Botelho, defense step up for a jovial Cal Lee

Saint Louis linebackers Isaiah Feary (9) and Jordan Botelho (12) worked to bring down Punahou quarterback Stephen Barber for a sack. Photo by Jamm Aquino/Star-Advertiser.

Rare is the moment when a field general, the winningest football coach in Hawaii high school history, speaks of love.

But when Cal Lee does this, it speaks volumes. The Saint Louis head coach saw his team stifle No. 4 Punahou in the first half, building a 24-0 lead en route to a 40-20 victory over the Buffanblu on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

The victory on homecoming and senior night sealed a spot in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship game for No. 1 Saint Louis (7-0, 4-0 ILH). Doing it with another fantastic effort defensively made it that much more satisfying for Lee, the former high school and college linebacker.


Noa Purcell, Isaiah Feary, Wes Tufaga, Kamo‘i Latu, and on and on. (Note: defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele and safety Kai Kaneshiro did not play.) The depth and balance of the Saint Louis defense gave Punahou few opportunities to seize momentum. Jordan Botelho, a sophomore linebacker, was in on three of the Crusaders’ five sacks. He also forced a fumble during Punahou’s game-opening series that led to his team’s first touchdown.

“It’s just being prepared, watching film, going out there and trying to give our all,” Botelho said. “On Saturdays, we watch film and that helps us get better. We watch every snap. It’s about making the best of every opportunity.”

When Punahou started the game with sophomore Hugh Brady at QB, he was a fairly unknown quantity to most of the Crusaders. Botelho, however, had a good feel for the skilled passer.

“He played JV last year, so I kind of knew him,” said Botelho, who was on the Saint Louis JV a year ago.

Until this year, freshmen weren’t allow to play varsity football.

“He’s a good athlete and can throw and run. Containing the quarterback, that’s our (outside linebackers) responsibility,” Botelho said.

Brady finished 10-for-28 with 205 passing yards, two TDs and one pick. He finished strong, however, facing Saint Louis’ starting defense from start to finish. He missed just a few plays when regular starter Stephen Barber (elbow) and backup Nui Adolpho made brief appearances. Barber left after being sacked, suffering a sore neck.


“He gained a confidence boost tonight,” Punahou offensive coordinator Teetai Ane said of Brady, who completed six of his final 12 pass attempts for 165 yards.

Lee was perhaps happier than he has ever been this season about his defensive unit. On a defense of physical, swarming stoppers, Botelho was just about everywhere at the right time to make big plays.

“I love him. I love him because he listens, a person who listens and does what you tell him, he’s eager to learn, a lot of enthusiasm, he loves the game. You’ve got to love him,” Lee said.

Lee was in a rare, almost jovial mood post-game, maybe fueled in large part by the strong turnout for Crusader seniors. Brady managed to finish strong with two TD passes in a 10-for-28 debut against the nationally-ranked Crusaders.

Chevan Cordeiro passed for two TDs and ran for two more, grateful to see his team remain unbeaten in a brutal ILH football landscape.

“Kamehameha, Punahou, they’re all good. To play them twice, that’s nuts. They get to learn from their mistakes and get better. It’s hard,” he said. “Punahou blitzed more. Last time, they were (more basic). They brought more people this time.”


Punahou contained most of Saint Louis’ ground attack. No Crusader rushed for more than 9 yards aside from Cordeiro. His two TD runs were right up the middle out of scramble situations, which was unexpected considering his ability to gain chunks of yardage with his legs all season long.

“I was surprised. We just stick to the game plan. We have a lot of weapons. Our offensive line is getting better every game, working hard. Our slots, our wideouts, they all work hard,” said Cordeiro, who was sacked just three times on 30 pass attempts and 11 rushes, mostly scrambles out of the pocket.

COMMENTS

  1. Douglas Hu October 8, 2017 12:06 am

    Glad to hear Coach Lee praising and appreciating his defensive unit….they deserve respect…Crusaders did a good job tonight! And Noa ‘BONECRUSHER’ Purcell was just somethin else! Damn!


