John Lujan | SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I football championship comes down to a rubber match Friday night.

Third-ranked Saint Louis (7-1) and second-ranked Punahou (7-1) will face off for a third time this season— this time with the league crown and a first=round bye in the Open Division state tournament at stake — in the nightcap of a championship doubleheader at HTFCU Field at Aloha Stadium.

Both the Crusaders and Buffanblu have already secured the ILH's two Open state tournament spots, but the winner will get the added bonus of a week off before having to play a semifinal game.

The teams split their first two meetings in the league's first round — Saint Louis won the first game, 64-44, and Punahou rebounded with a 33-20 win just three weeks later — and finished with identical 5-1 records. They tied for first in the double round-robin first round of the ILH schedule, but Saint Louis received the top seed in the second round tournament.

Saint Louis is coming off a 33-0 win over Iolani in last week's semifinal round, while Punahou won a 57-24 decision against Kamehameha.

We caught up with the coaches of both teams a few days before their championship showdown in Halawa Friday night.

ScoringLive: Describe your team's current situation in one word.

Kale Ane, Punahou coach: "Focused. They know the situation. that we're playing for the league championship and what it means to play against a coach of Cal's stature and the respect we have for him and that program. It's always special to play against Saint Louis and a coach like that."

Cal Lee, Saint Louis coach: "Excited. I think everybody is excited about playing for the championship and everybody is working hard. They know what's at stake and they're just getting prepared for a game that we feel is going to be one of our tougher games."

ScoringLive: Who has been an under-the-radar contributor that deserves more credit that he's received?

Ane: "Probably our linemen, definitely. I think they've played exceptionally well. We have two sophomores and three juniors that have been consistently playing against dominant defensive players throughout the season so we're very grateful, but that's what lineman want, not to be recognized."

Lee: "Some of our younger kids, some of our sophomores like (defensive lineman) Faatui Tuitele. Everybody knows about him, but he's still only a sophomore and he's working hard at getting better. He's been showing up and playing bigger than a sophomore shoulder. He's definitely a kid, that with all the expectations on him, still we look forward to all the things he can do. He's done all the things we've asked of him."

ScoringLive: Which game this year, win or loss, proved to be most beneficial for your team?

Ane: "I hate to say it, but probrably that first Saint Louis game. We learned a lot about what we need to work on, what we need to be better at and it's kind of been our mission to prepare as much as we can, every time we play."

Lee: "I think the first Punahou game was big. It got us feeling good about ourselves and then you play them a second time and things are reversed. You can't just show up because they're very competitive and they're a good football team. To their credit, they gave us a really good game and now this is like the rematch of the rematch. Everybody is excited, they all know what's at stake. They've just got to play their hardest and let the ball bounce where it bounces."

ScoringLive: What are your thoughts on how your opponent has evolved over the course of this season?

Ane: "I think it's very high level expectations for them and they've had to deal with that pressure and i think that always wears on you a little bit. You never reach the pinnacle of what people expect of you, but again, they're very formidable on offense, dominant and physical on defense and you really have to do as much as you can to be as consistent as possible when you play them."

Lee: "I think they've gotten better. If you're looking at our second go-around with them, they did a nice job. They executed, they moved the ball on offense. On defense, they did some great things and that's something that we've got to work on and be competitive on both offense and defense, and that's all you can do. You work on the things you can get better at and we'll find out how it plays out Friday."

ScoringLive: Is there a specific matchup that you feel will be particularly important to the outcome of the game?

Ane: "I think it's our defense and secondary being able to stop their passing game, but also our front five being able to stop their running game. i know they're going to have to run more than they'd like to, and it's something we try to prepare for as well as the passing game, so I think it's going to be a little bit more balanced this time around."

Lee: "They've got such good receivers all over the field that it's just not one person. The challenge is right there on the defensive backs and they showed that (quarterback Nick) Kapule can run the ball, too. He's like Tua (Tagovailoa). He can run the ball. He just can't play pass it, but he can run the ball, too. He's a good passer and a good runner and he creates a lot of problems for us defensively."

ScoringLive: How does your team win Friday's game?

Ane: "I think it's always the same: The team that makes the fewest turnovers and executes to their game plan will be successful.

Lee: "I think what you've got to do is don't let them get any turnovers. I think turnovers will kill you, will kill anyone, so we've got to make sure we take care of the ball, don't turn it over and on defense stop some of the big plays that they have and don't let them hit home runs all the time. Don't give up the easy ones, that'll be vital for us defensively."

Kickoff between the Buffanblu and Crusaders is scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. and will follow the D2 title game between Saint Francis and Damien at 5 p.m.