The Saint Louis Crusaders and Narbonne Gauchos could be much more defensive when they reunite today at Aloha Stadium.
Saint Louis was explosive in a 69-6 win over Waianae last week, the first game of the newly formed Open Division in the OIA-ILH alliance. Narbonne hasn’t played a game yet.
“There’s no tape. I know they’re a good football team and they’re well coached with good players,” Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said.
Narbonne and Saint Louis met in a high-octane offensive show just 11 months ago (Sept. 23, 2017), a 56-50 comeback win by the Crusaders.
“Now that we know a little bit about them and they know more about us, it should be a better defensive game on both sides,” Lee said.
That game was practically a lifetime ago for Gauchos coach Manuel Douglas. Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) had been through the wringer. A player’s mother had passed away. The team struggled in a 52-6 loss on the road at Centennial. Next up, a trip to Hawaii to play the state’s No. 1 team, Saint Louis.
“We just didn’t compete the way we usually do. We hadn’t been blown out like that in years. My receiving corps was young, but our defense and quarterbacks, returnees. Maybe we didn’t prepare them well,” the longtime coach said on Tuesday. “I thought, we’re going to travel 2,000, 3,000 miles and get our (butts) beat by Saint Louis.”
But that week leading up to the game at Aloha Stadium was a turning point.
“After the loss, our attention to detail was great at practice,” Douglas added.
Down 37-21 at one point, Saint Louis went on to edge Narbonne in one of the wildest games of the season on Hawaiian soil.
“If I take away one play, it’s a different outcome,” Douglas said.
That play was a fluky, strange occurrence that nobody could have predicted. A pass fell from wide receiver Juwan Tucker’s right hand — his left arm was shackled by a defender — and caromed off his right knee. Saint Louis linebacker Jordan Botelho snatched the ball in mid-air for a pick-6.
“No matter what, we talk about playing four quarters. It doesn’t matter if you’re up or behind. The game never ends at the half. You’ve got to keep battling,” Lee said after the game. “That was a good football team and they gave us a good challenge. It could’ve gone either way, so we’re happy that we won.”
When Saint Louis and Narbonne meet again, it promises to be more than just a typical sequel. In the first meeting, the teams combined for 1,115 yards of total offense. Then-Saint Louis quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, now at the University of Hawaii, passed for 393 yards and seven touchdowns. Mitchell Quinn, now at Washington State, had his breakout game with seven receptions for 232 yards and four TDs. Narbonne QB Jalen Chatman (Rutgers) amassed 517 yards and five scoring tosses, and running back Jermar Jefferson (Oregon State) racked up 244 yards and three TDs from scrimmage.
“I felt like we let one get away, but I was actually pleased. Our boys were down after the game, but I told them we had to deal with the travel, the (humid) weather. I told them I was so proud of them,” Douglas said.
Narbonne went on to run the table, winning its league and the state championship. The Gauchos were in dominant form upon returning to the continent, beating Carson (48-13), Banning (51-0), San Pedro (57-7), George Washington Prep (72-0), Gardena (68-0), San Pedro (again, 48-14), Fairfax (71-0), Crenshaw (48-7) and Paraclete (56-14). Then they beat Pittsburg 28-21 — in Sacramento — for the CIF title.
Tucker went on to accept a scholarship to Oregon, the same school that four-star offensive lineman Jonah Tauanu‘u recently committed to.
Saint Louis later repeated as HHSAA state football champion. The Crusaders have not missed a beat in ’18. Highly recruited defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele (39 scholarship offers) and Botelho, now a junior, spark the Crusaders defense. Botelho’s star has risen; he now has nine scholarship offers.
The offense includes a veteran offensive line led by Arasi Mose, but the rest of the unit is young. Talented, too. First-year starter Jayden de Laura’s debut: 9-for-12, 234 yards and three TDs without a pick in one half of play.
The Gauchos are ranked No. 15 in the nation by MaxPreps. USA Today has Saint Louis ranked No. 14.
Brionne Penny, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound running back, is a younger brother of former San Diego State (and current Seattle Seahawks) RB Rashaad Penny.
NARBONNE (CALIF.) GAUCHOS (0-0) VS. SAINT LOUIS CRUSADERS (1-0)
Tonight, 7, Aloha Stadium
TV: None
Radio: 1500-AM
Only meeting: One of the best games of the season last year at Aloha Stadium was on Sept. 23, when Crusaders quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw for 393 yards and seven touchdowns to rally Saint Louis from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to a 56-50 win. Mitchell Quinn finished with 232 yards on seven receptions and caught four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter alone. Narbonne QB Jalen Chatman threw for 517 yards and six touchdowns.
—
Kahuku vs. Waianae
Today, 7:30 p.m. at Waianae
They may be rivals going back to the ancient days of the Rural Oahu Interscholastic Association. That doesn’t mean the Red Raiders (2-0, 0-0 OIA Open Division) and Seariders (0-2, 0-0 OIA Open Division) are above being friends or frenemies.
“They worked with Sola this past summer, collaborated. We don’t mind sharing,” Kahuku head coach Sterling Carvalho said of his defensive coordinator, Sola Soliai, and Waianae’s hard-working coaching staff. “That’s a good thing about my staff. We don’t mind collaborating with our colleagues. We throw around thoughts and ideas and it goes back and forth.”
Ineligibility due to academic probation hurt Waianae to this point, but a full roster will help this weekend. In losses to Waipahu and No. 1 Saint Louis, the Seariders have 19 points and 355 yards of total offense.
The Red Raiders have been steady in two wins, going without a turnover until the final minutes of last week’s win over Punahou. Miki Ah You leads a defensive unit that had eight sacks against the Buffanblu. The RB combo of Wes Alo-Maiava and Toalei Lefau has combined for 346 yards and eight TDs.
Punahou vs. Kapolei
Today, 7:30 p.m. at Kapolei
The Buffanblu (0-1, 0-1 ILH Open Division) are coming off a 41-28 loss at Kahuku. Coach Kale Ane saw his first-time starting QB, Hugh Brady, hang in the pocket despite Kahuku’s defensive prowess. Brady passed for 311 yards and two TDs, but was also sacked eight times and threw two picks.
“It’s part of the process. It was good for Hugh to go through that. We could’ve protected him better,” Ane said. “He’s a quick study and he wants to get back at it.”
Kapolei’s defense might borrow a scheme or two from Kahuku.
Led by LB Peni Naulu, the Hurricanes’ defense has allowed just 14 points per game.
Noa Bailey filled in for Christian Rapis, who was injured in the first quarter last week, at QB. The ‘Canes (1-1, 0-0 OIA Open Division) have passed the ball nearly 60 percent of the time.
“They remind me of ‘Iolani a little bit,” Ane said. “They’re disciplined in their blocking and they commit to their scheme.”
‘Iolani vs. Kailua
Today, 7:30 p.m. at Kailua
Jonah Chong has learned well. The first-year starting QB is the distributor in the Raiders’ offensive machine. With 357 yards and seven TD passes, he is doing it with efficiency: 26-for-32, no picks.
‘Iolani (2-0, 1-0 ILH D-I) has run the ball 47 times and passed it 50, the closest any team statewide is to a 50-50 run-pass split. No team has scored more than ‘Iolani, which already has 118 points. The defense, led by senior Kyler Mento and junior Lanakila Pei, limited Waipahu to just 14 points.
The Surfriders (0-2, 0-1 OIA D-I) fell to Leilehua 20-14 in overtime last week. Coach Joe Wong has a workhorse RB in Samson Rasay (28 carries, 81 yards). Eight players, including four starters, return this week from academic probation.
The two schools last played Sept. 9, 1966, at Honolulu Stadium.
“We haven’t seen too much of them,” ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “It’s all kind of brand new to us, playing these OIA teams, but that’s the challenge of it all. Everyone’s going to try to establish the run on us.”
Kamehameha vs. Mililani
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. at Mililani
Mililani quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s mastery of coach Rod York’s RPO system has led to 101 points in wins over Kailua and Farrington. Gabriel has passed for 508 yards (30-for-51) with eight touchdowns and no interceptions for the Trojans (2-0, 1-0 OIA Open Division). With an unstoppable two-way force in fullback/defensive tackle Mykah Tuiolemotu, the efficiency of the offense is peaking. Six of their 14 TDs came on the ground, thanks in large part to Tuiolemotu.
Gabriel has thrived, once again, at taking what defenses give. Four receivers — Reichel Vegas, Ryan Chang, Mystik Sampaga and Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi — have at least five catches for 91 yards.
The onus will be on Kamehameha’s swarming defense to match Mililani’s patience. Linebacker Hoku Arias led a defense that limited Kapolei to one TD last week in a 21-7 win. Christmas Togiai was sharp at QB for the Warriors (1-0, 1-0 ILH Open Division), 10-for-13, 92 yards with no turnovers, and the one-two punch of RBs Alec Serrao and Reino Bush combined for 134 yards on 24 carries.
These teams last met in 2005, a 26-6 preseason win by Kamehameha at Aloha Stadium.
Farrington vs. Campbell
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. at Campbell
Even after a humbling 57-15 loss at Mililani, the Governors (1-1, 0-1 OIA Open Division) are marching forward. First-year head coach Daniel Sanchez praised the biggest weapons on offense, WR Raymond Millare and RB Selau Kalani.
“They’re stepping up to the plate and making plays for us,” he said.
The Govs will face a stellar Sabers defense that features the rangy play of Poki‘i Adkins-Kupukaa. Now a junior, he was a standout receiver and DB last season. Though he could dominate offensively, veteran coach Darren Johnson has the talented playmaker full-time on defense.
The Sabers (1-0, 0-0 OIA Open Division) had their lone bye last week, giving them ample time to prepare for Farrington. They’ve been ahead of the pack from the start thanks to a 100 percent academically eligible roster.
“It’s pretty much tough love,” Johnson said. “All of our coaches are accountable for their players. I come down pretty hard on them. We have a good tutorial system here for all the student body, but we take advantage of it.”
———
Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
