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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, December 6, 2002

Underdog Castle will pull off upset, 21-17

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Let the jousting begin.

Running back Kawika Sebay is a solid runner and pass receiver in Castle's run-and-shoot offense.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Well, Wes, it looks as if the Castle Knights have the St. Louis Crusaders right where they want them: the favorite.

Not that I associate with people in the business who pass out sheets that read "for amusement only," but I received an unsolicited, anonymous phone message saying St. Louis was favored by 16 1/2 points. Not since Chaminade played Virginia in basketball in 1982 has a spread been so wide. We all know what happened in that game.

You talk about underdog, Castle epitomizes the word. Not just on the football field either. When seeking prominent alumni for fun facts, we see that St. Louis boasts the second-highest ranking official in the state (Lt. Gov. James Aiona), an Intermediate Court of Appeals judge (James Burns) and a renown heart surgeon (Dr. Richard Mamiya).

Meanwhile, after a fruitless search through our newsroom, the only Castle alums our own fun-fact guru Stephen Tsai could come up with were news anchor Jodi Leong and meteorologist Sharie Shima.

Sharie tells me she was a cheerleader at Castle in ... she wouldn't reveal when. So I'm expecting to see her do a couple of back flips on her weather report after Jodi reports Castle's victory.

Just kidding with our TV partners, of course. You saw our list of some prominent Castle grads yesterday. (Sorry, if we missed some of you.) Unlike the all-boys' St. Louis School, Castle can say it has a former Miss Hawai'i (Dr. Ligaya Stice-Beredino, a Sydney Cooperband Cancer Research Award winner). So take that.

KANESHIRO

Still, St. Louis has three players in the NFL: Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Olin Kreutz and Dominic Raiola.

Meanwhile, Castle alumnus Ace Yonamine portrayed a pro football player in the movie "The Replacements."

Enough nonsense already.

For starters we know the Crusaders are a team of density; they are much bigger than the Knights, a team of destiny. Castle was 1-3 nearly three months ago. It has since won 9 of its last 10, including seven consecutive.

Along the way, Castle beat teams that were bigger, like Kailua, McKinley (twice), Campbell and Farrington (also twice).

A lot of Castle's success is its defense. The Knights don't have huge guys to plug holes, but they have some quick players to slither through gaps into the backfield. While the defensive line occupies blockers, linebackers Cory Daniel, Blaze Soares and Elde Agcaoili are free to attack ball carriers.

With Castle size does not matter. Not when we see 5-foot-5, 138-pound Ernesto Lopez covering McKinley's 6-0, 165-pound receiver Isaiah Iaea.

What helps Castle that didn't help previous St. Louis opponents before Kahuku is the Knights have faced teams that run-and-shoot. As the O'ahu Interscholastic Association teams have improved in executing the offense, the defenses have improved defending it as well.

Offensively, the Knights can run-and-shoot with the best. Quarterback Jacob Ramos has proved to be a double threat with his passing and running skills. Running back Kawika Sebay is not only a strong rusher, but a good receiver as well.

Speaking of good hands, the Knights have a pair of talented receivers in Jared Suzui and Ikaika Ho. Both also are return specialists capable of long gains.

But Wes, I haven't even touched on Castle's secret weapon. Actually, it isn't much of a secret because you've heard it already. It is the Knights' 12th player: The Band.

Castle's band — Band Aid? — has already disrupted other teams' offenses twice in this tournament by playing at fortissimo levels. The only time the band gives its collective embouchure a rest is when the Knights have the ball. If this were a battle of bands, Castle would be the favorite against St. Louis' ensemble.

So, Wes, the Knights might be the underdogs tonight, but one thing is certain: they won't be doggin' it when they face the Crusaders.

Prediction: Castle 21, St. Louis 17. Defense and special teams will score for the Knights.