No. 1 Saint Louis shows no mercy in routing Kamehameha

Chevan Cordeiro passed for 250 yards and ran for 53, accounting for three touchdowns as No. 1 Saint Louis overpowered No. 5 Kamehameha 44-0 on Friday night at Aloha Stadium in both teams’ Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener.

Cordeiro, a first-year starter, completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts and scrambled his way out of trouble all game long. Kamehameha’s normally stout defense had him in their grasp several times, but wasn’t able to sack him once.

Things got tougher on Kamehameha when quarterback Thomas Yam was sidelined in the first half. Coach Abu Ma’afala said Yam injured his elbow against Carson (Calif.) last week, then hurt his shoulder against the Crusaders.

“We’re just happy that we did the best we could with what we had. You can’t make mistakes against guys like that,” Ma’afala said. “The ILH is the SEC of Hawaii football. Against a team like this and a quarterback who can throw and run like that, we were down just 14-0 at halftime.”

Indeed, Saint Louis (3-0) drove to the Kamehameha 1-yard line late in the first half and came up empty. That gave the Warriors (3-1) some momentum going into the break, but the second half was all Saint Louis, as Cordeiro connected with receivers like Jonah Panoke (seven catches, 100 yards, one TD).

Still, longtime coach Cal Lee was less than satisfied.

“I thought at times we played good defense, but at times we made some stupid mistakes. Tackling could get better. Running to the ball, we’re not there yet,” he said. “Kamehameha ran the ball up our (tail). Their defense got some pressure on us, but (Cordeiro) could get away.”

Kanoa Shannon finished with 83 hard-earned yards on 27 carries. Kamehameha finished with 155 yards of total offense, and just eight first downs.

Saint Louis moved the ball without much resistance in its first two series. They needed just five plays to cover 61 yards, including a 20-yard scramble by Cordeiro, before scoring on sophomore Kainalu Tumpap’s 5-yard run.

After another Kamehameha three-and-out, the punt was partially blocked and the Crusaders took over just 41 yards from paydirt. Tumpap’s 2-yard run gave Saint Louis a 14-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

Kamehameha tried valiantly to establish a ground attack, and on its fourth series, was most effective. Shannon carried the ball eight times, including six carries in a row as the Warriors got to the Saint Louis 22-yard line. After a procedure call, they stalled and Saint Louis took over at its 25.

The Crusaders drove to the 1-yard line, but a penalty cost them 5 yards, and then Cordeiro’s scrambling cost him the ball. He fumbled on a sack and Joshua Mahelona recovered for Kamehameha. He had an open field, but lost his balance and hit the ground at the Warriors’ 23-yard line shortly before the half.

With Yam sidelined, the Warriors offense was fairly stagnant. Saint Louis scored 30 points after intermission, including a 28-yard TD pass from reserve quarterback Maika Bonner to sophomore Matthew Sykes.

Click here to see more photos of the game between St. Louis and Kamehameha.