Someone asked after the exciting encounter matching No. 1 Kahuku and No. 3 Saint Louis on Saturday if this was the "game of the year" in prep football.
Uh, well, sure … as much as any August dust-up — two weeks into the so-called preseason — can be considered such. It was thrilling, but these perennial powerhouses will both operate a lot more smoothly later in the season.
It was closer than the 45-24 score by which Saint Louis won, as depth and experience (usually two Kahuku staples) made the difference in the fourth quarter. As always, these teams are loaded, but the Crusaders are more refined at this point than the Red Raiders, who have only six seniors and relied on several freshmen.
And I have now seen the best high school senior athlete in the state, or someone who is going to be very hard to knock off that perch, in my mind. His name is Devan Stubblefield, Saint Louis receiver and kick returner. The only thing that will keep him from starring in college football is an offer he can’t refuse after next spring’s pro baseball draft.
In addition to Stubblefield, Crusaders quarterback Ryder Kuhns and linebacker Jacob Lacaden were especially impressive. Kahuku sophomore quarterback Tuli Wily-Matagi and freshman all-purpose athlete Keala Santiago are stars in the making.
You could see both teams improve as the game progressed … that’s one of the fun things about early-season battles between well-coached squads. It started sloppy, with turnovers and penalties galore, but evolved into a highlight film of big plays, offense, defense and special teams. Saint Louis had a few more in its bag than the two-time defending state champs.
You could see all that — that is, if you could get in. Too bad a lot of fans who would have enjoyed it didn’t get to view this evolution in full because they were waiting in line outside Aloha Stadium to get tickets. And too bad some didn’t see it at all because it wasn’t televised.
Some say you should protect the gate receipts of a big game like this by keeping it off TV; that’s been the ILH’s philosophy for as long as I can remember. But that means fans lose an option, one they should have … especially those who are immobile or can’t devote hours to travel to and from the North Shore.
It has to be especially discouraging after a long drive to wait an hour in line to buy tickets, as several fans reported doing.
Stadium staffers told me afterward they had enough workers and lines to handle the crowd. But another said, "This is what happens when you have budget cuts."
That’s a weak excuse. Hey, Stadium Authority and staff, HHSAA, leagues and schools: Work together to develop better advance ticket distribution for big games like this. How about an online system?
This wasn’t just some preseason scrimmage. This was No. 1 Kahuku and No. 3 Saint Louis, public and private, country and town. Winners of 23 of the last 27 Division I state and Prep Bowl titles.
A great early-season show by the teams. Not so much by the venue.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.
