Crusaders quarterback
Gesser out for season

He suffered a broken bone
in his left arm

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Jason Gesser, the quarterback who has led the nationally-ranked St. Louis football team to an unbeaten record so far this season, said last night that he has a broken left arm and his high school career is over.

"The bone that goes into the elbow socket is broken," said Gesser, a senior who earned first team all-star honors in 1996 after the Crusaders won their 11th straight Interscholastic League of Honolulu title and Prep Bowl championship.

"I feel sad that I can't be there to the end and go out with a bang, but that's life," said Gesser.

St. Louis (9-0 ILH, 11-0 overall) has one league game left to play against Kamehameha this week at Aloha Stadium. Both the Crusaders and the Warriors are unbeaten in the second round at 4-0. If St. Louis, which won the first round, beats Kamehameha, the Crusaders will win the league title and advance to the Prep Bowl. If Kamehameha wins, a playoff between the teams will determine the ILH champion.

Gesser suffered his injury in the second series of last weekend's 21-7 victory over Punahou at Aloha Stadium. He was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on a play he said was supposed to be a bootleg.

But Gesser said he thinks backup Timmy Chang, who threw for three touchdowns in the game, will be a sound replacement.

Gesser finished the season with 2,368 yards passing, completing 129 of 235 attempts, and 29 touchdowns. The Crusaders were 24-0 with him as their starting quarterback.

Gesser, who has easily met all the NCAA clearinghouse requirements, is being recruited by several Division I college programs.

"Right now, I am planning to take official trips to the University of California and Washington State," he said.

Oregon, San Diego State, Wyoming, Utah, Washington and Colorado also are others he is considering. He acknowledged that the University of Hawaii is also recruiting him.