  2. anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 7:46 am

    They need to be praising their recruiting. without that, they’re nothing. All they do is steal kids from other communities. RRFL!

    #ILHAgenda


  3. Douglas Hu October 8, 2017 8:37 am

    If you build it, they will come…praises to Kahuku, they’re having a great season…


  4. Mahatma Gandhi October 8, 2017 9:13 am

    Yeah, St Louis all out recruiting has destroyed the competitive balance of Hawaii state high school football. St Louis is a win at all costs football program, just like Bishop Gorman.


  5. Education First October 8, 2017 11:12 am

    Either of these two fine institutions are more then capable of representing Hawaii on and off the field, although its a down year for my Buff-n-Blue the Crusaders are more then deserving to repeat as state champs and repeat they will…we dont want Kahuku with kids that cant read or write being called Hawaii champs.


  6. anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 11:50 am

    The ILH needs to be disbanded and their schools shut down. RRFL!


  7. anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 11:51 am

    Correction, i shold’ve said “schools” shut down. We all know what they really are: football factories who just recruit and steal kids from other communities. They’re just glorified football teams with a few academic classes on the side.


  8. Robocop October 8, 2017 12:23 pm

    anywaaaays yeah never mind that the kids get a chance at getting a college prep education and possiblemote attention from college scouts. Let’s shut the schools down so you can root for your neighborhoods on the backs of the kids that you don’t care about


  9. Dafun October 8, 2017 1:02 pm

    Kahuku fans are just sore losers. Look how many of them that are on here. What do you think a private school is? A place that has kids from only that general area? You kahuku fans are reall dummies. Play a better team rather than all losing teams


  10. anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 1:16 pm

    The creators of this website are dummies because they dont know how to deny postings with duplicate names.

    The real anywaaaaaays has been gone for months cause we no longer see his long winded factual stories about in-equalities of the ILH and OIA.

    ….the fake guy using his name only posts 2 sentences and ends all his posts with RR4L which anywaaaaaays never did. Ha! that imposter is a loser, maybe because his Punahou team is not doing good this year.


  11. Douglas Hu October 8, 2017 1:20 pm

    St. Louis is going to run over everyone in the playoffs! But best of luck to everyone that is fighting for second place.


  12. Dafun October 8, 2017 1:24 pm

    I agree Douglas! Crusaders are on another level this year, looks like Mililani will win OIA and then STL will mercy rule Mililani in the states. I hope Kahuku makes it so that we can show them how to play real ball.


  13. Hawaiian50 October 8, 2017 3:05 pm

    Anywaaaays stop hating you loser…Did you ever play football? You must’ve been a bench warmer if you have nothing but negative comments to say…You better hope you guys beat Kapolei next week…


  14. Hawaiian50 October 8, 2017 3:13 pm

    Great job Crusaders!! Keep working hard, stay humble, and remain focused…People ALWAYS gonna hate and say negative things to try and bring you boy’s down, but it just shows how ignorant they are


  15. Douglas Hu October 8, 2017 5:35 pm

    Dafun…11 has identity issues…


  16. Dafun October 8, 2017 6:49 pm

    Lol someone is copying me! But what’s funny is I actually agree haha


  17. Dafun October 8, 2017 6:54 pm

    Btw guys… If st Louis ever wins any game, it’s strictly because of recruiting and the stealing of talent from communities like glorious Kahuku. Because everyone knows the people are grown out there and there’s never been any recruitment of anyone to Kahuku *cough cough* Micah Strickland who lived in town and played for punahou but magically went to Kahuku for his senior year because Kahuku was at that time better than punahou. But hell what do I know? I never played st Louis football back then. I must be an idiot


  18. Dafun October 8, 2017 8:01 pm

    ..oh wait but I really do know because Micahs Sister lived in Kaaawa so Micah moved in with his family to be eligible to play in Kahuku district.

