The aura has returned to Kalaepohaku.
After overcoming adversity early in the season (two nonconference losses) and a potential nightmare scenario due to a schedule snafu in its league, the Saint Louis Crusaders are back on the throne with a gritty 17-10 win over top-seeded, three-time defending state champion Kahuku on Friday night at T.C. Ching Complex.
A crowd of 8,566 witnessed Saint Louis’ first state title since 2019 on a crisp, clear night in Manoa.
Down seven points, OIA champion Kahuku (9-5) had the ball at its 5-yard line with 2:30 remaining. Quarterback Matai Fuiava had his best series throwing the ball. Fuiava found Bodhi Kaanga for a 46-yard completion, but Mana Carvalho was called for a personal foul, costing Kahuku 15 yards.
On fourth-and-10, Fuiava found Kaanga for a 29-yard gain to the Saint Louis 35-yard line with 1:46 remaining. Crusaders defensive back Magnus Ochoco was injured on the play.
Fuiava caught fire, hitting three more big passes, including a 12-yarder to Aiden Manutai, who was basically playing with one live arm while the other (injured) arm could barely move. An 11-yard completion to Kaanga moved the ball to the Saint Louis 11-yard line with one minute left.
Three plays later, Saint Louis defensive back Zanden Willis left with an injury. On fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Fuiava’s pass to Kaanga near the right pylon was too high, and Saint Louis sealed the victory.
Titan Lacaden’s storybook season finished with a climactic final chapter. The 5-foot-7, 171-pound senior rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries as Saint Louis captured its first state crown since 2019. After 10 carries in the first quarter, Lacaden was a bit battered and bruised by the third quarter, but his linemen always hustled to pick him up off the ground.
“Man, my linemen are my brothers just like everyone on this team. They care for me just like I care for them. I’m so thankful for the teammates I have,” Lacaden said.
His power and drive after contact were, again, incredibly rare. Lacaden has a max on the squat rack of 475 pounds. He reps 425 three times. It starts at the point of contact.
“No doubt, these guys are the real deal. Center, guards, tackles. They’re the definition of grit. They’re the reason our team is who we are. They set the tone every game,” Lacaden said. “Koa, Jordan (Fuifui), Trytin (Ellis-Navares), Kamoi (Huihui-White) went down in one of the Punahou games, so we had Nesta (Crowell), and Houston (Kaahaina-Torres). They’re my brothers.”
This is the first title under first-year head coach Tupu Alualu.
“I just told the boys, remember how we started. When I got the job, I said, it’s God’s plan. Follow me. I’ll be your head man, we’ll be soldiers for God to glorify God in everything we do in the light and in the dark,” he said. “I’m a Saint Louis alumni. I know the recipe. The Lee brothers (Cal and Ron), the things they’ve done for me, our coaches, our kids in the past, it’s everybody. The parents, the players, it’s all for them. We want to glorify God tonight.”
Alualu, the former standout running back, established a run-heavy approach, playing to his personnel strengths. That was good news to offensive lineman Houston Kaahaina-Torres, a 6-5, 280-pound senior.
“Everything we needed, we worked on the past two weeks. This entire season, we sharpened it, polished it so we could execute what we did today,” Kaahaina-Torres said. “I would call our team a special group of people. We’ve been fighting for everything and we just thank God for the strength to keep moving forward. We keep supporting Titan, and he supports us no matter what, pushing us to be better. We kept picking him up, keep moving him forward because we know he wants it just as much as us. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, all those hours of grinding, just punching sleds, moving your feet, bringing it all together as one, it’s beautiful.”
Kahuku’s four-peat hopes fell just short, coincidentally with an incomplete pass by the talented Fuiava, who transferred from nationally ranked St. John Bosco (Calif.) at midseason.
“We just didn’t execute when we needed to. We just fell short. It’s something we have to get better at. No excuses,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “Saint Louis played a great game. Tonight was their night. We missed opportunities on special teams when we had that shot. We couldn’t stop their run. The same thing goes with them. They couldn’t stop our pass, too. At the end of the day, we just fell short. We knew from the beginning we had to stop Titan. He’s a great athlete, great skill set. He just found holes and he made it difficult for us tonight.”
When Saint Louis last won the state title in 2019, it capped a string of four state titles in a row in the second stint of legendary coach Cal Lee. Both teams, proficient in elephant, smashmouth football, generally eschewed the power formation. Kahuku ran it once, losing yardage against a vigilant Saint Louis defense.
