All eyes will be focused on Aloha Stadium tonight.

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I football title and final state tournament berth will be on the line when the two-time defending champion Saint Louis Crusaders play the Punahou Buffanblu.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

With all other league titles and state berths settled and the University of Hawai'i on a bye, this is the only game in town. Or state for that matter.

"Just naturally there will be more focus on it because it's the only game," Punahou coach Kale Ane said. "It's two good teams and we have a good history, so there will be a lot of interest. It should be a lot of fun."

The Crusaders won their last meeting, 40-19, on Sept. 13. The Buffanblu haven't lost since, while the Crusaders' only blemish was to Division II 'Iolani, 35-30, on Oct. 4. Had Saint Louis gone unbeaten, there would have been a psychological edge for the Crusaders because the Buffanblu would have had to win tonight to force a playoff.

Saint Louis coach John Hao said the set up is perfect. All the knowledge gained over the season will come to fruition in this game.

"Coming into the final game of the ILH, it's all or nothing," Hao said. "You have to leave everything on the line and leave nothing behind."

These are the top two teams in the state. The Crusaders (8-1) are ranked first and the Buffanblu (9-1) are second. Yet, only one will go to the state tournament.

BUFFED OR THE BLUES

The Buffanblu are looking to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, when they won an unprecedented two-tiered league playoff when there was a three-way tie after the regular season. That season also was the last time Punahou beat Saint Louis, which has dominated the series, 84-48-5 and 15-3 since 2000.

The Buffanblu don't know if quarterback Cayman Shutter (New Mexico State-bound) will play after he sustained a concussion in last week's game against Kamehameha. But there isn't a dramatic dropoff with his replacement in Kimo Makaula (Hawai'i-bound as a defensive end); no other team has two QBs in the top 10 in passing yards. The only difference is Makaula, also a tight end, can't use himself as a target.

"The ripple effect is huge for us," Ane said.

Still, there appears to be enough talent, as Punahou has four players verbally committed to Division I programs and a fifth being one of the top recruits in the nation in linebacker-slash (as in name a position) Manti Te'o.

UCLA-bound receiver Robert Toma is the state Division I leader in receiving yards (909) and TDs (13). UCLA-round running back Dalton Hilliard is a threat on the ground (440 yards and 8 TDs) and the air (471 yards, 7 TDs).

Te'o, who is considering five colleges, is a threat whether he has the ball or seeking the one who has it.

AIR APPARENT

The Crusaders pack an incredible and consistent punch with their offense. The big reason is QB Jeremy Higgins. Though second among Division I QBs in passing yards with 2,365, he is second to none in efficiency (185.2). He is the state's only QB in double figures in yards per attempt (10.0) and has thrown only two interceptions.

Higgins was sacked once in the last meeting against Punahou, while passing for 361 yards and three TDs. But just blitzing the mobile junior isn't the easy answer.

"When you pressure, you open up certain things and when you don't you give him time to throw," Ane said. "So it's just a matter of picking your poison, picking your time when you want to do certain things and hopefully we can get there."

Running back Austin Wakinekona (600 yards, 7 TDs) plays an integral role in giving the Saints some balance. His health is critical because there isn't much experience after him.

It's been a little more than two months since the last meeting. Both teams should have gotten better.

"It's going to come down to who's learned the most from their mistakes and who's going to make the corrections and who's going to take care of business on the field," Hao said.