffanblu improved to 2-0 in ILH Open Division play (5-2 overall). It was the ILH opener for Saint Louis (2-4 overall).

Punahou seemed to bring out the best in Saint Louis.

“We fully expect them to be ready for us. ILH games, these are the games that matter for us to win and get to states. We didn’t expect anything less than a stiff challenge from them,” Punahou coach Nate Kia said. “Everyone’s going to get better as the season goes along, especially in our league with the level of coaching we have. We’re just grateful to wrap up the first round here and prepare for the second round.”

With Punahou missing offensive lineman Moheni Matavale and and running back Ala‘i Williams due to injuries, Saint Louis’ defense had several stellar moments in the first half. A fairly balanced offensive attack, with running back Keola Apduhan churning out hard-earned yardage, kept the pace in the Crusaders’ favor. In the end, however, Punahou’s explosive receivers stepped up.

“We knew Saint Louis is always a good team. We had to come out firing on all cylinders,” said McCutcheon, who did not commit a turnover and took just two sacks. “Astin (Hange) and Noah (Macapulay) are just special. You put the ball in their hands, they’ll make plays.”

Macapulay finished with seven receptions for 128 yards and RB Iosepa Lyman tallied 110 yards on six catches. Hange opened the game with an 80-yard catch-and-run TD, but Saint Louis kept tight coverage on him until he broke the game open with two more TDs after the half. Hange finished with five catches for 122 yards, adding a rushing TD as well. Freshman Zion White hauled in two TD passes.

Punahou’s defense finished with four sacks — by Alika Cavaco-Amoy, Blayne Shiraki, Kekai Burnett and Danner Lim — and Aiden Takuma blocked two PAT kicks and picked off two passes.

“They were tough. We had to overcome a lot,” Takuma said.

Saint Louis QB Kaunao‘a Kamakawiwoole (25-for-34, 22 yards, three TDs) got the ball out quickly and efficiently, often neutralizing a Punahou defense that had eight sacks against Kamehameha last week.

“Punahou-Saint Louis is always going to be a battle to the end,” Shiraki said. “You have to give props to their strong O-line, but our coaches put us in position to get things done.”

Saint Louis’ improvement isn’t consolation for a loss in league play, but they look like a different team compared to the one that lost to Kahuku and Mililani.

“It’s doing what the game plan is, getting it out quick. We know that these guys can pressure us, so it’s really working on sustaining the blocks as much as we can,” Crusaders offensive line Rob Crowell said. “Punahou’s as good as they come as far as defenses.”

Saint Louis took the opening kickoff and drove 62 yards to pay dirt, 14 plays that stunned the Buffanblu audience. Four encroachment penalties by Punahou helped the Crusaders, who scored on an 18-yard pass from Kamakawiwoole to Titan Lacaden. After Lacaden dragged tacklers across the goal line, Saint Louis led 6-0.

On the next snap from scrimmage, McCutcheon fired a pass to Hange on a slant route, and he broke through two tacklers for an 80-yard touchdown to give Punahou a 7-6 lead with 7:02 left in the opening quarter.

The Crusaders assembled a 10-play, 55-yard touchdown drive to begin the second quarter. Punahou defensive end Kekai Burnett suffered an injury during the series. Saint Louis RB Keola Apduhan punched it in from 1 yard out to give the Crusaders a 12-7 lead with 9:18 to go in the first half.

Punahou responded quickly, scoring on just three plays from scrimmage. McCutcheon found Macapulay on a seam route for a 59-yard completion. Hange then barged up the middle on a 7-yard TD run to give Punahou a 14-12 lead with 8:05 remaining in the first half.

Kamakawiwoole was in maestro mode, leading the Crusaders on a 10-play, 80-yard drive. On fourth-and-4, he delivered a 26-yard TD pass to Roxten Papa-Hernandez, who made a spectacular diving catch in the back of the end zone. After Kamakawiwoole found Lacaden open on the 2-point conversion, it was a 20-14 lead for Saint Louis with 5:13 left in the first half.

Punahou regained the lead on a diving catch in the end zone by Zion White, a 28-yard completion from McCutcheon with 22 seconds left in the first half. Punahou led 21-20 going into the break.

Punahou opened the second half with a nine-play, 80-yard drive to pay dirt. McCutcheon found White wide open at the goal line for an 8-yard TD, opening the lead to 28-20 with 8:59 left in the third quarter.

McCutcheon’s 9-yard TD pass to Hange extended Punahou’s lead to 35-20 with 1:30 to go in the third stanza.

The Crusaders stayed alive, scoring on a 1-yard toss from Kamakawiwoole to Lacaden. Apduhan scored on a speed-option pitch from Kamakawiwoole to add two more points on the conversion, and Saint Louis was within 35-28 with 11:03 remaining.

Punahou converted a huge fourth-and-2 with Cavaco-Amoy carrying for 5 yards near midfield. Two critical penalties against Saint Louis —unsportsmanlike conduct and a personal foul for a late hit on the sideline — helped the Buffanblu cover ground. McCutcheon’s pinpoint 26-yard TD pass to Hange on a wheel route opened the lead to 42-28 with 8:24 left.

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At Skippa Diaz Stadium

Punahou (5-2, 2-0) 7 14 14 7 — 42

Saint Louis (2-4, 0-1) 6 14 0 8 — 28

STL—Titan Lacaden 18 pass from Kaunao‘a Kamakawiwoole (kick blocked)

PUN—Astin Hange 80 pass from Ty McCutcheon (Carson Beard kick)

STL—Keola Apduhan 1 run (kick blocked)

PUN—Hange 7 run (Beard kick)

STL—Roxten Papa-Hernandez 26 pass

from Kamakawiwoole (Lacaden pass from Kamakawiwoole)

PUN—Zion White 28 pass from McCutcheon (Beard kick)

PUN—White 8 pass from McCutcheon (Beard kick)

PUN—Hange 9 pass from McCutcheon (Beard kick)

STL—Lacaden 1 pass from Kamakawiwoole (Keola Apduhan run)

PUN—Hange 26 pass from McCutcheon (Beard kick)

RUSHING—Punahou: Nelson Aau 10-29, Hange 1-7, Alika Cavaco-Amoy 1-5, Team 1-(minus 3), McCutcheon 3-(minus 6). Saint Louis: Ke. Apduhan 14-66, Kamakawiwoole 13-40, Billy Duarte 3-25, Lacaden 2-15, Jonnah Walace Gora-Aina 1-2.

PASSING—Punahou: McCutcheon 25-36-0-427. Saint Louis: Kamakawioole 25-34-2-222.

RECEIVING—Punahou: Hange 5-122, Noah Macapulay 7-128, Iosepa Lyman 6-110, White 3-49, Aau 4-18. Saint Louis: Sytyn Lasconia 5-51, Papa-Hernandez 5-51, Lacaden 8-47, Kingston Siliado 4-31, Duarte 1-19, Ka‘eo Apduhan 1-13, Josiah Fetui 1-10.

Also:

Kamehameha I-AA 13, Punahou I-AA 7