The Crusaders used the elephant set heavily in the latter half of the season, but used two-back sets that sometimes featured freshman Tenari Fuamatu-Ma‘afala as an effective blocking back.
Saint Louis opened the game with heavy doses of Lacaden and Tahlen Kekawa out of the pistol-I set. With senior linebacker Falealii Atuaia not available due to suspension (targeting in the semifinal game), Lacaden gashed Kahuku’s defense for four first downs, including gains of 13 and 15 yards.
However, on fourth-and-goal at the Saint Louis 2-yard line, Kahuku defensive back Mana Carvalho blitzed and stopped Lacaden for no gain.
After a Kahuku three-and-out, Lacaden’s 20-yard punt return set up Saint Louis at the 28-yard line. By the time the first quarter was over, Kahuku’s offense had the ball just three snaps and Saint Louis was knocking on the door after Lacaden picked up 2 yards on fourth-and-1.
On the first play of the second quarter, Lopes found Jordan Nunuha for a 16-yard TD, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty. A sack by Sioni Pasi pushed the Crusaders back to the 35-yard line.
After a Saint Louis timeout Makena Kauai’s 43-yard field-goal attempt fell short with 10:37 to go until halftime.
An 18-yard punt return by Carvalho — on a booming 52-yard punt by Lopes — was the beginning of Kahuku’s momentum build. Blake Alo tore off a 19-yard run, the first first down for Kahuku, which was followed by two 15-yard penalties, personal foul and pass interference, against Saint Louis. That gave Kahuku the ball at the Saint Louis 24-yard line, but there was no further advancement. Carvalho’s expert-level pooch punt dribbled down the hash mark and was downed at the 1-yard line.
A 12-yard completion from Lopes to Nunuha gave Saint Louis breathing room. Lacaden, Tenari Fuamatu-Ma‘afala and Lopes picked up big chunks on the ground.
After a Kahuku timeout, on third-and-1 at the Kahuku 2-yard line, the defense was whistled for having 12 men on the field, giving Saint Louis first down at the 1. Lacaden fought his way over the goal line with 1:38 left in the first half, giving the Crusaders a 7-0 lead. The drive covered 99 yards in 12 plays.
With Carvalho remaining on the sideline after taking a big hit on the previous punt return, the Crusaders drove to the 30. Carvalho finally re-entered and soared in the end zone to snag a 35-yard TD pass from Fuiava with eight seconds to go in the first half.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was assessed on the PAT attempt, but Manoa Kahalepuna split the uprights to tie the game at 7.
Kahuku’s fake-punt pass from Manutai to Madden Soliai was tipped and fell incomplete, giving Saint Louis a short field. The Crusaders drove 42 yards in nine plays as Lacaden plowed over the goal line for a 3-yard TD and a 14-7 Saint Louis lead with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
Saint Louis’ defense came up big moments later when defensive lineman Stone Ah Quin, a 6-3, 290-pound sophomore, dropped into coverage, batted a pass by Fuiava, and somehow corralled the football while being mauled by receiver Tamatoa Sam.
“We just read the screen. I saw it and made a play,” Ah Quin said. “I played tight end in flag football and outside league.”
In line with a night almost exclusively positive for Saint Louis field possession, the Crusaders took possession at the Kahuku 43-yard line. Kauai’s 22-yard field goal opened the lead to 17-7 with 8:39 remaining.
Kahalepuna’s 37-yard field goal cut the lead to 17-10 with 7:04 left.
Just when Kahuku appeared to have some fire left, Lacaden and his trench men kept marching forward. Continuing to rip yardage after contact, he gained 9, 4 and 14 yards.
Kahuku two-way standout Manutai left the game with an injury, and Saint Louis kept marching. On fourth-and-10, the play clock expired, but Kahuku had called time out, possibly concerned about having 12 players on the field. The game clock stopped at 2:37.
Lopes then delivered another gem of a punt, a 42-yarder that bounced out at the Kahuku 5-yard line.
Saint Louis’ late-season push was filled with adversity. Due to a tight schedule, the Crusaders were shorted a game, having to play for the ILH championship after winning the first round of league play and tying for first in the second round. Kamehameha won the card draw in the second-round tiebreaker series, and Saint Louis eliminated Punahou.
The Crusaders were then told by the ILH that their game with Kamehameha was not for the second-round title, but for the ILH championship. Saint Louis eliminated Kamehameha and advanced to the state tournament.
In 16 HHSAA state-final/Oahu Prep Bowl matchups, Saint Louis has won 10 times against Kahuku.
