[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mililani fullback Peter Raneses was smothered by Saint Louis defenders last night at Aloha Stadium. The Crusaders beat the Trojans to move on.
Hanohano leads
Saint LouisThe wide receiver has
nine catches for 307 yards and
four TDs in a 47-12 victory
Saint Louis quarterback Kealii Perbera kept throwing it high, and all 6-foot-5 wide receiver Desmond Hanohano had to do was reach up against players who couldn't match his height and ability.
Hanohano caught a record-breaking four touchdowns from Perbera as defending state champion Saint Louis rolled over Mililani 47-12 last night in front of 5,665 in a First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships Division I quarterfinal at Aloha Stadium. Three of Hanohano's scores came in the first half as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Crusaders advanced to Friday's semifinal against Baldwin.
"The coaches preach, 'finish, finish, finish,' " Hanohano said. "They also say that if you're given an opportunity, then you've gotta make a big play. All I wanted to do was catch the ball, tuck it in and make a play."
Hanohano also set a tournament record for receiving yards with 307 on nine catches, breaking the previous mark of 179 by Saint Louis' Jason Rivers against Kailua in 2001.
"I was worried we would come out flat," Crusaders coach Darnell Arceneaux said. "But the boys continue to show up and go by the game plan. Desmond has all the potential in the world and is primed to take it to the next level. But it wasn't just a one-man show. The offensive line played great, making it easier on Kealii, who was able to get Desmond one-on-one a couple of times and find him in the seams a few more times."
The Crusaders (8-1) took a 7-0 lead on their fifth offensive play as Hanohano grabbed a short pass from Perbera, broke two tackles and sped down the sidelines for an 81-yard touchdown.
A shanked 6-yard Mililani punt led to Hanohano's next TD. This time, he beat a defender on a fade pattern to the left corner of the end zone for a 7-yard score and a 13-0 early-second-quarter lead.
"We had no answer for Hanohano," said Mililani coach James Millwood, who took an agonizing final look at the scoreboard after the game. "We tried to bump him at the line, but it didn't work. It's the most points we've given up all year."
The Trojans (9-3) cut it to 13-6 on Maka Kahoano's bomb down the right sideline as Jon Santos made an over-the-shoulder catch to complete a 53-yard TD connection.
Things were looking up for Mililani when D.J. Rice recovered a fumbled Saint Louis punt return deep in Crusaders territory late in the first half, but the Trojans failed to capitalize.
"If we could have scored at that point, maybe we could have made a game out of it," Millwood said.
Hanohano scored twice more -- on a 34-yard pass from Perbera to the right corner of the end zone late in the half and on a wide-open fly pattern for a 63-yard TD early in the third quarter.
The Trojans, who have lost three in a row after winning their first nine games, trailed by a relatively respectable 20-6 score at the half, but they couldn't stop the Crusaders, who scored 27 unanswered points in the final 24 minutes.
"Big plays really hurt us, really killed us," Mililani defensive lineman Jake Ingram said. "They weren't able to march on us, but big No. 85 (Hanohano) kept getting beyond our DBs."
Saint Louis' B.J. Batts and Stanley Nihipali scored second-half rushing touchdowns and Gabriel Vierra added to the rout with a 46-yard interception return for a TD.
"Overall, it's a great feeling," Hanohano said. "But we can't let the next one slip away from us."
Saint Louis is aiming for its 16th title (Prep Bowl or state tournament final) since 1986.
"We're in for a helluva fight against Baldwin," said Arceneaux, who was a teammate of Bears coach Chad Kauhaahaa at the University of Utah.
At Aloha Stadium
StL -- Desmond Hanohano 81 pass from Kealii Perbera (C.J. Santiago kick)
Saint Louis (8-1) 7 13 27 0 -- 47 Mililani (9-3) 0 6 0 6 -- 12
StL -- Hanohano 7 pass from Perbera (kick failed)
Mil -- Jon Santos 53 pass from Maka Kahoano (kick failed)
StL -- Hanohano 34 pass from Perbera (Santiago kick)
StL -- Hanohano 63 pass from Perbera (Santiago kick)
StL -- Gabriel Vierra 46 interception return (Bruce Mann kick)
StL -- B.J. Batts 2 run (Santiago kick)
StL -- Stanley Nihipali 8 run (kick failed)
Mil -- Santos 40 pass from Kahoano (kick failed)RUSHING: Mililani: Jordan Apduhan 13-63, Peter Raneses 6-28, Carlo Raneses 5-19, Aran Bisho 2-1, Kahoano 9-(-6). Saint Louis: Batts 10-55, Nihipali 2-14, Shaun Kauleinamoku 1-5.
PASSING: Mililani: Kahoano 11-21-1-160. Saint Louis: Perbera 9-16-0-290, Nihipali 1-2-0-43.
RECEIVING: Mililani: Bisho 5-41, Santos 4-105, Michael Pacada 1-11, P. Raneses 1-3. Saint Louis: Hanohano 9-307, Aaron Bain 1-26.
