MILILANI — New season: different score, same result.

For the second consecutive year, Mililani and Saint Louis locked horns on the gridiron, with the host Trojans coming out on top once again.

Last year, Mililani came away with an impressive 63-47 non-league win. Saturday night, the teams met in what was probably the most hyped scrimmage in recent memory. A crowd of about 3,000 at John Kauinana Stadium was on hand for what felt like a postseason affair in some respects.

The final score went in favor of Mililani, 41-21, but both teams rotated second- and third-string players in with the starters. Also, there were 10-minute quarters — instead of the usual 12 — and limited amounts of special teams involved.

Still, the scrimmage provided both teams a quality opponent and fans with a peak at the state's two top-ranked teams. The Trojans, who went 13-0 last year en route to their first state football championship in school history, are ranked atop the Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, while the Crusaders, in the second year of Cal Lee's latest stint as head coach, are just one slot behind.

Both teams played its starters in the first and third quarters, with backups getting the majority of the reps in the second and fourth quarters.

Mililani quarterback, McKenzie Milton — the reigning D1 All-Hawaii Offensive Player of the Year — was his usual self, throwing for 317 yards and five touchdowns on 19-of-26 passing. He was intercepted once. Milton's top target, wide receiver Kalakaua Timoteo, caught two TD passes of 5 and 8 yards. Running back Vavae Malepeai carried seven times for 80 yards. In all, the Trojans had 487 yards of total offense.

"I'm just proud of our guys," Mililani coach Rod York said. "We stress execution and playing with great effort and doing your job and we had a couple of breakdowns, but overall I'm proud of the boys, they did really good."

Defensively, the Trojans allowed 469 yards, but did record six sacks on Crusaders' quarterbacks.

Saint Louis was just 3 of 13 on third-down attempts and 0 for 4 on fourth downs.

Still, York said his defense has much room for improvement.

"We're still working on it," York said. "Wrapping up — we probably lead the nation in missed tackles — that's what we're going to focus on."

Saint Louis junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished with 291 yards through the air on 18-of-29 passing with two touchdowns. He was not intercepted. Running back Jahred Silofau carried eight times for 48 yards, including a 17-yard first-quarter touchdown, and also scored on a 13-yard shovel pass in the third. However, the wide receivers largely struggled, dropping several passes — including a wide-open touchdown — and didn't effectively get off the line of scrimmage against Mililani's press coverage.

"Really we have a lot of work to do," Lee said. "I don't care what kind of players you've got, it's about what can you do on the field and I really believe that this scrimmage is going to make us work even harder. Sometimes we read the papers too much and it's not won or lost on the papers, it's won or lost on the field and I think Mililani gave us a good look and showed us that sometimes you've got to play the game instead of talk about the game."

Saint Louis committed 18 penalties for 186 yards, including seven holding calls and five personal fouls.

"That's not good," Lee said. "I mean it's uncalled for and it's something that you hope you can fix, because you can't have penalties dictate your game and right now that's what's happening."

Lee acknowledged his team has to get better.

"I think our o-line has got to get going," he said. "I think all facets of the game have to get better: d-line, o-line … a lot of areas."

It was the fifth scrimmage in 10 days for Mililani, which will also travel to Las Vegas for a non-league game against Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) in early September.

"We grew up from boys to men," York said of his team's recent progress. "We grew up so we're a much better team than we were two weeks ago and now it's just about staying healthy and taking it one game at a time no matter who we play."

The Trojans will open their season against McKinley at Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium Saturday.

Saint Louis has a bye next week and will play Fagaitua (Samoa) on August 22.