    Hey Douglas want to go with me to club Femm Nu this weekend, make sure to wear your basketball shorts with no bbd’s ok!


  19. Ilhrules October 8, 2017 10:03 pm

    Or the Kicker from Florida that got recruited to Kahuku ! Lol . Yeah a white guys really go to Kahuku !


  20. TooMeke October 9, 2017 6:22 am

    Where’s Hyn?? I owe you two plate lunches…still waiting on the details bruddah… No excuses.

    St LuLu has earned and retained the right to be #1 until someone beats them…which will be Big Red.

    See you in States.

    @Dafun – just cuz you never got recruited and was 6th string on da bench… no need be mad cuz your 1st string teammates were all recruited… HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!

    RRFL.


  21. eastsiderocks October 9, 2017 6:53 am

    RRFL! Quit crying, man up… Kahuku got good kids & excellent coaches…. It’s how you prepare for the season & the big games… worry about the Mililani’s & Kapolei’s & Waianae’s before shooting your mouth about St.Louis…


  22. Dafun October 9, 2017 7:26 am

    I’m so sick of rr4l. That’s all I hear on this site. Why is that? I didn’t even know you guys had computers or phones out there in Kahuku in the middle of nowhere. I hope I don’t have to see that stupid chop anymore that you guys stole


  23. Dafun October 9, 2017 9:23 am

    Yeah his family lived there but he was from town. How can he magically move there. Obviously he could of went to another school in town.


  24. Education First October 9, 2017 9:39 am

    anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 7:46 am
    They need to be praising their recruiting. without that, they’re nothing. All they do is steal kids from other communities. RRFL!

    #ILHAgenda
    ————————-
    And all Kahuku does is recruit kids from the mainland then say, “he is so an so’s uncle’s nephew’s, aunty’s former mailman’s friend. So that makes him FAMILY!

    Stop pretending you’re from Kahuku. We all know you are from Waialua. Stop lying!


  25. Education First October 9, 2017 9:41 am

    Mahatma Gandhi October 8, 2017 9:13 am
    Yeah, St Louis all out recruiting has destroyed the competitive balance of Hawaii state high school football. St Louis is a win at all costs football program, just like Bishop Gorman.
    ———————
    More hatred from the town joker. He’s still unhappy that Coach Cal didn’t want his kid.


  26. Education First October 9, 2017 9:42 am

    anywaaaays!! October 8, 2017 11:51 am
    Correction, i shold’ve said “schools” shut down. We all know what they really are: football factories who just recruit and steal kids from other communities. They’re just glorified football teams with a few academic classes on the side.
    ———————-
    Hey Bulldog, you are the last person who should be talking about academics given the state of the school that you support (Kahuku) even though you graduated from Waialua.


  27. Education First October 9, 2017 9:45 am

    Hawaiian50 October 8, 2017 3:05 pm
    Anywaaaays stop hating you loser…Did you ever play football? You must’ve been a bench warmer if you have nothing but negative comments to say…You better hope you guys beat Kapolei next week…
    ——————-
    @Hawaiian50, I have on good authority that anywaaays was the 2nd stringer punter for Waialua in 1987. He applied 5 times to attend St. Louis, Punahou, Iolani, and Our Redeemer (later on called Lutheran). He didn’t get into any of them. Yes, he didn’t get into Our Redeemer either.

    This is why he is so angry at the ILH.


  28. TooMeke October 10, 2017 6:59 am

    “worry about the Mililani’s & Kapolei’s & Waianae’s…” Uhhhh….no.

    lol.

    RRFL.


  29. TooMeke October 10, 2017 7:01 am

    @Dafun… CHOP CHOP CHOP BABY!!! Come and watch…it does a body good.

    HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

    You guys hilarious taking these threads so seriously…lol.

    Oh yeah…RRFL.


  30. Hyn October 10, 2017 8:21 am

    Toomeke- you 0-2 so far. Lmk if you like bet if they play again. Lol


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