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Prep Beat
Iolani got the better of St. Louis in football on Wednesday, but Raiders coach Wendell Look isn't celebrating and St. Louis coach Cal Lee isn't fretting. Pass League is
in full spiralIt was just the opening of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's Summer Pass League. Games are basically 7-on-7 non-contact scrimmages without kicking.
"Pass league is nothing. It's really no indication . . . just practice is what it is," Look said. "I don't even know the score. We're more concerned about how our kids are developing. The score doesn't matter. It's really no big deal."
Lee said the score was "28-14, I think."
"Iolani's not bad," he said. Nobody stands out physically, but they made plays."
Raiders sophomore quarterback Robert Mageo played with poise.
"For his first time back there, he did a good job," Look said. "He's a good athlete and he's starting to understand what we're trying to do."
Look said Mageo will probably back up junior Kila Ka'aihue in the fall. Ka'aihue is on a baseball trip.
Seven Oahu Interscholastic Association teams -- way more than usual -- join the six ILH teams in the pass league this summer, which is normally played on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at school fields.
"Maybe that's a sign of the times," Look said. "Maybe a lot of teams are going to throw the ball."
Saints get turf
The St. Louis School practice field is undergoing a major facelift. The Crusaders are getting a state-of-the-art artificial surface."It's called Sports Turf. It's the new type of sports field that they have at Nebraska, Washington, Washington State, and Tropicana Field," Lee said.
Lee said the surface is "knee- and ankle-friendly to athletes, and you can slide on it without getting burns."
A recent study showed that there are 50 percent less injuries than on Sports Turf than on other artificial surfaces, Lee said.
"Plus we'll save a lot of money on water, fertilizer and pesticides," he added.
Lee said the surface should be completely emplaced by Aug. 7, St. Louis' first day of fall practice.
Comings and goings
Former University of Hawaii volleyball player Rick Tune is the new head coach at St. Louis . . . If the name of DeShawn Stevenson -- the youngster who went straight from high school to the Utah Jazz in last week's NBA Draft -- seemed familiar, perhaps you remembered him from last winter's Iolani Classic, when Stevenson played for Washington Union and scored 45 points in a game.
By Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin