The last time Punahou defeated Saint Louis in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu football game, today's seniors were in the second grade.

O.J. Simpson's murder trial was reaching its conclusion, and the masses were just starting to buy cell phones — mostly for use in emergencies.

It was Sept. 30, 1995, and the Buffanblu have not beaten the Crusaders since a 21-13 upset that night before a crowd of 14,357 at Aloha Stadium.

Tomorrow, Punahou will try to snap that 20-game losing streak to Saint Louis and actually enters the game as the higher-ranked team.

The Buffanblu (3-0) are No. 3 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media; the Crusaders (2-1) are No. 7.

Kickoff for the ILH opener is set for 7:30 p.m., following the 4:30 game between Damien and Pac-Five.

"Everybody's excited, there's optimism everywhere," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "But Saint Louis is so tough and physical, we still have to find a way to beat them."

Wai'anae found a way three weeks ago, stunning the Crusaders, 30-20, in a nonleague game. But the Saints are vastly improved since then, as shown in Saturday's 54-28 rout of Davis, the defending 5A (highest level) Utah state champion.

The biggest improvement comes from the offense, which was held to 22 first-half yards against Wai'anae. Last Saturday, the Crusaders amassed 280 yards rushing and 334 yards through the air. They led 35-7 at halftime.

Quarterback Cameron Higgins completed 9 of 14 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, often hitting receivers in stride 40 yards downfield.

"Cameron has definitely improved, and I think a lot of it has to do with being more comfortable with the offensive line," Saint Louis coach Delbert Tengan said. "He's not as worried about the pass rush, so he's able to keep his eyes downfield. He's also more comfortable with the option phase of our offense, knowing when to pitch the ball."

Tengan said offensive coordinator Vince Passas attended a clinic last spring and learned the so-called "Utah offense" made popular by current University of Florida coach Urban Meyer. The Crusaders still operate out of their traditional run-and-shoot formation, but now incorporate option running plays and shovel passes to keep the defense honest.

"It allows us to do a lot more things, using the personnel that we already have and without having to make drastic changes," Tengan said. "It helps open up our running game."

The beneficiaries against Davis were Cody Wells (12 carries, 112 yards), Chase Alcott (6-66), Lene Auelua (6-39), Preston Lynch (4-33) and even Higgins (5-28).

The offensive line — led by center Kyle Otineru, tackles Iole Liu and Belford Felise and guards Esrom Pascual and Ana Tuiasasopo — has improved by "leaps and bounds," Tengan said.

"Everything starts with them," he added.

Punahou's veteran defense appears up to the task, having posted a 10-0 shutout of Timpview (Provo, Utah) last Saturday. It was the first shutout in 100 games for Timpview, the defending Utah 4A champ ranked No. 1 in the state last week.

On offense, nobody has been able to cover Buffanblu junior receiver Miah Ostrowski, who caught 10 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown last week. In three games, the 5-foot-8, 163-pound All-State basketball player has 26 catches for 395 yards and four TDs.

"As long as our offense doesn't turn the ball over, and if our defense looks for turnovers like they have been, we should be OK," Ane said.

SCHEDULE

O'AHU INTERSCHOLASTIC ASSOCIATION

TODAY

JV games at 5 p.m., varsity to follow 25 minutes after end of JV games, unless noted

RED EAST