It took an Ewa Beach boy running like a grown man to stop the behemoths of Campbell.
Saint Louis playmaker Titan Lacaden, the wide receiver-turned-running back, rumbled for touchdowns of 3, 3 and 12 yards as ILH champion Saint Louis rallied from a 12-point deficit for a 27-24 win over Campbell on Friday night at John Kauinana Stadium.
The Crusaders (8-3 overall) will meet OIA champion Kahuku for the Open Division state championship on Nov. 29, at the T.C. Ching Complex at the University of Hawaii.
“My offensive and defensive coaches work so hard,” Saint Louis coach Tupu Alualu said. “Now we’ve got Kahuku. We played them in the preseason and now we match up with them. They’re a great team and they’re the (three-time) defending champ. We’ve got another shot and let’s go do it.”
Kahuku edged Saint Louis 14-13 in the preseason opener on Aug. 10.
Lacaden grew up playing for his father, Frank Lacaden, and the All-Black Crusaders in Ewa Beach. He finished with 216 yards on 27 carries, which took the load off junior quarterback Nainoa Lopes and a balanced attack.
“I definitely trained to be game ready. Every practice, Coach Tupu says we practice as if we’re playing a game, playing to win,” he said. “From the beginning of the season we’ve faced adversity. We’ve learned to prevail through hard things like this by being determined and disciplined. I credit our coaches,” Lacaden said. “With Coach Tupu, it was a change of culture. He stressed before we get to the field, take care of everything at home with our families, and in the classroom.”
Saint Louis’ defense kept constant pressure on John-Keawe Sagapolutele, then Brayden Medeiros. Sagapolutele, the all-time passing yardage leader in Hawaii, left the game in the first half and did not return due to badly bruised ribs. Tears rolled down his face after the loss.
“I don’t really remember what it was. I just remember I couldn’t really breathe. My ribs were getting more sore and sore,” the senior said. “I couldn’t throw the ball and I didn’t want to be a hindrance to the team. I was best if I sat out and trust our backup quarterback.”
He finished 10-for-17 for 168 yards with no TDs. The next time he throws a football will be at Cal, where he will enroll in January following early graduation. He took a hit to the ribs during Campbell’s second series and the continual punishment from Saint Louis’ pass rushers simply worsened the injury.
“We’re more worried about his future than the present. We thought we had a guy who could go in and take over and do some stuff, but we made some mistakes,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “We have to fix them up for next year.”
Campbell (9-2 overall) was unbeaten in nine games until the OIA runner-up made a valiant effort but was unable to score after Sagapolutele departed. The Sabers’ 24-12 lead disintegrated as Saint Louis’ offense took control
Lacaden, who ran for 264 yards and four TDs against Punahou a month ago, was often untouchable as he darted and spun away from one of the state’s top defensive units.
Alualu calls the wildcat scheme with Lacaden taking snaps the “Ma‘afala triangle,” going back to his years as a player with Roy Ma‘afala Sr. delivering bone-crunching lead blocks.
Down 24-19, Saint Louis went ahead in the fourth quarter. Running behind the Ma‘afala wrecking crew — Tenari Fuamatu-Ma‘afala, Roy Ma‘afala Jr. and Pupu Sepulona — Lacaden scored on a 12-yard run to the pylon to give Saint Louis the lead. After a delay-of-game penalty and burning their last timeout, Saint Louis tacked on two more points on a pass from Lopes to Hashley-Kingston Siliado for a 27-24 edge with 7:15 remaining.
Campbell’s ensuing drive stalled, and on fourth-and-14, the Sabers punted.
On fourth and 1 at their 48-yard line, the Crusaders snapped the ball to Lacaden, who burst off left tackle for 2 yards and a first down with less than three minutes left. Campbell never got the ball back and Saint Louis advanced to the title game to play Kahuku.
After recovering a squib kick to begin the game, Campbell drove 56 yards in six plays. Sagapolutele’s 17-yard scramble began the series. A personal foul on the Crusaders helped Campbell, and running back Brystin Sansano punched it over from 1 to give the Sabers a 7-0 lead.
Campbell and Saint Louis had not played since Aug. 23, 2019, when Saint Louis prevailed 48-27 at the Sabers’ field when the ILH and OIA played crossover games during the regular season.
In ’18, Saint Louis won 55-7. Both of the wins were with Jayden de Laura at quarterback.
