GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Quarterback Waika Carvalho and Kahuku take on Saint Louis for the Division I title tomorrow.
Kahuku, Saint Louis
square off for titleThe teams meet in the state final
for the third time in four years
These days, the long arm of Kahuku's football following is as evident as ever.
At the Kahuku.org store on the school's campus, where anything from Kahuku T-shirts to baseball caps to golf bags are available, business is brisk, with orders coming in from all around.
"In the past two weeks, we've done five times (the business) we did last year when we were losing and double what it was two years ago when we were winning because we have more products," said Mary Ann Long, who runs the store. "These people are die-hards. The Kahuku pride is like nothing else -- it's what fuels everything."
First Hawaiian Bank State
Football ChampionshipsDivision I
Championship
TomorrowSaint Louis (9-1) vs. Kahuku (13-0), at Aloha Stadium, 8 p.m.
Division II
Championship
TomorrowDamien (5-5) vs. Aiea (9-2), at Aloha Stadium, 5 p.m.
One Kahuku alum, Alvin Akiyama ('63), recently placed a hefty order for T-shirts from his home in Okinawa. He and his friends will be receiving live updates of tomorrow's First Hawaiian Bank State Championship game against Saint Louis, which is set for 8 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.
Emblazoned across many of the shirts is the message "Reloaded," a slogan coined by Kahuku senior and Kahuku.org employee, Kameron Fely.
Perhaps there could be no better theme for the 2003 Red Raider team. A year ago, Kahuku finished a disappointing 6-3 and missed the state tournament altogether, losing to Farrington in the Oahu Interscholastic Association quarterfinals. The Kahuku community has been waiting for the pendulum to swing its way ever since.
"I remember after the loss to Farrington last year, everyone looking at each other and crying and stuff, realizing what an opportunity we missed in not making it to the state championship," Kahuku linebacker Walker Vave said. "We worked so hard during the summer. But winning all the games we won (this season) is nothing compared to (the magnitude of) this game. This is the big one."
Indeed, tomorrow night's game between the Red Raiders (13-0) and the Crusaders (9-1) will mark the third time in four years that the teams are meeting in the state final. The Crusaders, who won last year's state title over Castle, won every Prep Bowl from 1986 to 1998, but lost to Kahuku in the 2000 and 2001 state title games after winning the inaugural event in '99.
In such a marquee matchup, who has the psychological edge is anybody's guess, but for Saint Louis defensive lineman Tavita Thompson, the Crusaders' aforementioned losses to the Red Raiders are motivation enough.
"I remember watching the loss as a freshman and as a sophomore (as a player)," Thompson said. "I know what it feels like to lose, and I don't want to be a part of a loss now."
"Last year, we didn't get to challenge them, so this is the perfect game," Saint Louis senior defensive back Keao Monteilh added. "The (state) championship game should have the two best teams, and I believe it's us and Kahuku."
Both Thompson and Monteilh, along with middle linebacker Dylan Moss and end Tyson Alualu, will likely play big roles for the Crusader defense tomorrow night. In a game destined to have its share of individual battles, the matchup between the Kahuku offense and the Saint Louis defense should figure big.
"Their offensive line is probably the best that we'll face this year," Thompson said. "They're big, and they like to come at you, so that will be a challenge. That's the heart and soul of their offense."
Behind center Jeremy Perry, who is 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, Kahuku's line has paved the way for a balanced offense.
"We have to stop the run -- that's most important," Monteilh says.
Adds Saint Louis defensive coordinator Eddie Klaneski: "We expect them to try and run the ball to open up the pass. They haven't shown us otherwise all year, so we're going to try and stop the run and make them throw the ball. If they're going to beat us, we want them to beat us in the air."
In addition to a stable of running backs, Kahuku has quick-score capability with quarterback Waika Carvalho and wideout Spencer Hafoka, and a clutch receiver in tight end Tevita Finau. Carvalho missed Kahuku's first-round game against Kauai after receiving ten stitches in his foot from a non-football-related injury, but started last week and has regained his mobility.
For the Red Raiders, self-inflicted wounds are more of a concern: Kahuku fumbled ten times against Farrington last week, losing four.
"The key to the game for us is to have no turnovers," Carvalho said. "Against a team like Saint Louis, which will capitalize on everything, we have to take care of the ball."
"We have to stick to our blocks and do what we have to do to win (the battle) up front," adds Perry. "They (Saint Louis) look good all around. They have speed, and they're well coached. We'll have to play a near-perfect game."
Offensively, Saint Louis features quarterbacks Stanley Nihipali and Keali'i Perbera, wide receivers Desmond Hanohano and Shaun Kauleinamoku, and right tackle Makana Mardonada, who anchors the Crusader line. Saint Louis will be without the services of offensive linemen Bronson Carvalho and Fale Laeli, whose eligibility expired at the end of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's regular season. Kahuku will be without sophomore running back Hyrum Moors, who has to sit out a game after being ejected in last week's semifinals.
The Red Raiders will counter, defensively, with Vave, defensive back Al Afalava, and down-linemen Shosei Yamauchi and Makana Nicodemus.
Although the Crusaders pride themselves on taking what a defense presents, they are as happy to throw the ball as Kahuku is running it.
"We thrive on the pass game; they thrive on the run game," Saint Louis coach Darnell Arceneaux says. "Our biggest thing is execution. This game is going to be about who executes better, and it may even come down to who has the ball last."
