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Prep Beat
Defense ruled the day in the quarterfinals of the Chevron State Football Championships last Friday -- with three teams posting shutouts. Three shutouts
highlight state
tournament openersBy Tim Crouse
Special to the Star-BulletinTwo of those teams -- St. Louis and Waianae -- face off in the second semifinal game this Friday at Aloha Stadium, at 8:05 p.m.
Kaimuki and Kahuku meet in the first game at 5:05 p.m. -- for the second time in the postseason and the third time since September.
Waianae dumped Maui, 21-0, on the Sabers' home field of War Memorial Stadium.
It was a big reversal for the Seariders from an embarrassing 32-13 loss to Kahuku a week earlier in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game.
"It was a tough week for us," Waianae coach Danny Matsumoto said.
Not just because the team had to deal with the loss, but also because there was so much going on, including fundraising for the trip to Maui and some of the players facing the prospect of flying for the first time.
Matsumoto said despite the distractions, the team was able to shrug off the loss to Kahuku and focus on Maui.
The Seariders used two goal-line stands and a strong rushing attack to throttle the Sabers.
"They tried throwing the ball (inside the five-yard line)," Matsumoto said. "They had some size so I was surprised they didn't try to punch it in."
Lono Manners gained 112 yards on 19 carries and Brandon Lopes and Peter Sarono scored touchdowns in a five-play span in the second quarter for Waianae.
Nationally ranked defending state champion St. Louis scored 21 first-quarter points en route to 48-0 win over Castle.
The Crusaders forced turnovers on the Knights' first two plays from scrimmage and scored on both.
Senior running back Pesefea Fiaseu rushed for 114 yards and scored three first-half touchdowns.
St. Louis recorded its third consecutive postseason shutout -- including last season's 19-0 win over Kahuku in the state title game.
The last team to score on St. Louis in the playoffs was Waianae, in the opening round last year. The Crusaders won 53-21.
Matsumoto said the St. Louis team his Seariders will face on Friday looks just as good as the 1999 team.
"They look just as quick," he said. "They get the ball to their key guys quickly. and they have a tough defense. They haven't changed much to me."
The Crusaders have won 17 consecutive games.
Kaimuki blanked host Hilo, 20-0, to set up another showdown with Red Division-foe Kahuku.
Justin Faimealelei stepped in at quarterback and scored twice on the ground to lead the Bulldogs. The defense held the Vikings to just 80 yards of offense, and sacked the Hilo quarterbacks six times.
Kahuku gave up 17 points to Waimea in the second quarter at Aloha Stadium -- but won 43-17.
Aaron Francisco returned a punt for a TD, Jonathan Mapu returned a fumble for another score and A.J. Smith rushed for a pair of touchdowns to pace the Red Raiders.
Kahuku beat Kaimuki 60-18 in the regular season and 40-0 in the OIA playoffs three weeks ago.
Kahuku and St. Louis are the only repeat semifinalists from last year's tournament.
The state championship game is Dec. 1 at Aloha Stadium.
Tickets are $7 (general) and $5 (students K-12).
This is how the Star-Bulletin voted in this week's Hawaii Sports Network high school football poll. See the Prep Report in Wednesday's Star-Bulletin for comprehensive high school sports coverage. Star-Bulletin Top 10
Team Overall Record 1. St. Louis 13-0 2. Kahuku 11-2 3. Waianae 12-1 4. Kamehameha 9-2 5. Kaimuki 10-3 6. Waimea 8-1 7. Maui 10-1-1 8. Castle 9-4 9. Kailua 6-4 10. McKinley 8-2