St. Louis against
No. 1 in U.S.?

The coach of the nation's top team
says he'd love to play
the Crusaders

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

How's this for a tantalizing matchup? St. Louis against the top-ranked prep football team in the country.

Could happen.

St. Louis might get a chance to play the No. 1 team in the National Prep Football Poll.

The Crusaders are ranked No. 5 in that same poll, which is compiled with input from 35 sports writers around the nation.

Cost, logistics and league regulations would seem to rule out a postseason game between No. 1 and No. 5 in 1997 but there's always next summer.

In fact, Mike Smith, who is coach of No. 1 Hampton (Va.) High School, said yesterday he'd love to play St. Louis -- here or there.

"Absolutely, we'd play them," said Mike Smith. "Our state won't allow a postseason game, but I think it would be great to match up preseason cross-country. It'd be a great challenge. I'd play anybody, anywhere, and I'm sure Hawaii would be a tremendous place to play."

Smith said he'd like to talk with St. Louis head coach Cal Lee by phone.

Lee's reaction was immediate, "I would think the football fan in Hawaii would jump at the thought of a high school game with a team like them. I will call him and see if we can get something going."

Lee said a St. Louis vs. Hampton marquee game at Aloha Stadium had the possibility of drawing as many as 30,000.

Hampton, which is situated next to Chesapeake Bay, is especially visible now because it has the country's top recruit, quarterback Ronald Curry.

Recently featured in a full-page spread in Sports Illustrated as the Old Spice Athlete of the Month, Curry last year passed for 36 touchdowns as the Crabbers outscored opponents, 819-83. He also scored 40 touchdowns while rushing the ball, returning kicks, interceptions and a blocked field goal.

SI said that recruiters consider Curry to be as good a quarterback as John Elway and Dan Marino were as prep players. As a basketball player, he is the nation's top point guard recruit.

Curry has commited to Virginia and will play both sports.

"That's mind-boggling -- 800 points against 80? Oh, I tell you, that would've been a great challenge for us. We'd be the biggest underdogs west of the Mississippi. Who wouldn't want to play a team like that?"

Hampton has a win streak of 30 games; St. Louis's streak is 23.

The Crusaders also have one of the better quarterbacks in the country in 6-2, 190-pound Jason Gesser, who has thrown only two interceptions in 16 games.

"Even though we won't have Ronald, we just might come next year to Hawaii," said Smith, who sounded genuinely intrigued by the idea. "We'll still be pretty good next year."

Smith's record backs up that projection. In his previous 26 years as Hampton's head coach, he has 277 wins against 39 losses.

Lee is 179-27-4.

St. Louis has not played a mainland team since 1995.

Lee said that he has not locked himself into any preseason commitments for 1998 and has already been checking out the possibility of bringing in a strong opponent from the West. .

"I think this is something we would have to look into," said Lee. "We have to look at who's going where, and dates, and times. Things have to be worked out."

Lee said he's always wanted to play DeLaSalle of Concord, Calif., ranked No. 2 in the National Prep Poll this year. Five years ago, he traveled to talk in person with head coach Bob LaDoucer to discuss a matchup.

Lee said he would also like to play Mater Dei, another top-10 California team, or Canyon, the only mainland team to beat St. Louis during its current streak.

of 11 Prep Bowl championships.

Canyon shocked the Crusaders, 40-0, in 1990 at Aloha Stadium.

"We'd would love to play Canyon again because they beat us so bad," said Lee.

"But right now our No. 1 goal is to win the ILH. It's disrespectful to our opponents to think beyond that."

The Crusaders are No. 21 in USA Today's "Super 25" poll and No. 13 in Dick Butkus's internet poll.