Tuesday, November 3, 1998

St. Louis returns to
national prep poll

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

For the first time, Hawaii has different schools ranked in the country's two most widely read prep football polls.

After a one-month absence, St. Louis (9-1) is once again in the National Prep Football Poll, ranked at No. 16.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Kahuku (10-0) enters a fifth week at No. 18 in USA Today's ''Super 25'' poll.

Neither team is ranked in both polls.

Doug Huff, the Wheeling Intelligencer (W.Va.) sports editor who runs the National Prep Football Poll, dropped then-No. 6 St. Louis from the national rankings after the team was forced to forfeit a game on Oct. 2.

''They still haven't lost on the field and I think they've done enough since then," said Huff.

He said the Crusaders are the only team in his poll with a loss.

St. Louis has won all four of its games, outscoring opponents, 259-56, since the game forfeited to Kamehameha.

The forfeit was part of a school-imposed punishment for a team incident at a Las Vegas hotel on Sept. 6.

Huff denied that the margin of St. Louis victories helped the school return to the national rankings.

''What's the difference if you beat somebody 40-0 or 80-0? You show your dominance," said Huff. "But they have been in my West Regional poll all along as the top team in Hawaii, and until somebody proves otherwise on the field, that's how it's going to be."

While Huff said the forfeit loss does not constitute a reason to keep St. Louis out of his poll, Krider said it is the reason why Kahuku has the edge over the Crusaders in his poll.

The USA Today pollster maintained last night that a loss is a loss, whether it is on or off the field.

Krider, on the other hand, said that St. Louis could break into the USA Today national poll if it defeats Kahuku in the Oahu Prep Bowl.

Huff said that Kahuku could make it into his national poll if the Red Raiders are able to make it to the postseason classic on Nov. 27 and beat St. Louis.

Huff is the only national pollster to have watched a St. Louis game in person. He was flown here as a guest of the St. Louis program for a 1997 preseason contest against Waianae at Aloha Stadium.