Saint Louis continued to hold onto its No. 25 ranking in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 released on Sunday.
The Crusaders (7-0) were idle to start the ILH second round over the weekend. Saint Louis will play Kamehameha, which ended a 10-game losing streak to Punahou with a 44-31 win over the Buffanblu on Friday, for the overall league title on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium. Kamehameha (4-4) would have to beat Saint Louis twice to end the Crusaders’ season.
A victory would give Saint Louis its third straight ILH championship and the league’s lone berth in the Open Division of the state tournament.
Mater Dei, the No. 1 team in the country, beat No. 8 St. John Bosco to improve to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in league play. The Monarchs have played only two games in the Trinity League while more than half of Oahu’s 29 teams are already done for the season.
Bingham (Utah) remains at No. 11. The Miners defeated Kahuku, the No. 2 team in Hawaii, 17-0 earlier this season in the Polynesian Football Classic in Las Vegas.
Bishop Gorman (Nev.) moved up one spot to No. 13.
Here are the full MaxPreps rankings.
Despite the most recent loss to St Francis, Iolani deserves major props for competing all season long with a woefully undersized line and very limited roster. This was due in large part to the genius of Coach Look. Earlier this year Iolani managed to beat a bigger, faster and more talented St. Francis team. Precision, discipline and character are the hallmarks of Wendell Look’s squads. He‘s proudly carrying on the tradition of revered past Iolani coaches Father Kenneth Bray and Eddie Hamada.
All Hail the REAL RRFLifers!!
GPAs>TDs
HIP HOP DANCER 4 LIFE
On the flip side of the way Iolani does things, it looks like the beginning of the end for FB dominance at Punahou. JV numbers are way down and alumni & parents of current “regular” students getting fed up with the number diversity scholies going to mercenaries whose sole purpose on campus is to fill athletic teams with ringers. Many feel these resources should go to children from underprivileged/underserved groups who excel in academics, music, etc. and feel that the school has lost its way with the emphasis on being a sports (especially FB and BB) juggernaut.
Compare this to the “One Team” philosophy of Iolani. It’s evident by their FB roster that they don’t recruit.
Education First indeed.