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Rush hour
Saint Louis-Kamehameha
showdown could be decided
by running game
LOOK for the running game to decide the Saint Louis vs. Kamehameha football showdown Saturday night.
Here's why:
The Warriors (3-0-1, 1-0 Interscholastic League of Honolulu) have a balanced multiple formation offense, but their main engine -- or, bread and butter, if you will -- is their ground attack.
The Crusaders (2-1, 0-0) are the opposite. Out of the run-and-shoot, they prefer to eat up chunks of yardage through the air, but a successful running game is a must in order for the passing game to maintain its productivity over four quarters.
The contrast between the two styles is evident when you take a closer look at the starting running backs.
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KAMEHAMEHA'S JAYSON REGO is shifty. He likes to follow his blockers up the middle and cut when he needs to. He also has the ability to somehow break tackles when it appears he's wrapped up by one or more opponents.
"Jayson has got good sense running inside," Warriors coach Kanani Souza said. "He has the courage and the ability to get to the line of scrimmage and find the holes or find something if the holes aren't there. He's from a good family and he's just a humble kid who loves the game and loves the contact.
"He takes things personal and really cares about his team and his teammates."
Saint Louis' Kevin Sullivan comes right at you -- hard -- and usually up the middle off draw plays. He hasn't lost too many one-on-one matchups against lone defenders this year and it usually takes a couple of them to wrestle him down. He's listed at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, but plays much bigger than that. Just ask those trying to tackle him.
"Kevin is a north and south, straight-ahead runner," Crusaders coach Delbert Tengan said. "He's built low to the ground and he has great leg drive. He's tough to bring down and he's deceptive because he doesn't look fast. But he picks up positive yardage in chunks."
Both teams are deep at running back. Cody Wells and Andrew Shriver also see time at the position for Saint Louis, while Kamehameha sometimes goes with Sherwin Perez and Ryan Montez to carry the ball.
Rego is the clear-cut starter for the Warriors. He rushed for 118 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 34-7 rout of Punahou last Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
Sullivan, however, is in a constant battle for his job. He started the year as a fourth-stringer, but quickly moved up.
"All of our running backs bring a uniqueness to the game," Tengan said.
"Cody Wells has speed to bounce outside or hide behind his blockers. He is more of a jitterbug runner.
"Andrew is a tough, blue-collar runner and an excellent blocker. We have a lot of depth at the position and they really push each other. They're all hungry for their chances to play."
Rego and Sullivan met at the Hula Bowl camp last year, and neither one of them knew they'd definitely be starting this year.
Both are confident about their team's chances in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game at Aloha Stadium.
"I know for sure that it's going to be tough," Rego said. "It is always one of the toughest games of the season and we're looking forward to it."
He doesn't want a repeat performance of last year, when the Warriors beat the Crusaders 16-13 in the league opener but then lost a late-season game to Punahou before being bombed 51-19 by Saint Louis for the ILH championship and a berth in the Division I state tournament.
"It's in my head, what happened last year," Rego said. "We definitely don't want to lose to them and we don't want to lose the league championship this year."
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THE CRUSADERS ARE TRYING to bounce back from a 37-17 loss to Kahuku three weeks ago and they've had plenty of time to prepare for Kamehameha.
"This game is so important, especially since we lost to Kamehameha the first time around last year," Sullivan said. "We don't want to let that happen again."
Saint Louis (No. 2 in the Star-Bulletin top 10 media poll) has won 18 straight ILH championships and has secured a berth into all five Division I state championship games since the inaugural event in 1999.
Kamehameha (No. 3 in poll) is trying for its first ILH championship since 1979 and its first spot in the states.
The Warriors barely missed overtaking the Crusaders for the league crown two years ago, too.
They opened with a 41-20 victory, only to lose the second encounter 14-13 and the tie-breaking playoff game 27-12.
Games between Kamehameha and Saint Louis usually draw big crowds, and Saturday should be no exception. Last year, more than 9,400 fans showed up for the season opener and close to 11,000 attended the Crusaders' title-clinching victory.
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