Chase for the Championship
Preparation has been key component to Crusaders' run




For the top-ranked Saint Louis football team, success is a matter of preparation and some sweat equity.

That's the formula the Crusaders have followed all season under legendary coach Cal Lee and the same one they'll use leading up to Friday's state final against top-seeded Kahuku.

The prep football season will come a close with this weekend's title games of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Championships at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. Kickoff for the Division I game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will follow the D2 final between Radford and Kapaa at 4:30 p.m.

For Lee, numbers, statistics and record books can be thrown out at this point in the year. It's comes down to alignment, assignment and execution.

"The main thing is preparation and making sure we're prepared as best as possible before Friday," said Lee, who is the winningest prep coach in state history with a career record of 254-37-5. "Do everything we have to do and get it done so Friday there's no excuses, no mistakes when we enter that game."

It's a formula that has served Lee well over the years. The Crusaders collected 14 Oahu Prep Bowl titles and won the first of their three state championships, all under Lee.

The only program will more state crowns? That would be none other than Kahuku, which has defeated Saint Louis head-to-head for four of its seven state championships.

"Well, you can talk about it and all that, but none of these kids have been in the state championship — this is their first time — so you've got to just focus in on what you've got to do in practice and get ready and be prepared when you come here Friday night," Lee said. "You talk about concentration and keeping that energy level high and being ready to go on Friday."

The Crusaders quickly turned the page on last week's 56-30 semifinal win over Mililani, which propelled them into their first state final since 2010 when a Marcus Mariota-led Saint Louis team defeated Waianae, 36-13.

Last week, in just one half of work against the Trojans, junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns on an efficient 15-of-18 passing and also rushed seven times for 55 yards and two other scores.

"Well you enjoy it for 48 hours over the weekend but after that it's back to business," Lee said of the convincing victory over Mililani. "You can't look back, you've got to look forward. That's how you go forward, by looking forward. Everything in the back is in the past. It's memories. After the season you can always go back, but right now look forward and right now forward is Kahuku."

Saint Louis is averaging a shade under 40 points and 470 yards per game offensively, led by the play of Tagovailoa, who has thrown for 2,724 yards with 24 touchdowns against five interceptions and has rushed for 446 yards and 10 scores on the year.

"I think offensively we're on the right track," Lee said. "We've got Tua out there and our receivers don't get much credit, but they're catching the ball, making plays and it's just a great thing for a coach to see your offense move the ball the way it should be, so we're happy about the way they're playing."

The Crusaders' offense will be facing their stiffest test to date in a Kahuku defense that has posted six shutouts and allowed just 39 points all year.

Lee said Saint Louis will stick with what has worked all season offensively.

"I think it's more where you have to do the things that you do well," he said. "I mean, you know that they've got good athletes, but you've got to keep doing the things that you do that got you where you are now and then keep on doing it better."

WHAT: 17th First Hawaiian Bank Division I Football State Championship
WHO: Saint Louis Crusaders (9-1, ILH champion) vs. Kahuku Red Raiders (12-0, OIA Champion)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium
TICKETS: $12 general admission; $9 general admission at FHB branches; $5 students K-12 and seniors (62 years old and older with ID)
PARKING: $3, no tailgating.
STATE TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Saint Louis, ninth appearance (1999-2003, 2006-2007, 2010, 2015), 17-5 overall, 3-5 in championship games. Kahuku, 14th appearance (1999-2001, 2003-2006, 2008-2009, 2011-2012, 2104-2015), 22-5 overall, 7-2 in championship games. Head-to-head all-time series: 7-7 (4-1 in state title games)

Defensively, the Crusaders will see the return of senior linebacker Jordan Iosefa, a USC-commit, after serving a two-game suspension, but will have to overcome the loss of sophomore safety Isaiah Tufaga, who was disqualified from last week's game due to a hit on a defenseless player.

"We've just got to have somebody else step up," Lee said. "Whether it was an injury or a disqualification, somebody else has to step up and we've been through this before through injuries, etcetera, etcetera, so that's why guys have got to be prepared. On the drop of a dime they've got to be ready to go and we have guys that are going to step up."

Defensively, the Crusaders are allowing 23 points and 360 yards per game and will lineup against a Red Raider offense that is averaging nearly 250 rushing yards each time out.

"They're kind of, as everybody says, smash mouth; Put everybody in the box and smash you in the mouth, that's a physical type of game that you've got to expect and that you've got to prepare for and hopefully our kids will be ready for that kind of football," Lee said.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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