HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Saint Louis still hungry
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Most high school football programs would celebrate a 22-2 record over two seasons. But at Saint Louis, expectations are higher.
Two losses in back-to-back state championship games - including a stunning 20-16 defeat at the hands of Leilehua late in the fourth quarter of last year's HHSAA Division I title tilt - frustrated the Crusaders faithful.
Enter John Hao.
The former Saint Louis and University of Hawaii quarterback takes the helm at his alma mater, aiming to lead the Crusaders to their first state title since 2002.
Despite losing five Star-Bulletin All-State first-team selections - including quarterback Micah Mamiya - coaches and media members voted Saint Louis No. 3 in the Star-Bulletin Football Preseason Top 10.
The Crusaders open nonconference play on the road at Mililani next Saturday.
CHANCE GUSUKUMA
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FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Saint Louis' Jaris Popaca-Falefa caught a pass during drills for receivers yesterday at the Crusaders' practice session.
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John Hao doesn't want his players to forget.
No. 3 Saint Louis
Here's a look at Saint Louis' recent history and its schedule this season:
2007 (11-1, state final)
| Kahuku |
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W 21-6
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| Kailua |
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W 48-7
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| Aiea |
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W 41-12
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| Punahou |
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W 28-14
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| Kamehameha |
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W 14-7
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| Iolani |
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W 49-34
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| Punahou |
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W 7-0
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| Damien |
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W 54-27
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| Pac-Five |
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W 55-10
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| Kamehameha |
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W 25-7
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| Waianae |
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W 44-6
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| Leilehua |
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L 16-20 |
Previous four years
2006: 11-1, state final
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2005: 8-4
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2004: 7-3
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| 2003: 9-2, state final |
2008
| Aug. 23 |
at Mililani
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| Aug. 30 |
vs. Farrington**
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| Sept. 13 |
Punahou*
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| Sept. 19 |
Kamehameha*
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| Oct. 4 |
Iolani*
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| Oct. 10 |
Pac-Five*
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| Oct. 18 |
Word of Life*
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| Oct. 24 |
Damien*
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| Oct. 30 |
Kamehameha*
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| Nov. 12 |
Punahou* |
* - at Aloha Stadium
** - at Roosevelt
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The first-year head coach challenged his Saint Louis team to use the bitter memory of last year's loss to Leilehua in the Division I state football championship as motivation.
"If they can remember what it felt like to lose the championship game, then they have an image in their mind that they can stop and correct," Hao said. "If you remember how bad you felt, you don't want to feel like that again, so you'll do whatever it takes (to win)."
The Crusaders took the Interscholastic League of Honolulu D-I title again in 2007, but it's six long years since Saint Louis last won a state championship.
Hao isn't promising a return to the top, but he and his staff are demanding excellence - focusing on fundamentals, taking care of assignments and minimizing mistakes. After that he said, "Everything else will fall into place."
"Of course, winning is what we're striving for," said the former Saint Louis and UH quarterback who led the Crusaders to a Prep Bowl victory in 1989. "But what we need to do (as coaches) is to make sure these kids know exactly what they're supposed to do."
Mindful of the proud Saint Louis program's winning tradition, coaches and media members voted Saint Louis No. 3 in the Star-Bulletin Football Preseason Top 10. It received two first-place votes.
"(Winning) all comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes."
John Hao
First-year Saint Louis coach
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2007 record: 11-1, lost D-I state championship game
On paper: Micah Mamiya and his mastery of the flex option is gone, but the Crusaders return eight starters on offense.
Since being handed the keys to the Crusaders' attack, Jeremy Higgins (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) has shown nice timing and touch in preseason practices and a scrimmage against Campbell on Saturday.
Wide receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann (6-1, 160) and slotback Lucas Gonsalves (5-10, 170), both 2007 Star-Bulletin All-State second-team picks, lead a talented fleet of playmakers who should take some of the pressure off of the junior quarterback.
The Crusaders may depend on their aerial attack early on, as running back Austin Wakinekona (5-11, 180) works his way back from an ACL injury to his right knee in the title game in December.
But Hao promises to introduce several wrinkles into the Crusaders' run-and-shoot offense.
"One thing I can be is be unpredictable," he vowed.
The offensive line has size and experience, with All-State first-teamer Mana Greig (5-11, 260), Tytan Timoteo (6-3, 275), Nick Andres (6-2, 275) and Kapua Sai (6-5, 315) up front.
Faced with the task of fielding 11 new starters on defense, Hao convinced his former UH teammate and college roommate Agenhart Ellis III to take over as defensive coordinator.
With the loss of All-State first-team picks Geordan Hanohano and Ryan Eastman from the front four, Hao is looking to defensive end Kali Fifita (6-0, 190) and tackles Jaels Mauhili-Kaneakua (6-0, 240) and Adam White (6-0, 250) to create havoc in opponents' backfields.
The skinny: Offensive success will hinge on Higgins' ability to connect with his receivers and to stay patient when opposing defenses roll coverage to double Stutzmann, who is bound for the University of Hawaii to play football next fall.
Hao and his staff have harped on minimizing mistakes.
"(Winning) all comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes," he said.
X factor: On-field success will depend on how well players and coaches jell.
"(The key is) unity among the coaching staff, unity among the players," said Hao. "If we all can work as one, we can (succeed)."
