Wilson a master of the route tree for Crusaders

There is so much talent and depth in the Saint Louis receiving corps.

It’s no lie, any of the four starters, or even reserves, can step up with a 100-yard game. That’s the beauty of a balanced passing attack with a superior offensive line and a quarterback like Jayden de Laura.

For Roman Wilson, coming back from injury means having an opportunity to contribute as a junior as Saint Louis goes after a third straight state championship. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound wide receiver hauled in touchdowns of 80 and 13 yards as No. 1 Saint Louis defeated No. 2 Kahuku 30-14 at Aloha Stadium on Friday night.

Wilson was open early during Saint Louis’ opening series, but de Laura overthrew him on a deep route. They came back to it later, though, on their first TD connection. Wilson’s ability to go sideline, deep, post, crossing — it’s a showcase that all of the Crusader pass catchers are trained to master in the route tree of offensive coordinator Ron Lee.

>> View more photos from the game in our photo gallery.

“It’s not that hard because we practice hard. We get as much work done as we can and watch a lot of film,” said Wilson, who finished with six catches for 136 yards. “Coach Ron is a great coach and he teaches us well.”

The Crusaders’ win over Kahuku, the OIA behemoth, counts in the ILH standings. With a 23-0 lead at the break, they were content to run the clock whenever possible. In the first half, they passed the ball 16 times and ran it 13. After halftime, Saint Louis ran the ball 14 times and threw just 10 passes.

Beating the No. 2 team in the state, a team that quite a few watchers expect to reach the state final, is quite a feat. The Crusaders didn’t celebrate a whole lot, though. Not while it’s still the regular season.

“You can think what you want,” Wilson said. “We beat them and that’s about it.”