Saturday, November 21, 1998
Crusaders
make it 13
in a row
St. Louis pulls away from
By Pat Bigold
Kamehameha to capture the
LH prep football title
Star-BulletinVisualize the lion's cage.
That's where Kamehameha was last night before 7,271 fans at Aloha Stadium.
Like the trainer with his whip and chair, Kamehameha managed to hold off the lion that is the St. Louis football team for one quarter.
But exploiting consecutive mistakes, St. Louis eventually devoured whip, chair and trainer in a 37-12 victory that gave the Crusaders their 13th consecutive Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship.
St. Louis will seek its 13th consecutive Prep Bowl title Friday night at the stadium when it faces Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Kahuku (12-0 overall).
It will be the first time two nationally ranked teams have faced each other in the postseason island championship. St. Louis is ranked No. 15 in the National Prep Football Poll and Kahuku is No. 18 in USA Today's "Super 25."
St. Louis junior quarterback Timmy Chang completed eight of 17 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns to lead the ILH's top offense. All-state slotback Gerald Welch caught four passes for 133 yards.
"Kamehameha's defense is the strongest we've faced all year, but my O-line gave me a lot of time," Chang said.
Chang, who was under tremendous pressure as an inexperienced starter in a playoff against Kamehameha last year, said he was more focused this time.
"I was able to take the crowd out of the game," he said.
Defensively, Jandin Thornton Murray recorded his eighth and ninth interceptions of the year for the Crusaders (12-1 overall).
Kamehameha's defense, led by linebacker Watson Hoohuli and lineman Houston Ala, frustrated the Crusaders in the first quarter, holding them to a 21-yard field goal by Mark Lau on the first of their three possessions.
That gave the Crusaders a short-lived 3-0 lead.
A 90-yard kick return by Chad Mahoe set up a 3-yard Everett Hesia touchdown run that put the Warriors on top with 4:41 left in the first quarter.
Later in the quarter, after moving the ball to its own 42, Kamehameha opted to punt on fourth-and-one.
It was a momentum-breaking decision, and it had the St. Louis lion licking its chops.
Two plays and two illegal procedure penalties later, Chang fired over the middle to Issac Rodrigues, who went 76 yards to regain the lead for St. Louis.
St. Louis 3 14 13 7--37 Kamehameha 6 0 0 6--12St.Louis: Mark Lau 21 FG
Kamehameha: Everett Hesia 3 run (kick failed)
St.Louis: Issac Rodriguies 76 pass from Timmy Chang (Lau kick)
St.Louis: Jandin Thornton-Murray 80 return of interception (Lau kick)
St.Louis: Noah campbell 2 run (kick failed)
St.Louis: Damien Cole 1 run (Lau kick)
St.Louis: Gerald Welch 59 pass from Chang (Lau kick)Rushing--St.Louis: Chang 5-(-32), Campbell 11-26, Pesefea Fiaseu 3-1, Cole 12-98, Ikaia Vierra 1-4, Layton Aliviado 1-(-2). Kamehameha: Hesia 19-75, Kauka Castro 5-0, Chad Mahoe 3-4, Preston Velasco-Laybon 3-11, Kanoa Alapai 1-15, Ekolu Smith 1-(-5).
Passing--St.Louis: Chang 8-17-0 for 287 yards. Kamehameha: Castro 6-13-2 for 87 yards, Smith 2-5-0 for 12 yards, Ikaika DuPont 3-5-0 for 25 yards.
Receiving--St.Louis: Aliviado 2-69, Rodrigues 1-76, Welch 4-133, Kaui Ho 1-9. Kamehameha: Gareth Yahiku 3-58, Kai Hudgins 2-15, Elia Akau 2-28, Alapai 1-(-2), W. Keoni Souza 2-22, Dane Antoque 1-3.
