Almost all of today's Saint Louis players were not even born yet. And current head coach Delbert Tengan, now in his 17th year on the Crusaders' staff, was still an athletic trainer.

"I wasn't coaching yet," Tengan said about 1986, when Saint Louis won the first of 18 straight ILH titles. "It's been a long time, but we don't even talk about that. We just talk about doing the best we can every week."

The Crusaders will need their best tomorrow night at Aloha Stadium if they want to keep their run as league champ — believed to be one of the nation's longest — alive. Saint Louis (6-2 overall, 4-1 ILH) takes on Kamehameha (5-1-1, 4-1) at 7:30 in a game that will likely decide the league's Division I title.

If the Crusaders lose, their only hope of staying in the title picture is if Kamehameha loses its regular season finale against Pac-Five (3-5-1, 0-4-1) on Nov. 5.

"It's a must-win game, but since we lost to Iolani (36-31 two weeks ago), every game is a must-win," Tengan said. "But I think the kids in this program play a little better when their backs are against the wall. We don't have a mulligan any more, but our kids respond to that. Their concentration, their focus is magnified."

That was true in last week's 42-0 victory over Punahou. With starting quarterback Stanley Nihipali out of action due to a separated shoulder, backup Cameron Higgins completed 10 of 17 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns in his first league start.

Nihipali will miss Saturday's game as well.

Kamehameha quarterback Pono Kam sat out last week's 35-7 victory over Damien and starting tailback Jayson Rego carried the ball only four times, but that was more due to rest than injury.

The Warriors expect to be at full strength tomorrow.

In the teams' first meeting on Sept. 25, Saint Louis held off Kamehameha, 21-20. The Crusaders took a 21-14 lead with 51 seconds remaining after Nihipali's 16-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Kauleinamoku, but the Warriors answered immediately with Kam's 75-yard TD pass to Aaron Nichols.

Kamehameha, however, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the touchdown, forcing Kepa Gaison to attempt the extra point from the 25-yard line. Gaison's kick had the distance but was just wide left, preserving Saint Louis' victory.

According to Mark Tennis of Student Sports, a national magazine and Web site, the California record of 18 straight league championships was set (and ended) by Dos Palos last season. John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) is believed to have a District title streak in the 20s.

NOTE

USA Today has sent a reporter and photographer to work on an upcoming feature story on Hawai'i high school football. They reportedly visited Kaua'i and will be at the Kahuku-'Aiea playoff game tonight and tomorrow's Kamehameha-Saint Louis game.