The news isn’t good for Saint Louis.

HHSAA executive director Chris Chun confirmed on Thursday that one of Saint Louis’ key defensive players, Jordan Loveni Iosefa, will not be eligible to play in tonight’s First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships.

Saint Louis, the ILH champion, will face OIA runner-up and defending state champ Mililani in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal at Aloha Stadium. Iosefa, a rangy 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker, teams with fellow ‘backer Isaac Slade-Matautia to give the Crusaders one of the toughest and most athletic front sevens in the state. But that won’t happen tonight.

"We enforce the ILH rule, too," Chun said. "To be eligible for the state tournament, you have to follow all the eligibility rules and be eligible for league play, too. We’re just abiding by the ILH rule."

Iosefa was ejected from a second-round game against Punahou during ILH regular-season play. He sat out the league championship matchup against the same Punahou squad, and Saint Louis won to qualify for the state tourney.

Coach Cal Lee was not happy with the league, which enforced the two-game suspension. Saint Louis had hoped that Iosefa would be eligible to play after sitting out one game.

"According to (interim ILH Executive Director Georges) Gilbert, he is suspended for two games. This is a rule none of the ILH coaches knew about," Lee texted on Thursday afternoon.

Gilbert did not immediately return multiple calls Thursday night, but Damien coach Eddie Klaneski noted that the decision was discussed last week at the ILH coaches meeting.

"It was a surprise to all of us that it’s actually a judgment call," Klaneski said. "The referee can say if it’s one game or two games. They do some kind of evaluation of the situation. According to what we knew, we all assume it’s a one-game suspension. …

"Maybe there might be some writing in the rule book. But from what I knew, an ejection is a one-game suspension. I didn’t know if there was anything more to it, whether he swore or anything else. … We all thought it was kind of unfair."

Pac-Five coach Kip Botelho agreed on the usual length of suspension.

"It’s usually one game but depends on the severity," he said. "I don’t know what the kid did or how they decide. … I don’t remember (a suspension) being two games before."

Now, the Crusaders defense will go up against a Mililani offense that has a healthy McKenzie Milton back at quarterback. Arguably, it is the most explosive offense in the state, with even more weaponry than Saint Louis’.

Not long after the Lee brothers — head coach Cal and offensive coordinator Ron — guided Saint Louis to dynastic levels and left for the college game, their imprint was felt near and far.

Far, as in Central Oahu, where the Mililani Trojans and coach Rod York went to work. York learned from some of the most fertile minds to venture away from Kalaepohaku. First, ex-Saint Louis quarterback Bobby George, and then another former Crusader (and University of Hawaii) quarterback, Tim Chang.

When Mililani (10-2) and Saint Louis (8-1) meet tonight, some serious offensive brainpower will be unleashed.

For student-turned-mastermind York, it has been largely about absorbing and studying. By the time he began implementing concepts from Oregon’s read-option chapter, the offensive juggernaut era at Mililani was underway. Trent McKinney was an explosive playmaker. After him, Jarin Morikawa was a prolific passer, and following him, Milton became the ultimate jack-of-all-trades at the position — and grand master of the quick decision.

"He’s a heckuva runner, and when you come up at him he’ll throw the ball or run it. He’s a double threat no matter what you try to do," Cal Lee said.

York let Milton call the plays as always, and the Trojans offense was humming in no-huddle, hurry-up mode. A relatively healthy and spry Milton creates more gaps, more guessing by defenses. Vavae Malepeai gets more space to work with and takes fewer direct hits.

Malepeai, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, has 1,672 rushing yards and 27 TDs in 12 games this fall. He dinged a shoulder during last week’s game with Hilo and stayed on the sideline after that except for one special teams appearance with the hands unit on a Hilo onside kick.

Kalakaua Timoteo has racked up an absurd 63 receptions for 1,187 yards and 19 TDs. Using his 6-foot-2 frame to full advantage, he is a single-coverage nightmare for most cornerbacks, allowing his receiver mates on the other side of the hash marks — Rico Sallas (38 catches, 404 yards, two TDs), Bryson Ventura (35, 693, 10) and Makana Tauai (34, 480, four) — to find openings.

Their almost-mirror image is at Saint Louis, where Tua Tagovailoa has been an aerial-game surgeon (2,266 yards, 21 TDs, four INTs) and ground-game big back (424 yards, eight TDs). After gaining 25 pounds in the weight room, Tagovailoa entered the 2015 season with 215 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame. Though he has been selective about his running choices, Tagovailoa has relished every opportunity to inflict damage on comparatively smallish defensive backs and even linebackers.

"When you watch him scramble, he’s not gaining 10 yards to move the chain, but he’s getting 20, 30, 40 yards," York said.

When the Lee brothers returned to Kalaepohaku before the 2014 season, they saw a depleted defense — lack of depth on the line was an issue. The arrival of some key D-linemen like Tanielu Evaimalo has been a huge boost. But right away, Ron Lee liked what he saw in Tagovailoa, one of the most accurate passers in state history.

"Tua is thicker and a lot stronger, too. You look at his legs, just great-looking legs and body, well proportioned," Cal Lee said. "We’ve got to tell him sometimes to throw the ball away, and he’s gotten smarter about running out of bounds. The body can only take so much."

BEST IN STATE

Head-to-head: Saint Louis leads 4-1

Last meeting: Mililani 63, Saint Louis 47 (Aug. 16, 2014)

Saint Louis single-game leaders vs. Mililani

Passing: Jeremy Higgins, 291 yards (Saint Louis 48-20, Aug. 23, 2008)

Rushing: Kamana Pimental, 175 yards (Saint Louis 55-20, Aug. 27, 2011).

Receiving: Desmond Hanohano, 307 yards (Saint Louis 47-12, Nov. 21, 2003)

Mililani’s single-game leaders vs. Saint Louis

Passing: McKenzie Milton, 369 yards. (Mililani 63-47, Aug. 16, 2014)

Rushing: Vavae Malepeai, 204 yards (Mililani 63-47, Aug. 16, 2014)

Receiving: Deshawn Duncan-Benson, 189 yards (Saint Louis 55-20, Aug. 27, 2011)