Kamehameha RB Kanoa Shannon tries to escape Saint Louis DL Faatui Tuitele in an 2016 ILH D1 contest. John Lujan | SL

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Saint Louis football coach Cal Lee can find the silver lining in just about any ordeal.

Case in point, the Crusaders' length layoff since the last time they took the field for a game nearly three weeks ago. Relatively late in the summer, a mainland opponent pulled out of a non-league that game was scheduled for last Saturday. As a result, Lee's team was left with just two tune-ups before Friday night's Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I opener against fifth-ranked Kamehameha.

Problem? Nah.

"We wanted to play a few more games prior to the start of the season but with the way things worked out, you've got to use it as a positive and the positive being that you were able to concentrate more on Kamehameha and getting prepared for the ILH," said Lee, the winningest prep coach in state history.

Kickoff between the Warriors (3-0) and Crusaders (2-0) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

Not only will be it 20 days since second-ranked Saint Louis cruised to a 61-0 win over Baldwin back on Aug. 12, it will be idle once again next week due to a bye in the three-team ILH D1 schedule.

"Ideally you would want to keep the boys active week after week, getting them more and more prepared, but the situation being the way it is you've just got to keep practicing and more time to prepare is usually a positive thing," Lee said. "You get more time and use it as maybe healing and get ready and that's all you can do. That's the cards that are dealt and that's the hand you've got to play."

The Crusaders, coming off last year's inaugural Open Division state title, have kept the ball rolling in 2017. Despite losing All-Hawaii D1 Offensive Player of the Year Tua Tagovailoa to graduation, the offense is averaging 55 points and more than 387 yards per game under the control of quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who has thrown for 316 yards and scored five total touchdowns — three of them on the ground.

"He's a competitor. He competes and he shows that leadership on the field snf you like that in an athlete," Lee said of the senior and University of Hawaii-commit. "Not only can he throw the ball, but he's smart, intelligent, he's a competitor and he has the ability to run if he has to run, as well."

With both games well in hand by halftime, Cordeiro saw limited action, but has completed 20 of 33 passes on the season. He has thrown two TDs and was intercepted once.

"He's shown the ability to lead the team offensively and I really think he's going to do some really good things for us what we've seen and what we know of him," Lee said.

As good as the offense has been, the defense has been lights out thus far. It held run-first Waianae to minus-30 rushing yards and pass-happy Baldwin to 3-of-11 passing for 13 yards with two interceptions. It has surrendered just 58 total yards and seven points this year.

Lee complimented the play of junior linebacker Kila Kamakawiwoole, who stepped into the starting lineup after the departure of Second-Team All-Hawaii linebacker Dylan Toilolo to Kapolei last month.

"He's really stepped it up and that's how you've got to do it because you never know when a guy gets sick, gets injured, something happens and somebody has to step up and he's filled the bill really well and stepped up," Lee said. "Football is a physical game. You lose a guy, somebody tweaks an ankle and the next man has to step up."

The Warriors, meanwhile, have had a busy month of August, posting road wins over Farrington and Lahainaluna before pulling away from visiting Carson (Calif.) last week in their lone appearance at Kunuiakea Stadium this season.

"We did well. The number one thing, like I've been talking about this whole time, is continuing to build camaraderie and the culture as a team," Kamehameha second-year coach Abu Maafala said. "We had a great non-league schedule, but now this (the ILH) is the SEC of Hawaii football and we've got to be prepared. We do have some confidence going into this game because of how we meshed and jelled, so we gotta have some confidence that we can go out and execute and do what we need to do."

Maafala's first season at his alma mater resulted in a 2-4 mark in the ILH and 3-6 record overall. After splitting a pair of non-league games against Waianae and Baldwin, Kamehameha was torched by Punahou, 56-14, to open ILH play last season.

"We needed as many reps as we could get, which is why the first thing we did last offseason was try and schedule as many games as we could going into league play so that we could get some film, work together and jell," Maafala said, whose team has played three games in the last four weeks. "For us, it was good to play that many games, but I want to see how we compete in the ILH because of how competitive it is."

Kamehameha has been steady on both sides of the ball this year. Offensively, it averages just under 34 points and 259 yards per game, while the defense is giving up an average of just over 11 points and 170 yards each time out.

Senior running back Kanoa Shannon (46 carries for 284 yards, 3 TDs) is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

"He's done a great job," Maafala said of Shannon, who was a little banged up earlier this season. "He put in a lot of work this offseason and has built his body up and his turnaround time has been good in our three very physical games. He's had a heck of a year so far."

Saint Louis won both meetings against Kamehameha last season, 35-3 on Sept. 17, and 21-7 on Oct. 7.

"There will be a lot of emotion, a lot of adrenaline, but we've got to keep our bellies hot and our heads cool," Maafala said. "Saint Louis is not the defending state champs for nothing. As a coach, you try to find whatever weaknesses they have and it's really, really hard to find any with this team. Like any other Cal Lee-led, Saint Louis team, they're a well-coached, disciplined football team that is fast and they can make you pay dearly for mistakes. That's why our focus has to be on our guys and executing, because Saint Louis is going to be come after you."

The Crusaders will play without wide receiver Chris Sykes (shoulder), who is expected to miss at least one more week before returning from injury.