Mililani’s Reichel Vegas runs a kickoff for yards during the game against Saint Louis in the HHSAA Division 1 Open State football championship semifinal last year. Tonight, the two teams face off again in the Open Division final.
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Saint Louis and Mililani, says Trojans DT Mykah Tuiolemotu, was a matter of destiny.
The teams were slated to play back in September, but Mother Nature had her way, and the threat of a hurricane eliminated the matchup, leaving only one way the two could meet.
Cal Lee and his staff have meticulously crafted another perfect season to date. At 10-0, the Crusaders have been a season-long No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10, and nationally ranked, to boot. Lee is in his 26th season as a high school head coach.
When he and brother/offensive guru Ron Lee returned to Kalaepohaku five years ago, talent was available, but lack of depth was a lingering issue. Not an issue now.
The Crusaders lost defensive back Brian Cox to suspension after he was disqualified in last week’s 49-22 semifinal win over Kahuku.
“He’s a starter. Nobody wants to lose a starter, but if someone gets hurt or isn’t available, it’s next man up,” Lee said.
“We have been good at containing, but hopefully we have disciplined defense on the back end.”
Mililani (10-2) elevated to the next level after midseason losses to St. John Bosco (Calif.) and Punahou.
“They’ve got ESPN 100 guys with multiple offers. We’ve got dudes,” Mililani coach Rod York said. “They’ve got the winningest coach in Hawaii history. My staff is all we need. They’ve got Crusader swag and we’ve got God-fidence. So I like our chances.”
MILILANI OFFENSE
The Trojans have been a scoring machine for years now, with Rod York and staff consistently testing out new wrinkles. In their 24-2 win over Campbell last week, they showed a willingness to grind out the victory with defense and an effective ground game. RBs Kilifi Malepeai and Raysen Motoyama were key.
Of course, Dillon Gabriel has no peer. The senior is the state’s all-time passing-yardage leader, and this fall he has passed for 3,488 yards and 37 TDs with just 10 picks. In true run-pass option fashion, his precision gives the offense an extended handoff every time he throws a dart on short routes.
“He can throw the ball and scramble sometimes, so you’re concerned not only with keeping him in the pocket, but making sure you have good coverage as well,” Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. “You’re hoping you can get to him, making sure on the back end you’ve got good coverage.”
Ryan Chang (53 receptions, 893 yards, seven TDs), Maka Hill (33, 528, nine), Reichel Vegas (33, 508, four) and Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi (41, 485, six) are the one foursome of pass catchers who might be on par with the team from Kalaepohaku.
Since a loss to Punahou in early September, Mililani has allowed just 6.7 points per game.
The Trojans have the kind of endurance to match the high-octane, up-tempo pace created by its offense. They’ll have to deal with a Saint Louis offense that intends to keep running more than it throws.
“We’ve got to get our eyes right, aligned properly so we can make our correct keys. It’s going to be tough because Saint Louis has run effectively and passed effectively,” York said.
The burden will be on Mililani’s stonewallers in the trenches: Ezra Save and Mykah Tuiolemotu. They trained and dieted in the offseason specifically to build endurance, to chase down the likes of Saint Louis quarterback Jayden
de Laura. Defensive ends Shane Kady and John Tuiletufuga will also face the state’s best O-line.
The Trojans have a seasoned playmaker in the secondary with versatile Asher Pilanca, who had a key interception against Campbell. They also have a superb new standout in sophomore cornerback Vaisen Viloria, who had three picks in the semifinal win after spending the regular season on the JV squad.
The Trojans may match the fleet feet of Saint Louis’ offense, but can they contain the battle inside?
“We’ll take linebackers and make them into linemen. We’re trying to get speed out there,” York said.
POS. NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.
LB 7 Mykah Tuiolemotu 5-10 225 Sr.
LB 42 Darius Muasau 6-1 225 Sr.
LB 49 Muelu Iosefa 6-3 210 Jr.
DB 13 Asher Pilanca 6-0 170 Jr.
DB 21 Kiai Ramos 5-9 150 Jr.
DB 27 Fatu Iosefa 6-1 165 So.
DB 3 Vaisen Viloria 5-9 150 So.
DL 31 John Tuiletufuga 6-0 210 Sr.
DL 41 Javon Olomua 6-1 220 Sr.
DL 45 Shane Kady 6-3 195 Jr.
DL 94 Ezra Save 6-0 235 Sr.
MILILANI SPECIAL TEAMS
Liam McGehee has been a bona fide weapon. He made four field goals and has range to 50 yards and sometimes beyond. In the win over Campbell, three Mililani kickoffs turned into touchbacks.
Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi averaged 43 yards on three punts. The former QB is also a threat on the fake punt.
EDGE: Mililani
POS. NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.
