KAHUKU, Hawaii — Saint Louis's defense dominated, and the Crusaders' offense did just enough to get the win while avoiding any big mistakes.
In the end, it added up to a 20-0 victory for the visitors from Honolulu as Saint Louis stormed Oahu's North Shore in The Sporting News National Game of the Week, beating the rival Kahuku Red Raiders. The game was a rematch of last year's HHSAA Open Division state championship game also won by the Crusaders, 17-10.
Kingston Siliado was the biggest star on offense, turning heads with 13 receptions for 142 yards and a score. His 22-yard touchdown on a delivery from Crusaders' quarterback Nainoa Lopes came just before halftime to give Saint Louis a 13-0 lead headed to the lockers.
Both defenses played well for the most part, however, and it took a defensive touchdown by the Crusaders near the end of the first quarter to light up the scoreboard. Urijah Belaras snagged an errant throw by Kahuku's Matai Fuiava and returned it 44 yards for the game's opening score with just 10 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.
High School Football
The Sporting News National Game of the Week
Saint Louis (Honolulu) 20, Kahuku Red Raiders 0
Saturday, August 9, 2025 | Carleton E. Weimer Athletic Field | Kahuku, Hawaii
It was one of two interceptions Fuiava threw on a night when the senior star just couldn't find any open passing lanes to crack the Crusaders' defense. He finished just 4-of-16 for 17 yards as the Red Raiders managed just 120 total yards of offense on the opening evening of the 2025 season.
Saint Louis was hardly a juggernaut on offense. The Crusaders did manage to gain 329 yards, but that was as much a product of Kahuku's inability to sustain drives as it was any proficiency on Saint Louis's part. In the end, the Crusaders only managed two offensive touchdowns of their own with the final score coming with just 15 seconds remaining in the game on a two-yard sneak by Lopes with the game already out of reach.
Lopes provided a steady hand throughout, however, and avoided making the big mistakes that plagued Fuiava and the Red Raiders. He was 15-of-25 for 157 yards, including the touchdown strike to Siliado in the second quarter.
He got help from running back Tenari Fuamatu-Ma'afala, the son of the former Utah Utes' great who also played at Saint Louis in the 1990s before spending seven years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The sophomore ran for 102 yards on 19 carries on a night when the airways were mostly closed to traffic.
CRUSADERS 🔴🔵 https://t.co/ROIG9q3s0n
— Nainoa Lopes 3⭐️ QB (@NainoaLopes) August 10, 2025
For Kahuku, the inability to move the ball at home could signal even more trouble in the weeks to come. First, the national powerhouse Bishop Gorman Gaels of Las Vegas, Nevada, pay a visit to the islands on August 30, likely ranked in the national Top 3. That's followed by the Red Raiders' trip to Santa Ana, California, to take on the preseason national No. 1 Mater Dei Monarchs.
Saint Louis has a high-profile interstate matchup of its own. The Crusaders will also travel to the Golden State to take on another national power when they trek to Bellflower, California, to tangle with the St. John Bosco Braves on September 19.
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