Wednesday, July 28, 1999
St. Louis ranked
No. 3 in nation
The Crusaders are tops in the
By Cindy Luis
West, according to Fox Sports Net,
which hopes to set up a prep
national championship
Star-BulletinA new season, an old story. The St. Louis School football team has again gained national recognition.
And, if everything goes the way a national cable network hopes, this could be the first step in St. Louis' march to a national football title. Fox Sports Net, which has the Crusaders ranked No. 3 in its Fab 50 preseason poll, is proposing a prep playoff system that will result in a high school champion being crowned as early as December 2000 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Perennially mentioned in the USA Today Super 25 rankings, the Crusaders also top the list of 15 schools in the West region, an area comprised of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Hawaii.
Also gaining notice in the Fox Sports Net poll was Kahuku (12-1), which is ranked 14th in the West region. The Red Raiders' only loss was to St. Louis in last year's Prep Bowl, 28-20.
Two St. Louis players were also named to RivalNet's Top 100 Rising Seniors list. Selected were all-state quarterback Timmy Chang (6-foot-2, 180 pounds), one of seven signal-callers picked, and slotback Gerald Welch (5-9, 190).
St. Louis coach and athletic director Cal Lee said he was pleased with the national attention, adding it reflected well on the performances of the past few years.
"It's just a tremendous honor to be recognized nationally," said Lee. "It makes you feel proud. Three is a good number. It gives us something to shoot for.
"The ranking is a reflection of a lot of great players and a tremendous staff of coaches who have helped the program over the years to be successful. We're pleased but we are just trying to get ourselves ready for the upcoming season."
"The ranking is a reflection of
a lot of great players and a tremendous
staff of coaches who have helped
the program over the years."Cal Lee
ST. LOUIS HEAD FOOTBALL COACHThe Crusaders open the season Aug. 20 against Chugiak High of Alaska, a perennial powerhouse that was a semifinalist in the Alaska state playoffs last season. St. Louis finished 13-1 last year, winning its 13th consecutive Prep Bowl, 14th overall. The Crusaders' lone loss was a forfeit to Kamehameha, a school-imposed penalty following an investigation of improper conduct and hotel damage during a road trip to Las Vegas in November.
Ahead of St. Louis in the national poll are Evangel Christian (15-0) of Shreveport, La., and Robert E. Lee (15-1) from Midland, Texas. In the regional poll, the Crusaders are ranked ahead of De La Salle of Concord, Calif., which has a national-best 88-game winning streak.
In USA Today's final poll last season, St. Louis was ranked 22nd. Kahuku reached No. 18 before dropping out of the final poll.
For the first time in its history, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association will sponsor a football championship this fall.
As far as the national championship game, Fox Sports is proposing a nation-wide playoff that would pit ranked teams against each other throughout the season.
The major snag is that the National Federation of State High School Associations has a policy in place prohibiting a national championship game in any prep sport. Although the HHSAA bylaws do not specifically prohibit participation in a national title game, HHSAA Executive Director Keith Amemiya said his organization would adhere to the national association's rules.
However, speculation is that the national federation may amend its policy to allow for a football playoff. Progress has been made toward holding the inaugural game 17 months from now.
The idea of a national championship intrigues Lee.
"I think it's something every youngster looks forward to, to go to the national level," said Lee. "It would be a great opportunity for our players to be part of a national championship game."
