Kahuku's Kesi Ah-Hoy falls into the end zone without the ball as Saint Louis Isaiah Tufaga comes down with the loose ball. Steve Erler | SL

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Kahuku's Kesi Ah-Hoy falls into the end zone without the ball as Saint Louis Isaiah Tufaga comes down with the loose ball. Steve Erler | SL

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A makeshift play designed at the last minute was one of two pivotal plays that helped Saint Louis beat Kahuku, 30-14, for the inaugural First Hawaiian Bank Open Division state football championship.

A crowd of 20,477 at Hawaiian Tel FCU Field at Aloha Stadium watched the Crusaders, nursing a 16-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, recycle a Kahuku fumble at the goal line into an insurance score.

It all began after Jacob Tobias' 40-yard field goal with 11:50 in the game put Saint Louis ahead, 16-14. Elvis Vakapuna returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to the Saint Louis 35 after a 10-yard holding penalty. Wildcat Kesi Ah Hoy rushed the ball six of the eight plays of the series, including a 3-yard run to the Saint Louis 2 for a first-and-goal.

The break for Saint Louis was when Ah Hoy decided to leap over the line, but instead lost the ball that was recovered by Isaiah Tufaga in the end zone for a touchback. The Red Raiders not only lost an opportunity to jump ahead, but the Crusaders took advantage of the turnover with a TD of their own to pad their lead.

"I mean, we were real fortunate," Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. "That jump and fumble, that helped."

The next break came four plays later when the Crusaders faced fourth-and-1 from their own 29. Tagovailoa started from the shotgun formation, before moving up behind center Eliki Tanuvasa then took the snap, as Kahuku defenders came surging toward the middle of the line of scrimmage.

"I was supposed to go forward, but I saw them crash (toward the middle)," Tagovailoa said.

Instead, he scraped left en route to a back-breaking 28-yard gain to the Kahuku 43. Three plays later, Tagovailoa scored on a 30-yard run for his team-leading eighth of the season.

The fourth-down conversion play was not something designed at practice.

"What (Tagovailoa) said (in the huddle) was ‘I'm going start at shotgun, ready, set, come under center, go, and then sneak it.'" Saint Louis offensive tackle Michael Minihan said. "But the (Kahuku players) came in at the last second and he just went around. We didn't practice this play. It was just spur of the moment."

Lee concurred about the last-second decision of the play.

"That was play was designed 10 seconds before we snapped the ball," Lee said, "because who would you want to have the ball on a crucial play like that. He's gifted where he can take the ball up the middle or do whatever."

Indeed.

Tagovailoa combined for 379 yards of offense. He was 16 of 25 for 243 yards passing, including a 52-yard TD to Jonah Panoke. Tagovailoa also led his team in rushing with 136 yards on 18 rushes.