Friday, November 27, 1998
Tonight's 26th Prep Bowl
By Pat Bigold
between Kahuku and St. Louis
will be featured in USA Today
Star-BulletinThe men who put together the nation's two major prep football rankings say Hawaii is one of only two states guaranteed of having nationally ranked teams meet in a postseason championship.
Hawaii's two ranked teams, Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Kahuku (12-0) and Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion St. Louis (12-1) meet tonight at 8 at Aloha Stadium in the 26th Prep Bowl.
The game will be featured as the prep football game of the week in Monday's USA Today.
Kahuku has been No. 18 in USA Today's "Super 25" for the past two months, and St. Louis is No. 15 in the National Prep Football Poll.
Dave Krider, who compiles the USA Today rankings, and Doug Huff, who uses a panel of 35 sportswriters to compile the National Prep Football Poll for the Associated Press, ESPN and The Sporting News, said New Jersey also will feature a championship matchup between nationally ranked teams.
Next week's Parochial Group IV championship will pit Bergen Catholic of Oradell (10-0), No. 25 in USA Today and No. 18 in the NPFP, and St. Joseph Regional of Montvale (9-0), which is No. 12 in USA Today and No. 13 in the NPFP. St. Joseph's has won 23 consecutive games.
Two nationally ranked teams also could meet in a California state championship: Los Alamitos (11-0), which is No. 24 in USA Today and No. 14 in the NPFP, and Long Beach Poly (11-0), No. 2 in both rankings.
They have advanced to the quarterfinals of the California Southern Section Division I playoffs, but Krider and Huff expect them to meet in the final.
Krider said it's not unusual for nationally ranked prep football teams to bump heads in the playoffs in states like California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio. But championship matchups between ranked teams are rare.
St. Louis was dropped from USA Today and NPFP the first week of October after the school's administration ordered the program to forfeit a game to Kamehameha. The forfeit was part of a punishment for a preseason incident at a Las Vegas hotel.
The Crusaders had risen to No. 14 in USA Today before being dropped, and to No. 6 in the NPFP.
St. Louis reappeared in the NPFP the first week of November after a one-month absence.
The Crusaders finished 19th in the NPFP last season despite a loss to Kamehameha in the second round of the ILH playoffs. They weren't ranked in the final USA Today poll.
NOTES: Oceanic Cable, which is televising the Prep Bowl live on a pay-per-view basis on channel 47, will replay the game for free on OC16 Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. . . . Morse High (7-3) of San Diego, one of two California teams Kahuku defeated this preseason (22-13), has won its last seven games and is heading toward a meeting with Torrey Pines (8-2) in the San Diego Sectional championships. Kahuku overwhelmed Torrey Pines in a controlled scrimmage last summer . . . Banning High of Wilmington, Calif., beaten 47-14 by the Red Raiders in preseason, lost a regular-season game to No. 2 Long Beach Poly -- by one point . . . St. Louis head coach Cal Lee is seeking his 202nd victory in tonight's game. No prep football coach in Hawaii sports history has as many wins . . . The longest active prep football winning streak in the nation is 86 games -- Concord (Calif.) De La Salles.
Probable Starting Lineups
Kahuku Offense
No. Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. 14 Wayne Fonoimoana QB 6-0 176 Sr. 4 Andreas Manumaleuna FB 5-7 228 Sr. 2 Talamoni M. Talamoni RB 6-0 204 Sr. 70 Kendal Buttell LT 6-2 288 Sr. 78 Toniu Fonoti LG 6-4 300 Sr. 65 Tuufuli T. Masoe C 5-11 280 Sr. 72 Semisi Tupola RG 6-0 263 Sr. 71 Siuaki ‘U. Livai RT 6-3 310 Sr. 88 William Sao TE 6-3 231 Sr. 3 Thomas C. Thompson WR 5-7 152 Sr. 1 Allen Foster WR 5-10 150 Sr.Kahuku Defense
49 Kilo Naki DE 5-11 200 Sr. 79 Pupi Toelupe DT 6-0 230 Sr. 68 Chris Kemoe‘atu DT 6-3 268 So 76 Puna Vendiola DE 5-7 208 Sr. 33 Pati Mailo ILB 6-1 240 Sr. 5 Loa Marasco OLB 6-1 191 Sr. 9 Paisa Matagi Jr. OLB 5-10 192 Sr. 12 Bryson Au CB 5-5 138 So. 11 Hyrum Peters CB 5-8 160 Sr. 7 Tavo T. Tupola SS 6-3 192 Sr. 6 Daniel J. Mapu FS 6-1 185 Sr.
St. Louis Offense
No. Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. 14 Timothy Chang QB 6-2 180 Jr. 32 Noah Campbell FB 5-11 210 Sr. 2 Gerald Welch SB 5-9 190 Jr. 3 Gerald Kaui Ho SB 5-5 170 Sr. 82 Kanale George WR 6-0 165 Sr. 85 Isaac Rodrigues WR 5-8 170 Jr. 72 Keola Loo T 6-2 270 Sr. 77 Shayne Kajioka G 6-4 340 Sr. 60 Lyle Castro C 6-0 250 Sr. 64 Dan Rescue G 5-11 250 Sr. 62 Sean Souza T 6-6 285 Sr.St. Louis Defense
8 Leonard Kaae LB 5-10 215 Jr. 42 Joseph Siofele LB 6-2 235 Sr. 91 Tamotu Tagoa‘i DL 6-3 280 Sr. 93 Kanoa Noguchi DL 6-2 250 Sr. 7 So‘o Tufaga LB 5-11 230 Sr. 13 Nainoa Glover LB 5-10 220 Jr. 5 Leslie Wong, Jr. CB 5-6 145 Jr. 24 Teranna Fiaseu CB 5-6 170 Jr. 6 Jandin Thornton-Murray SS 6-0 195 Sr. 15 Unaloto Latu FS 5-9 170 Jr. 21 Enoch McKeaque DB 5-8 175 So.
