A quick look at some of the scores for this year’s Saint Louis Crusaders football team and it looks like the 1990s all over again.
A 49-13 win over ‘Iolani last Saturday is the latest in a season that includes a 55-point shutout of Baldwin, a 45-24 romping of Kahuku and a 73-6 whitewashing of Pac-Five.
The only problem is, there’s a big stain right in the middle of that schedule. A 38-17 loss to Kamehameha in their ILH opener, in which they were outscored 28-0 in the fourth quarter, has forced Saint Louis to hit the reset button.
"This has been a season where we’ve been to hell and back," Crusaders senior Jacob Lacaden said. "I have a lot of faith in my boys and that’s the thing about Saint Louis, we’ve got each other’s backs and we’ll get there."
Lacaden, a 6-foot, 210-pound defensive back, has the physicality to play linebacker and the athleticism to be a safety.
In other words, he can do just about anything for second-year Crusaders coach Matt Wright.
"He’s one of those guys that you try to get him in every position you can so he can make a play," Wright said. "I think his physical attributes overshadow all of his other stuff because by far, what makes him such a great player and a great person is all of the intangibles."
Saint Louis has given up 16.2 points a game, but that number is inflated considering Kamehameha returned two interceptions for touchdowns and brought back another to the 2-yard line to set up another score — all in the fourth quarter.
In the locker room after the game, Lacaden, who is a team captain and who Wright calls "the emotional leader" of the team, immediately went to junior quarterback Ryder Kuhns and reminded him it’s still early in the season.
"I told Ryder, with him being so young, I told him it’s a snap and clear type of thing," Lacaden said. "We’re going to see (Kamehameha) again. They came to play, but we definitely are going to get another shot, and we have to continue working harder and cleaning up the little things."
All three Division I teams make the playoffs, with the top seed getting a bye. With Punahou’s 24-0 win over Kamehameha, the Crusaders can make things interesting if they can beat the Buffanblu on Oct. 4.
Lacaden, who made two of his eight tackles against Kamehameha in the backfield for a loss, will have to rely on his versatility against a Buffanblu team that can both run it and throw it.
Wright’s defensive schemes allow Lacaden to be a run-stopper in addition to his coverage duties.
"It really shows the versatility of our defense, not only for me, but for a lot of guys," Lacaden said. "It’s teaching a lot of guys there’s more to just being a linebacker or a safety and a lot of colleges are going with these versatile, hybrid players."
That helped Lacaden secure a scholarship offer over the summer from Nevada, where he will play for new Wolf Pack coach Brian Polian next season.
Lacaden was offered over the phone in May by former University of Hawaii offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich, who now holds the same position at Nevada.
Weber State offered him the day after that, but after a month to discuss things with his family, he decided to make his commitment early to focus on football his senior season.
"I talked it over with my parents and they thought with Coach Rolo being there and welcoming me in and the aloha spirit he brings, it just felt like home," Lacaden said. "That aloha spirit is something I want to bring over there too."
It allows Lacaden to put his full focus into finally bringing that elusive championship to the family.
His dad, Frank, graduated from Saint Louis in 1986 and was on the team prior to the one that began the run of 13 straight Prep Bowl titles.
"It was in my mind I was always going to end up at Saint Louis because it runs in the family — this is my home," Lacaden said. "This season is really flying. We talk not just for me, but as the Class of 2014, that we don’t want to end this season early. We want to make the most of it."