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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, September 20, 2008

No. 1 Saint Louis stays unbeaten

Photo gallery: ILH football

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Saint Louis quarterback Jeremy Higgins ran out of running room as Kamehameha's defense closed in during last night's game.

Photos by ANDREW SHIMABUKU | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Pac-Five's Jaren Nakamura, right, was unable to come up with a pass during the second half of an Interscholastic League of Honolulu DII game against 'Iolani at Aloha Stadium. 'Iolani won, 48-17.

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Jeremy Higgins passed for four touchdowns and 334 yards to lead top-ranked Saint Louis over No. 4 Kamehameha, 28-20, last night in Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I football at Aloha Stadium.

The Crusaders (4-0 overall, 2-0 ILH) trailed 20-14 midway through the third quarter before Higgins tossed TD passes of 39 and 3 yards to wideout Billy Stutzmann late in the third and fourth quarter, respectively, to spoil the league season opener for the Warriors (3-2, 0-1).

"We were a little down on the sidelines," Stutzmann said. "All we needed was one big play. The momentum started to go on our side."

The Crusaders recovered the second-half onside kick, but failed to score. Kamehameha responded with a 16-play, 72-yard drive that ended with quarterback Edmund Kamano Jr. scoring on a 1-yard sneak with 2:23 left in the third quarter to give the Warriors a 20-14 lead. But a bad snap from center on the PAT kept the score the same.

The Crusaders' offensive line then turned up the intensity on the team's next possession, as Higgins completed 4 of 4 passes for 62 yards, ending the 79-yard drive with a 39-yard TD pass to Stutzmann on a slant over the middle to tie the game with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Warren Spencer's PAT gave the Crusaders a 21-20 lead.

The Warriors tried to get the score back with a big play of their own on their next series, but safety Marcus Umu intercepted Kamano's pass over the middle at the Crusaders' 37. Saint Louis wasted little time moving downfield with running back Austin Wakinekona gaining 33 yards on four carries in the seven-play, 63-yard drive that ended with Stutzmann hauling in a 3-yard TD pass from Higgins on fourth-and-2 with 8:44 left to make it 28-20.

During the drives, the Crusaders' offensive line didn't allow Higgins to get sacked; he was sacked three times in the first half, twice by Kaohu McCabe. The line also opened gaps for Wakinekona, who finished with 89 yards, 57 coming on the Crusaders' last drive to run out the clock.

"We knew they were good," Kamehameha coach David Stant said of the Saints' line.

"The whole team turned it on," Saint Louis' first-year coach John Hao said of the team's second-half effort. "Going into the locker room, their heads weren't down, but yet they were stunned. It was actually a good thing because we got tested. The kids that I have, I'm very proud of them."

The Warriors didn't help their cause either with 12 penalties totaling 100 yards. Three encroachment calls during short-yardage situations on third down helped give the Crusaders first downs.

Stant thought his team might have got tentative in the second half.

"Instead of playing to try to win, we started playing not to lose," Stant said. "That's why the mental mistakes and everything happened."

The Saints' defense, which struggled early containing running back Ryan Ho, who had 82 yards by the half, held him to 37 yards in the second half. The Crusaders also had four sacks, two by lineman Moses Samia.

The teams came out hot in the first quarter with the Crusaders scoring on their first two series and the Warriors on their first.

Saint Louis started after the opening kickoff at its 29 and Higgins picked apart the Warriors' secondary, capping the five-play drive with the left-hander rolling left and hitting Trevor Mau splitting two Kamehameha defenders at the 25, where the receiver took off for the end zone. Warren Spencer's PAT made it 7-0.

But Maika Mataele returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Saint Louis 46 and the Warriors needed just five plays, four on runs by Ho, who capped the drive with a 13-yard TD run. But Kamehameha missed the PAT and Saint Louis still led 7-6.

The Crusaders again passed successfully on their next series with Higgins hitting Lucas Gonsalves in the left corner of the end zone to increased their lead to 14-6 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

Two possessions later, Kamehameha tied the game in the second quarter with an 11 play, 80-yard drive, capped by Ho breaking tackles at the 3-yard line to complete a 6-yard TD run. On the 2-point conversion try, Kamano faked a handoff to Ho, rolled right and hit a wide open Kepoo Noa in the end zone to tie the game at 14 with 5:18 left in the half.

