AJ Bianco rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, including a key score with 4:02 left, as No. 2 Saint Louis outlasted No. 3 Kamehameha 35-21 for the ILH football championship on Friday night at Aloha Stadium.
Bianco threw an early interception against a deceptive Kamehameha defense, but adjusted from then on for season highs in carries and rushing yards.
“I feel good. Coming into the game, we knew it would be whatever it took to get the job done,” Bianco said. “I thought we did a good job with that.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior wasn’t too shabby through the air, either, finishing with 358 yards on 19-for-22 passing with one TD.
“I put the team in a terrible situation there. Can’t be doing that, but after that we were able to bounce back really well,” Bianco said. “After that first drive, especially, just talking to our coaches, they were telling me the lanes are wide open because they’re dropping seven to eight guys. I took that into consideration.”
It was a tough grind for a stout Kamehameha squad that didn’t have elite running back Noah Bartley (ankle) at full strength. The senior played briefly in the second half and had four carries for 5 yards.
Kamehameha, which beat Saint Louis twice and dethroned the Crusaders from the No. 1 ranking for the first time in five years, finished the season 3-3 overall. Saint Louis, the four-time defending champion in the Open Division, will be the ILH’s lone representative in the state tournament, which is slated for Dec. 18.
Kamehameha finished with 261 yards of total offense, as junior Kealii Ah Yat passed for 162 yards and one TD and rushed for 41 yards and two more TDs.
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The Warriors struck first, causing Bianco to pause during the game-opening series. Hunter Kaulana Ah Loo sacked Bianco on a second-down play, and on the next snap, he floated over the deep middle to pick off a Bianco pass. His 25-yard return gave Kamehameha first down at the Crusaders’ 18-yard line.
Five plays later, on fourth-and-goal, Ah Yat snuck in to open the scoring with 7:43 left in the first quarter.
The Crusaders responded with an 87-yard scoring drive. That included one personal foul on each team and a false start by Saint Louis as Kamehameha’s stand-up defensive rush bluffed at the line of scrimmage pre-snap.
Bianco began to tuck the ball and run, picking up 35 yards on three runs. That set up his 1-yard sneak over the goal line, tying the contest at 7 with 3:55 to go in the opening quarter.
After Kamehameha’s second series stalled near midfield, Saint Louis started with tough field position again at its 6-yard line. Bianco came through with a 30-yard run, including a spin that left a tackler down. Ah Loo, who made two big plays earlier, was injured on the play.
The Crusaders marched 94 yards to pay dirt with a 36-yard completion from Bianco to Trech Kekahuna. Hikaalanikekia‘i Dancil-Evans burst up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown to give Saint Louis the lead with 9:47 remaining in the second quarter.
Ah Loo, who had returned to the game, injured his leg again on the play.
Kamehameha drove to midfield on its third series, but Iona Purcell and Vincent Tautua combined for an 11-yard sack of Ah Yat to end the the drive.
Saint Louis’ next drive came up short when Jaysen Peters-de Laura caught a pass and fumbled at the Kamehameha 3-yard line. Ah Loo stripped the ball from Peters-de Laura and Evan Rau made the big recovery.
The Warriors then drove 97 yards in six plays. Ah Yat’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Blaze Kamoku in the left corner of the end zone came with 55 seconds left in the first half, tying the game at 14.
Bartley entered the game on Kamehameha’s first series of the second half and carried the ball twice for 1 yard as Saint Louis’ defense stacked the line of scrimmage.
The Crusaders drove 76 yards in seven plays to regain the lead. Bianco found Peters-de Laura for a tough-nosed 32-yard catch-and-run. A 21-yard connection from Bianco to Mason Muaau set up a bulldozing 10-yard TD run by Keonimanamemanao Catrett. Saint Louis led 21-14 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
Kamehameha then gifted the Crusaders on the next possession. On fourth-and-8 from their own 19-yard line, the Warriors called a fake punt, but punter Dwight Apao was stopped after a 2-yard gain by Saint Louis defensive lineman Julian Savaiinaea.
On the next snap, Bianco lofted a 21-yard TD pass to Kekahuna on a post route, and the Crusaders led 28-14 with 4:24 remaining in the third.
Two unsportsmanlike conduct calls against Saint Louis during the TD celebration were enforced on the ensuing kickoff.
After the Crusaders’ squib kick from their own 10-yard line, Kamehameha had the ball at the Saint Louis 28-yard line but came up empty. A fourth-and-5 carry by Bartley came up short, no gain, with three minutes left in the third.
The Warriors defense stepped up moments later, stopping Kekahuna on a fourth-and-1 carry out of the backfield.
The Warriors marched 63 yards in eight plays for a score. Ah Yat raced in on a 1-yard bootleg, and Kamehameha was within 28-21 with 11 minutes remaining.
The Crusaders then marched 82 yards in 15 plays. With Bianco’s volume of running, he hit a tipping point after a 5-yard gain to the Kamehameha 1-yard line.
After a timeout, Bianco was slightly refreshed but stopped just inches from the goal line on a sneak. On fourth-and-goal, Bianco ran the speed option left and scored to open the lead to 35-21 with 4:02 left.
Kawaihinano Kalaukoa’s interception of a deep pass by Ah Yat all but sealed the win for the Crusaders.
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At Aloha Stadium
Kamehameha (3-3, 3-1) 7 7 0 7 — 21
Saint Louis (5-3, 2-2) 7 7 14 7 — 35
KS—Kealii Ah Yat 1 run (Winston Freitas kick)
STL—AJ Bianco 1 run (Lason Napuunoa kick)
STL—Hikaalanikekia‘i Dancil-Evans 9 run (Napuunoa kick)
KS—Blaze Kamoku 19 pass from Ah Yat (Freitas kick)
STL—Keonimanamemanao Catrett 10 run (Napuunoa kick)
STL—Trech Kekahuna 21 pass from Bianco (Napuunoa kick)
KS—Ah Yat 1 run (Freitas kick)
STL—Bianco 1 run (Napuunoa kick)
Individual statistics
RUSHING—KS: Micah Mahiai 10-27, Kealii Ah Yat 10-41, Duke Lorenzo 1-(-1), Sunrise Solatorio 1-2, Levi Ma‘afala 1-1, Dwight Apao 2-24, Noah Bartley 4-5. STL: Keonimanamemanao Catrett 9-45, AJ Bianco 20-117, Chaz-Ayden Delto 2-14, William Lentz 1-4, Dancil-Evans 8-58, Chris Ano 1-6, Elijah Dolor 1-3, Kekahuna 1-0, team 2-(-4), Yosei Takahashi 2-7.
PASSING—KS: Ah Yat 16-23-1-162. STL: Bianco 19-22-1-358.
RECEIVING—KS: Duke Lorenzo 3-22, Dwight Apao 1-7, Raiden Morris 5-48, Ma‘afala 3-31, Kamoku 2-32, Sheyden Iokia 2-22. STL: Mason Muaau 2-38, Trech Kekahuna 6-125, Devon Tauaefa 6-136, Jaysen Peters-de Laura 4-45, Titan Lacaden 1-14.
