Pushed deep into the fourth quarter for the first time this season, Punahou persevered to outlast Saint Louis 35-28 and capture its fourth consecutive ILH championship Friday night at Aloha Stadium.

The top-ranked Buffanblu rallied from a 13-0 deficit to take the lead, only to see Saint Louis battle back to tie the game going into the final 12 minutes.

A series of wild momentum swings early in the fourth turned Punahou’s way. A Buffanblu drive was extended when the Crusaders were called for having 12 players on the field while preparing to receive a punt. Ephraim Tuliloa connected with Kanawai Noa on a 52-yard touchdown pass on the next play with 6:28 left in the game and the Buffanblu hung on from there. 

"It was a great game to watch. I lost 20 pounds, I think," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "Saint Louis played awesome. They have improved so much. I’m really proud of my guys for stepping up in crunch time." 

Punahou rolled to the ILH’s first-round title, outscoring the competition by an average score of 56-7 along the way. But the Buffanblu needed to hang on against the Crusaders to secure the second-round crown and the ILH’s lone berth in the Division I state tournament.

Tuliloa passed for 346 yards and three touchdowns, with Noa snagging 12 passes for 176 yards and the decisive score. Running back Wayne Taulapapa rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and the Buffablu avoided a winner-take-all rematch with the Crusaders.

"We sealed a berth in the states and it was super emotional," Noa said. "A rough game, but we finished strong. A lot of emotion goes into that." 

Punahou needed every bit of that production to overcome Saint Louis quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 334-yard, three-touchdown effort. The sophomore also ran for a score.

Punahou (7-0) extended its winning streak to 18, its last loss coming in the 2012 state final against Kahuku, and won its seventh straight in the series with Saint Louis (6-4) dating back to the 2011 season.

"A couple of big plays hurt us. Give credit to Punahou — they played better than us," Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. "The 12 men on the field (penalty) was my fault; I will take the blame."

Punahou faced its largest deficit of the season after Saint Louis scored twice in the first four minutes to take a 13-0 lead. The Crusaders scored on a five-play drive to open the game and converted a Punahou fumble into another touchdown.

Tagovailoa completed all five of his throws, covering 84 yards on the Crusaders’ first two drives. He fired a dart over the middle to Drew Kobayashi for a 35-yard touchdown on the game’s opening possession. He finished the next drive with a 6-yard run.

Punahou answered with touchdowns on its next three possessions and took a 21-20 lead when Tuliloa connected with Jackson Faringer on an 8-yard scoring pass with 9:05 left in the second quarter.

Tuliloa led the Buffanblu on an 11-play, 66-yard march capped by Taulapapa’s second touchdown run of the half and Punahou took a 28-20 lead into the locker room.

Saint Louis drew two points closer when a high snap resulted in Punahou being called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. The Crusaders then tied the game on their next possession. Tagovailoa hooked up with Jimmy Nunuha on a 17-yard TD pass, but the Crusaders missed the extra point.

Momentum seesawed early in the fourth quarter with Saint Louis blocking a field-goal attempt only to lose a fumble two plays later. 

The Crusaders appeared to force a punt, but Punahou’s drive was extended when Saint Louis was called for having 12 players on the field.

One play later, Tuliloa hit Noa on the deep ball down the left side to give the Buffanblu the lead for good.

"The coaches said, ‘Let’s try it’ and they tried to get me one-on-one," Noa said. "But even after that the game wasn’t over. The defense stepped up and did their job."

StL–Drew Kobayashi 35 pass from Tua Tagovailoa (Noah Alejado kick)

StL–Tagovailoa 6 run (pass failed)

Pun–Micah Ma’a 5 pass from Ephraim Tuliloa (John Toner kick)

Pun–Wayne Taulapapa 37 run (Toner kick)

StL–Riccardo Sallas III 35 pass from Tagovailoa (Alejado kick)

Pun–Jackson Faringer 8 pass from Tuliloa (Toner kick)

Pun–Taulapapa 2 run (Toner kick)

StL–Safety, intentional grounding in end zone

Stl–Jimmy Nunuha 17 pass from Tagovailoa (kick failed)

Pun–Kanawai Noa 52 pass from Tuliloa (Toner kick)

RUSHING–Saint Louis: Tua Tagovailoa 14-4, Jonathan Manalo 8-53, Ronson Young 1-0. Punahou:  Wayne Taulapapa 20-154, Ephraim Tuliloa 7-31, Team 1-(-1).

PASSING–Saint Louis: Tagovailoa 24-39-0-334. Punahou: Tuliloa 32-49-1-346. 

RECEIVING–Saint Louis: Cash Searle 5-34, Kobayashi 7-138, Jimmy Nunuha 2-40, Sallas 3-48, Keanu Souza 4-32, Leelan Oasay 1-4, Colton Nascimento 1-6, Young 1-32. Punahou: Noa 12-176, Taulapapa 4-25, Ma’a 5-62, Heisman Hosoda 5-45, Ethan Takeyama 1-7, Faringer 1-8, Kala’ianakupuna Santos 1-11, Judd Cockett 3-12.