2018 Early Contenders presented by Shock Doctor high school football preview: No. 12 St. Louis

Loaded Crusaders enter 2018 as back-to-back Hawaii champions.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Zack Poff
By
Aug 1, 2018, 1:30pm
Video: Early Contenders presented by Shock Doctor
We set the tone for 2018 by looking at high school football's elite.


Head coach: Cal Lee

Last season: 11-0, No. 15 national ranking, beat Kahuku 31-28 in Division 1 open state championship to win its second consecutive state title.

Last decade: 77-22

Famous alumni/players: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans quarterback; Tua Tagovailoa, University of Alabama quarterback; Olin Kreutz, former NFL player; Benny Agbayani, former MLB player.

Star power (According to 247Sports): 5-star recruits — 0; 4-star recruits — 2; 3-star recruits — 5 

KEY PLAYERS

DT Faatui Tuitele (6-4, 300, Sr.) — The 5-star defensive tackle checks in as the No. 1 player overall in Hawaii and a Top 30 player in the Class of 2019.

LB Jordan Botelho (6-3, 220, Jr.) — He and Tuitele give St. Louis one of the best defensive duos in the country. The 4-star recruit is the No. 6 inside linebacker in the Class of 2020.

QB Jayden de Laura (6-0, 180, Jr.) — Expect the talented quarterback from the Class of 2020 to become of the Aloha State's best player over the next two seasons.

WR Matt Sykes (6-3, 195, Jr.) — The 4-star is emerging as one of the top up-and-coming wide receivers from the Class of 2020.

DE Gino Quinones (6-2, 260, Sr.) — The 2019 USC commit is a beast coming off the edge.

KEY GAMES

Aug. 17 — vs. No. 24 Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.)

Aug. 25 — at Mililani

Sept. 7 — vs. Kahuku

Sept. 14 — vs. Punahou

STORYLINES

• St. Louis will own one of the best defenses  in 2018. Tuitele, Botelho, and Quinones are as good as any trio in the country. Stanley McKenzie, Liloa Kapiko and Darrell Masaniai help fill out arguably the best front seven in high school football.

• Lee is a quarterback guru as well as being one of the elite coaches in the nation. St. Louis has had some big-time quarterbacks in the past, including Marcus Mariota, Tua Tagovailoa, Timmy Chang, Jeremiah Masoli, and Chevan Cordeiro. Next up is de Laura.

• St. Louis is featured in the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Year with its matchup against No. 25 Narbonne. Both teams are loaded in 2018 and that game will teach a lot about both squads.

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