When Saint Louis brought Cal Lee and staff back to campus five years ago, the cupboard wasn’t exactly bare.
What Lee wanted first and foremost was depth on his defensive line. Two years later, Faatui Tuitele arrived on the varsity, a sophomore with the tools to impact game plans.
Tuitele’s senior season at Saint Louis completed a string of three consecutive Open Division state championships. Coaches and media voted Tuitele the Star-Advertiser All-State defensive player of the year.
“It’s more of a personal goal I set for myself. Being recognized as one of the best in the state, there’s a lot of great players, so it’s a dream come true,” Tuitele said.
Tuitele outpointed teammate Jordan Botelho, a junior linebacker and key contributor for one of the best defensive units in state history.
Other top vote-getters were safety Marist Liufau of Punahou, linebacker Nick Herbig of Saint Louis, defensive lineman Tupu Alualu of Moanalua, defensive tackle Mykah Tuiolemotu of Mililani, and Waipahu defensive backs Deacon Kapea and Zeondre Benjamin.
Tuitele’s numbers, as with most 3-technique defensive linemen, were usually modest as he absorbed double- and triple-team blocking. Yet, he withstood the circumstances, played through a back injury suffered in week one against Waianae and teamed with NT Stanley McKenzie and DE Gino Quinones to set the bar for the Crusaders defense.
In all, nine Crusaders were voted to the first team: Tuitele, Quinones, Botelho, Herbig, S Kamo‘i Latu, CB Korvin Feagins, OL Ben Scott, OL Arasi Mose and WR Roman Wilson.
“I feel like next year, it could be Jordan or Nick or Kamo‘i or Stanley,” Tuitele added.
Tuitele, a scholar-athlete raised in Mayor Wright Housing, committed to Washington in November. He turned down offers from 38 other universities. Other island players who have committed to UW are Miki Ah You of Kahuku, Julius Buelow of Kapolei, Sama Paama of Kaimuki and Tim Horn of Punahou.
On the other side, Mililani quarterback Dillon Gabriel was a near-unanimous selection as offensive player of the year.
“It’s amazing. The state of Hawaii will forever be the place I’m most proud of. The football and everything, it is the place that raised me. I am so proud to be from here,” Gabriel said.
With the senior southpaw at the controls, the Trojans captured the OIA Open championship behind the most potent offense in the league. He passed 13 QBs, including Tua Tagovailoa and Timmy Chang of Saint Louis, to become the all-time leader in passing yardage with 9,848 yards. His 105 TD passes are second only to Chang.
His 2018 season included 3,747 yards and 38 TD passes as Mililani went 10-3 and reached the state final. For the year, Mililani racked up 456 points, 35.1 per game. The only teams to limit the Trojans to fewer than 20 points were St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and Saint Louis, who are Nos. 3 and 14 in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings.
Gabriel doesn’t say a whole lot, but is concise, much like his actions on the field. His process is about eliminating bad decisions. For all the TDs and yards, he’d love to zap the 13 interceptions he threw this season.
“I don’t play the game to become the all-time passing leader,” he said. “It just happened. I really don’t care about stats. It sounds bad, but I love the game of football because it gives me a rush. It makes me want to wake up every morning. I truly don’t play for any awards or stats. I play to win championships. That’s it.”
Running a hybrid system crafted by Trojans coach Rod York, Gabriel has grasped run-and-shoot concepts along with RPO timing and vision. In early 2017, York hoped Gabriel would get an offer from Hawaii, which happened.
Gabriel also got an offer from Army, committed to West Point, and then decommitted. He currently is weighing offers from Georgia, USC and UCF.
The coach of the year honor went to Bryson Carvalho, who guided Waipahu to the Division I state championship just one season after the Marauders were crowned D-II OIA champions. Carvalho edged Cal Lee in the voting. Other coaches receiving votes were Kui Kahooilihala of Roosevelt, Garret Tihada of Lahainaluna, Philip Rapozo of Kapaa, Kale Ane of Punahou and York.
2018 HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER ALL-STATE FOOTBALL by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
2018 HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER ALL-STATE FOOTBALL by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
2018 HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER ALL-STATE FOOTBALL by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