P 6 Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi 6-1 170 Sr.
R 20 Kai Banks 5-8 150 Fr.
K 84 Liam McGehee 5-4 138 Jr.
PR 39 Reichel Vegas 5-7 149 Sr.
LS 37 Noah Basa 5-9 180 Jr.
HO 6 Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi 6-1 170 Sr.
SAINT LOUIS OFFENSE
Has Mililani cracked the code? Last week, the Trojans didn’t blitz often, yet shut out Campbell’s potent offense. In theory, they could stifle Saint Louis’ four-wide attack.
The Crusaders are known nationally for producing Heisman Trophy-level quarterbacks, but OC Ron Lee has been on a ground-level campaign this fall. In fact, Saint Louis increased its ratio of run plays during the past few games and has now stayed there on 54 percent of their offensive snaps. That’s 284 rushes in 525 plays.
While Dayton Sam (489 yards, six TDs) and Robbie Paikai (426, nine) are outstanding RBs, the tilt button lights up when Jayden de Laura tucks the ball. He’s run 70 times already for 291 yards and nine TDs.
De Laura occasionally forces plays, but with 2,117 passing yards and 19 TDs with a modest eight picks, he is having a brilliant season with his completion rate (68.8 percent) and passer rating (191.55). Those numbers are easily comparable to the first-year statistics of Chevan Cordeiro (2017), Tua Tagovailoa (’14) and Marcus Mariota (’10).
The receiver corps of Roman Wilson (23 catches, 628 yards, seven TDs), Chance Beyer (47, 536, six), Koali Nishigaya (40, 479, four) and Makoa Close (26, 475, three) is rivaled only by a few competitors.
EDGE: Saint Louis
POS. NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.
QB 7 Jayden deLaura 5-11 183 Jr.
SB 1 Chance Beyer 5-9 177 Sr.
RB 4 Robbie Paikai 5-5 166 Sr.
WR 9 Makoa Close 6-0 185 Sr.
WR 14 Roman Wilson 5-10 167 Jr.
WR 23 Koali Nishigaya 5-6 155 Jr.
OL 55 Jonah Kea 5-10 253 Sr.
OL 65 Justice Mills 6-1 280 Sr.
OL 66 Benjamin Scott 6-5 285 Sr.
OL 75 Rod Dupont 5-10 302 Jr.
OL 77 Arasi Mose 6-4 358 Sr.
SAINT LOUIS DEFENSE
Top 10 defense nationally? Probably.
Top 5 or even better nationally? Possibly. The front seven has been steady as a rock, but the back end has been spectacular at times. Safety Kamo‘i Latu has come up with his biggest plays in the biggest games. It’s impossible to find a weak link, even with the suspension of CB Brian Cox.
“Latu has done so many good things. We need all 11 guys, you know,” Lee said.
If Lee seems a bit more relaxed this season, it’s because of this unit. “I like the energy. I like them being excited. Who wouldn’t want that? And when you see that, then you can calm them down. You want them excited. You see that, you’ve got to feel good about it,” he said.
Up front, Faatui Tuitele is among the top defensive linemen in the country. He ended months of speculation by committing to Washington on Sunday night. His cohorts in the trenches are Gino Quinones (USC commit) and junior Stanley McKenzie. “Tui gets a lot of recognition, but I like our nose guard Stanley McKenzie. He plugs up that middle pretty good,” Lee said.
The linebacker group may be the best in school history, with Jordan Botelho, Kila Kamakawiwo‘ole, Nick Herbig and Lawai Brown.
EDGE: Saint Louis
POS. NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.
LB 1 Kila Kamakawiwo‘ole 5-10 217 Sr.
LB 4 Lawaialani Brown 5-10 184 Jr.
LB 12 Jordan Botelho 6-2 220 Jr.
LB 19 Nicholas Herbig 6-2 199 Jr.
DB 11 Micah Tupua 6-1 175 Sr.
DB 15 Kamoi Latu 6-0 170 Jr.
S 20 Junior Wily 5-10 198 Sr.
DB 31 Korvin Feagins 5-9 149 Sr.
DL 44 Gino Quinones 6-3 270 Sr.
DL 91 Faatui Tuitele 6-4 299 Sr.
DL 94 Stanley McKenzie 6-2 280 Jr.
SAINT LOUIS SPECIAL TEAMS
The Crusaders have been consistent all season, though a kickoff return for a TD last week by Kahuku revealed a rare weak link.
“I think our kickoffs in last week’s game, that’s the first time I’ve seen someone running it back. That’s a heck of a job by the returner. We missed a lot of tackles, credit to him, but we’ve got to do a better job with all our special teams. We’ve got to make sure we all do our jobs,” Lee said. Punter/DB Micah Tupua was solid with a 41-yard average on three punts against Kahuku last week.
