Trying to solve Wai'anae's single-wing offense can leave a team in the dark.

So that's exactly what Saint Louis has been doing this past week. In an effort to force their defensive players to read their keys, the Crusaders used the twilight hours to prepare for the Seariders' mis-direction offense.

"You really have to pay attention to your keys because it is almost where you can't see the ball," Saint Louis coach Darnell Arceneaux said. "So we did some things toward the end of practice to make sure our eyes were on our keys. If they can see it in the fading hours and still make the plays, we should be all right when the lights come on."

The teams will meet for the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I state football championship, 7 p.m. Friday at Aloha Stadium. Although these teams had a history in the old O'ahu Prep Bowl, though dominated by the Crusaders, this is the first time the Seariders and Crusaders will meet in the state title game. Saint Louis has not won a state title since 2002, while Wai'anae makes its debut in the title game.

Saint Louis' defense will be challenged by the Seariders' blocking schemes and Puletua Wilson, the Seariders' talented QB who is a threat to run and throw. Kaai Tom was the scout team QB this past week.

"He had to imitate Puletua Wilson," said Crusaders' starting QB Marcus Mariota, who added the junior did a nice job.

Added Arceneaux: "He's a real good runner. He's going to be in the mix next year."

But it takes more than duplicating Wilson. The Crusaders also had to simulate the Seariders' offensive line with their second offensive line.

"We actually had the offensive linemen be offsides to give the extra step to our scout guys, to give them a quick step to make it harder on our defense," Arceneaux.

But the Crusaders have some of the most talented players in the state on their defense, led by end Juda Parker, linebacker Starr Sua and defensive backs Leland Gomez and Kalei Contrades.

Offensively, the Crusaders have been a scoring machine, averaging 41 points and 410 yards per game. Mariota is Saint Louis' version of Wilson, a running and passing threat. He has a core of talented receivers, including returning all-state end Duke Bukoski, who has a knack for coming up with big plays as evident by his team-leading 12 TD catches.

The Crusaders did beat the Seariders in preseason, 42-3, but Wai'anae has significantly improved since and are playing better than its 6-7 record indicates. But Saint Louis hasn't been to the title game since 2007, so none of its players has advanced this far in their careers. So Arceneaux, who played for winning Saint Louis Prep Bowl teams from 1993 to 1995, had some advice for his players.

"I told them to just trust me and for them to understand that is a moment of their careers in their lives they must embrace," Arceneaux said. "They can't be afraid of this moment or they can't think of this moment as too big for them. We tell them pressure is for those who don't prepare well. We don't feel pressure. We prepare, so when they get into the game, they just play football."

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