After Saint Louis punted to end its first possession, Sagapolutele guided the Sabers 85 yards in 12 plays. Sansano scored on a 6-yard burst, initially running into one his big blockers up front before surging over the goal line. The Sabers led 14-0 with 1:59 to go in the opening quarter.
Saint Louis regained momentum with a 17-play, 79-yard scoring march. Using Lacaden as a wildcat QB on every first down, he finished off the drive with a 3-yard blast into the end zone. Lacaden, the holder on the PAT, attempted to run in for the conversion, but was stopped short by Alualu-Tuiolemotu. It was 14-6 with 6:53 left in the first half.
On the ensuing kickoff, Rusten Abang-Perez turned the corner for an apparent 87-yard touchdown return, but Campbell was flagged for holding.
The Sabers punted, but the ball was muffed by the returner and recovered by Campbell at the Saint Louis 41-yard line. Sagapolutele went deep to Zayden Alviar-Costa for a 36-yard completion. Saint Louis stepped up, and Zanden Willis deflected Sagapolutele’s fourth-and-goal pass attempt to Abang-Perez in the flat to end the drive.
Saint Louis drove quickly past midfield, aided by two 15-yard penalties against Campbell, but safety Zarius Tuzon-Salvador picked off a Lopes pass in the end zone for a touchback.
Campbell drove to the Saint Louis 16-yard line on two long completions from Sagapolutele to Abang-Perez and a roughing-the-passer penalty.
After two Saint Louis timeouts with two seconds to go in the first half, Jadyn Parker’s 48-yard field goal cleared the crossbar by 1 yard to end the half.
Saint Louis opened the second half with a three-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Siliado hauled in an 8-yard toss from Lopes, and Lacaden darted his way to a 44-yard run. Lopes then found Siliado for a 28-yard TD. The 2-point conversion run was stuffed, and Saint Louis was within 17-12 with 10:28 left in the third quarter.
With an apparent rib injury, Sagapolutele did not return to the game, unable to throw the ball during warmups. Backup QB Brayden Medeiros warming up on the sideline when4 Abang-Perez took matters into his own hands with a 75-yard TD return on the ensuing kickoff. No flags this time as the Sabers opened the lead to 24-12 with 10:07 to go in the third stanza.
Campbell’s defense came up with a key three-and-out, but running back Sansano was sandwiched by two Crusaders in the backfield and suffered an injury. Just like that, the Sabers were without the starting QB and RB.
A 36-yard run by Lacaden set up the Crusaders at the Campbell 9-yard line, but Lopes’ pass was deflected and picked off by Antonio Castro.
Sansano returned to the game and came up with key plays, including a first-down reception. However, Saint Louis found its way to the end zone on its next drive. Lacaden galloped away from a tackler in the backfield for a 3-yard TD, bringing Saint Louis within 24-19 with 9:56 remaining.
Moments later, Saint Louis brought the heavy blitz and sacked Medeiros, who fumbled. TJ Alualu recovered for the Crusaders at the Campbell 24-yard line.
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At John Kauinana Stadium
Campbell (9-2) 14 3 7 0 — 24
Saint Louis (8-3) 0 6 6 15 — 27
CAMP—Brystin Sansano 2 run (Jadyn Parker kick)
CAMP—Sansano 6 run (Parker kick)
STL—Titan Lacaden 3 run (run failed)
CAMP—FG Parker 48
STL—Hashley-Kingston Siliado 28 pass from Nainoa Lopes (run failed)
CAMP—Rusten Abang-Perez 75 kickoff return (Parker kick)
STL—Lacaden 2 run (Makena Kauai kick)
STL—Lacaden 10 run (Siliado pass from Lopes)
RUSHING—Campbell: Sagapolutele 4-25, Abang-Perez 1-10, Sansano 12-4, Bryden Medeiros 4-(minus 8). Saint Louis: Lacaden 27-216, Lopes 4-30, Tahlen Kekawa 6-17, Tenari Fuamatu-Ma’afala 4-13, TEAM 3-(minus 5).
PASSING—Campbell: Sagapolutele 10-17-0-168, Medeiros 5-11-0-39. Saint Louis: Lopes 14-21-2-132.
RECEIVING—Campbell: Abang-Perez 5-76, Sansano 3-19, Tainoa Lave 2-44, Zayden Alviar-Costa 2-41, Shaison Kupukaa 2-33, Sagapolutele 1-(minus 6). Saint Louis: Siliado 5-55, Stytyn Lasconia 3-23, Kekawa 2-13, Jordan Nunuha 2-11, Lacaden 1-23, Roxten Popa-Hernandez 1-7.
