Tua Tagovailoa continues to amaze.
The Saint Louis senior went 41-for-47 with 493 yards, five touchdowns and an interception as the Crusaders pulled away from ‘Iolani 42-24.
The 493 yards broke a school record of 484 yards set by Jeremy Higgins in 2008 against Kamehameha and was 2 yards shy of Hawaii’s Division I record of 495, set by Punahou’s Nick Kapule against Saint Louis earlier this season.
“I have coaches like Coach Ron (Lee) and Coach Cal (Lee) to install a kind of offense and system,” Tagovailoa said. “It is not an easy system, but they make things easy for me and I thank God for that opportunity.”
He spread the wealth across his team, as nine different Crusaders caught a pass from the Alabama commit.
The last time ‘Iolani and Saint Louis met, on Sept. 2, the Crusaders routed the Raiders 49-7 at Aloha Stadium.
The Raiders cut the Crusaders lead to 28-17 in the third quarter but couldn’t get closer than that.
“They’re very competitive. They came out there and played good football, gotta give them a lot of credit,” Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. “They made us want to practice a lot harder next week. We can’t just come and show up because ‘Iolani, they’re competitive. They play hard.”
‘Iolani coach Wendell Look was proud of his team in a game that served as both homecoming and senior night for the Raiders at Eddie Hamada Field.
“I thought it was a hell of an effort,” Look said. “Playing one of the top two teams in the state, we talked about why we play this game and I think we came out and played with a lot of heart and a lot of pride.”
The Raiders’ offense was led by senior running back KJ Pascua, who rushed for three touchdowns and 122 yards on 31 carries.
“KJ is our horse, we gotta ride him,” Look said. “We need him to produce and make plays and so it’s not surprising. That’s what we want from him. That’s what we expect from him.”
Both teams close out the ILH regular season next Friday. Saint Louis faces Punahou, while ‘Iolani takes on Kamehameha.
“All we gotta do is play a lot better,” Lee said. “I think defensively, we didn’t show up really well. Hopefully, we can show up next week.”