KAMEHAMEHA (3-2, 0-1) 6 8 6 0—20

SAINT LOUIS (4-0, 2-0) 14 0 7 7—28

StL — Trevor Mau 42 pass from Jeremy Higgins (Warren Spencer kick)

Kam — Ryan Ho 13 run (kick failed)

StL — Lucas Gonsalves 20 pass from Higgins (Spencer kick)

Kam — Ho 6 run (Kepoo Noa pass from Edmund Kamano Jr.)

Kam — Kamano 1 run (kick failed)

StL — Billy Stutzmann 39 pass from Higgins (Spencer kick)

StL — Stutzmann 3 pass from Higgins (Spencer kick)

RUSHING — Kamehameha: Kamano 10-26, Ho 16-119, Maika Mataele 1-9, Brandon Dumlao 4-16, Kupono Park 2-(minus 1). Saint Louis: Higgins 4-(minus 25), Austin Wakinekona 14-99, Team 3-(minus 15).

PASSING — Kamehameha: Kamano 9-19-1—96.

Saint Louis: Higgins 23-33-0—334.

RECEIVING — Kamehameha: Pi'i Minns 4-31, Mataele 2-16, Ho 2-35, Pono Ryder 1-14. Saint Louis: Mau 4-62, Gonsalves 9-143, Billy Stutzmann 5-68, Kaden Kamoe 1-15, Wakinekona 2-27, Micah McClinton 1-19.

NO. 9 'IOLANI 48, PAC-FIVE 17

Quarterback Jarrett Arakawa passed for 264 yards and three touchdowns to keep the Raiders (5-1 overall, 3-0 ILH) undefeated after their first time through the Division II schedule.

Arakawa completed 13 of 23 passes for 264 yards with TD passes of 39 and 64 yards to Kela Marciel and 39 yards to Kevin Barayuga.

Running back Kellen Imada had three rushing touchdowns — each no longer than 2 yards — to finish with 76 yards against the Wolfpack (2-4, 1-2).

Breland Almadova returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter as the Raiders scored 41 unanswered points after the Wolfpack took a 3-0 lead on Brendan Sagucio's 34-yard field goal.

Pac-Five's PJ Minaya completed 22 of 44 passes for 228 yards and TD passes of 2 yards to Chalson Baitlon and 5 yards to Jordan Doi in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

The Raiders had two interceptions. Defensive back Andrew Skalman had the other. 'Iolani also had six sacks, three by 5-foot-9, 165-pound defensive end Greg Lum.

'IOLANI (5-1, 3-0) 14 27 7 0—48

PAC-FIVE (2-4, 1-2) 3 0 6 8—17

Pac — FG Brendon Sagucio 34

'Iol — Kela Marciel 39 pass from Jarrett Arakawa (Andrew Skalman kick)

'Iol — Kellen Imada 2 run (Skalman kick)

'Iol — Breland Almadova 42 interception return (kick failed)

'Iol — Imada 2 run (Skalman kick)

'Iol — Kevin Barayuga 39 pass from Arakawa (Skalman kick)

'Iol — Marciel 64 pass from Arakawa (Skalman kick)

Pac — Chalson Baitlon 2 pass from PJ Minaya (kick blocked)

'Iol — Imada 1 run (Shudhi Datta kick)

Pac — Jordan Doi 5 pass from Minaya (Baitlon run)

RUSHING — 'Iolani: Arakawa 3-(minus 21), Imada 20-76, Ammon Baldomero 7-(minus 3), Team 2-(minus 38), Jaron Teramoto 2-1. Pac-Five: PJ Minaya 12-(minus 4), Landon Burkhart 1-(minus 2), Chalson Baitlon 5-6, Kahale Fagarang 1-3.

PASSING — 'Iolani: Arakawa 13-23-0—264, Marciel 2-3-0—16, Jordan DePonte 0-1-0—0. Pac-Five: Minaya 22-44-2—228.

RECEIVING — 'Iolani: Keenan Ho'ohulu 2-33, Brandon Ball 6-58, Marciel 2-103, Barayuga 2-56, Imada 1-14, Trevyn Tulonghari 2-16. Pac-Five: Everett Kim 6-56, Lawson Kurosu 1-31, Jordan Doi 2-14, London Amorin 5-48, Baitlon 4-15, Fagarang 2-38, Dylan Gomez 1-19, Matt Nishiyama 1-7.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.