Best in Show: Cordeiro and Mauga are players of the year

Don’t tell him, but if you fill Chevan Cordeiro’s stockings with McDonald’s gift cards, he might shed tears of joy.

All because he loves a freshly made McRib sandwich or two. The Saint Louis senior has simple needs and a work ethic in the highest echelon of current and former Crusaders. That’s saying a lot, but it’s also part of what makes Cordeiro a classic Crusader.

Unassuming. Economical with his words. Constantly, consistently honing his craft as a quarterback. Adding armor and power in the weight room. His blueprint, really, mirrors that of a former Crusader who went on to college acclaim and a pro career.

Like Marcus Mariota, Cordeiro bided his time, sitting as a sophomore and junior behind Tua Tagovailoa.

Like Mariota and Tagovailoa, Cordeiro guided Saint Louis’ offense to great production and efficiency, winning a state title.

Cordeiro was voted by coaches and media the Star-Advertiser All-State Offensive player of the year. His teammate, wide receiver Mitchell Quinn, and Mililani quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished second and third in the voting.

Waianae’s versatile, explosive linebacker, Kana‘i Mauga, was voted defensive player of the year. Saint Louis defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele and Kahuku linebacker Miki Ah You were tied for second in the balloting.

Saint Louis coach Cal Lee was voted coach of the year. He guided the Crusaders to their fourth state championship and has also led the program to 14 Oahu Prep Bowl titles.

“It’s nice and all, but I don’t really care about this kind of stuff,” Lee said. “We’re teaching the kids life lessons and that’s the most important thing.”

Kahuku’s first-year head coach, Makoa Freitas, was second in the voting, followed by Hilo’s Kaeo Drummondo and the co-head coaching duo of Garret Tihada and Bobby Watson at Lahainaluna.

Astonishing stats

What the Crusaders taught their many standout players on defense and offense on the field was fruitful. Cordeiro, under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Ron Lee and quarterbacks guru Vince Passas, learned well. The numbers accumulated by Cordeiro are mind-boggling.

>> 3,130 passing yards and 29 TDs with just eight picks

>> 195 completions in 289 pass attempts, a completion rate of 67.4 percent

>> Yards per attempt of 10.8, by far the highest number in state history for a starting state-championship QB

>> QB Rating: 186.02, the highest since Mariota’s 189.98 in ’10.

>> Another similarity: Mariota rushed for 455 yards and seven TDs as a senior; Cordeiro ran for 456 yards with 10 TDs.

Yet, it wasn’t just the numbers. Cordeiro was a mash-up of Tagovailoa’s opportunistic scrambling, Micah Mamiya’s penchant for third-and-long sprints to the first-down marker, Mariota’s passing accuracy and Timmy Chang’s consistency. When Ron Lee opted to stay with five-wide (empty backfield) sets for most of the championship game against a fearsome Kahuku defense, Cordeiro rose to the challenge. He led the team in rushing in eight of 10 games.

Cordeiro is a commit to Hawaii, which offered him a scholarship during his junior year — a year before he became a starter.

Role model Mauga

Mauga was simply a leader’s leader on and off the field. Range from sideline to sideline, from the line of scrimmage to deep in the secondary made Mauga an unpredictable force. He had 53 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions and three pass deflections for a stingy Searider defense. He was also a finisher, scoring three touchdowns on returns of picks and fumbles.

More than that, Mauga is a leader by example who has a 3.2 grade-point average and an oral commitment to USC.

“He has been a role model of a senior leader physically, mentally and emotionally,” Waianae coach Walter Young said. “He shows up to the workout sessions and gives his all, and motivates and encourages his teammates to do the same. He has a football IQ that is beyond his years and he has the ability to do more than just his job. An incredible playmaker.”

Mililani coach Rod York has seen Mauga up close. Mauga’s uncle, Pat Mauga, is an offensive line coach at Mililani. Mauga played with Mililani players at the Super Linemen Camp in California.

“He tore up Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly, St. (John) Bosco,” York said. “They couldn’t block him.”

York made it a point to note that Mauga does what’s right when nobody’s watching.

“He’s exactly like his dad (Ivan), always smiling and being positive. After the game, helping the managers with the bottles, picking up balls, picking up the trash at our JPS games. You take away all his football accolades and he’s still a great kid. If you had a son, you’d want him to be like Kana‘i.”

“He exemplifies what Waianae defense has always been,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “Hard nosed, stingy, fly to the football. He’s so talented like Roland and Joey Maneafaiga. Taulia Lave. He’s in those guys’ class. You can rank him as high as Lafi Siliga, and George Kauwalu (former defensive player of the year) was pretty good.”

Mauga may be more versatile than any of them.

“You line up and you have to see where he’s at,” Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. “They move him around and you have to know. He’s able to get a pick or cause a fumble, just disrupt the whole play.”

121717 All-state football by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd

121717 All state football by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd