Saint Louis' Ronson Timbreza leaped up to make a game-clinching interception against Punahou. CJ Caraang | SL

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Saint Louis' Ronson Timbreza leaped up to make a game-clinching interception against Punahou. CJ Caraang | SL

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This Saint Louis football team certainly has Cal Lee's basic trait: Defense.

With their backs to the wall against the four-time defending Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I champions, defensive back Ronson Timbreza came down with an interception off Nick Kapule with 16 second left to save Saint Louis' 27-23 win against Punahou to claim its first league crown since 2010 and still ILH-best 36^th overall.

On fourth-and-24 at the Punahou 46, Kapule unleashed a high pass to Ethan Takeyama, but it was short and Timbreza pulled down the ball to end Punahou's threat.

"I saw (the receiver) run out, then in, I looked to the quarterback and he threw the ball," said Timbreza, who also led the team with eight tackles. "It was kind of dying out, so I had to kind of run up to the ball and get it at the highest point. I was in the right place at the right time>

After Punahou snapped a 20-all game on Jet Toner's 50-yard field goal, Saint Louis' ensuing series died at the Punahou 40. Saint Louis' punt pinned Punahou to its 6. On third-and-4 from the 12, Timbreza broke up a pass intended for Stephen Barber, forcing the Buffanblu to punt. But successive penalties saw a 30-yard swing in field position for Saint Louis. Punahou's first punt that was nullified had Saint Louis at its 37. After yet another penalty on Punahou on its next nullified punt, the Buffanblu found themselves punting from their 3. The shanked punt sailed out of bounds at the Punahou 33, by far, Saint Louis' best start in field position of the game.

"It made a big difference," Punahou coach Kale Ane said of the back-to-back penalties. "You can't make those mistakes against anybody and certainly not against a good team like Saint Louis."

A seven-play drive – including a fourth-and-9 conversion to the Punahou 21 – ended with Saitaua Lefau's four-yard TD run for the go-ahead TD. A delayed good signal on Jacob Tobias' PAT gave Saint Louis a 27-23 lead with 3:50 in the game.

Saint Louis' ensuing kickoff put Punahou at its 18 with 3:41. The drive died 10 plays later on Timbreza's pick, his seventh of the season.

"Defense, basically, you got to give them a lot of credit," Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. "Offense, too. The offense did a good job when it had to with the crucial scores, so I think it was a combination, a team effort."

For Lee, the gratification was watching his players learn how to win a championship. He had coached 18 league titles during his second stint at Saint Louis.  Twice in his coaching career at Saint Louis, his team split first- and second-round championships with Punahou (1993 and 1995) and both times his teams won the overall title game.

"You always feel better for the players," said Lee, in his second year of his third stint as coach. "I've been there. I know how it feels to win. They haven't. Right now, it hits them, champions, and I want them to enjoy and get that feeling. When they're ILH champions, it's in the book. It's in stone. They can't take it away. That's what they got."