We’re down to our last few prep football all-star teams.
Undefeated Saint Louis led the way with five selections on the Honolulu Advertiser’s ILH all-star team in 1949. Halfback Valentine Freitas was joined on the first team by four Crusaders linemen — Walter Cabral, Dan DeRego, Kelvin Lau and Fred Meyer.
‘Iolani halfback Allen Napoleon, who broke his leg in the Raiders’ final game of the season, was the only unanimous selection. He was also the only unanimous pick by the Star-Bulletin.
Other selections included McKinley’s Richard Gomard at quarterback and ‘Iolani’s Charles Kaaihue at right tackle.
Kahuku led the way with four selections on the Star-Bulletin’s Rural OIA all-star team. Three of the four picks were linemen — end Kosena Fonoimoana, center Famika Anae and guard Hawaii Maiava. Bill Enos was one of four backs chosen to the squad.
For a listing of all prep football all-star teams over the years that have been posted, click here.
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Subscribers to the Star-Advertiser can search full-page archives going back two years for free (pages are not available on the archive for 30 days after publication) at Newspapers.com. To access digitized newspapers from farther back — all the way to 1840 — subscriptions to staradvertiser.newspapers.com are available for $7.95 per month or $29.95 for six months.
Merv Lopes was the best thing to ever happen to Chaminade basketball. He put them on the map. And then they ran him out of town. I don’t know if people fully appreciate what it took to make Chaminade respectful. The lack of money at the school. High school gym. Merv Lopes = Chaminade. That guy had Kailua in the state high school basketball final almost every year he was there. Then Chaminade stole him away. yeah, Merv Lopes did go to Iolani. You assume cuz he coached at Chaminade and was Pordagee that he must have gone to St Louis.