Kamehameha will be coming off two consecutive bye weeks, while Saint Louis will be playing their first in-state opponent when the teams square off at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. ScoringLive photo illustration

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In Doug Cosbie's first year as head football coach at Kamehameha back in 2013, he beat Saint Louis twice.

Last year's two meetings went the way of the Crusaders, including a 47-20 decision in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu postseason semifinal that ended the season for the Warriors.

Saturday night the two teams, who are both ranked in the top half of the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division I Power Rankings, will square off once again in the first of two regular-season meetings and the ILH opener for both teams.

Fifth-ranked Kamehameha (3-0) has not played a game since Aug. 21, when it posted a 41-0 shutout of Hilo at Wong Stadium on the Big Island.

"We had two byes, which is not ideal, but we worked on some of the things we needed to get better on," Cosbie said. "The boys did a good job staying focused for the couple of weeks between games and we were able to clean some stuff up."

Cosbie said the long layoff had both positive and negative consequences.

"You get some guys that have little dings, so you get a chance to heal up completely and we gave them one lone weekend where they had three days off," Cosbie said. "That's the good side of it, but you've got to play games to get better. It's just unfortunate the way the scheduling works out between the ILH and (Oahu Interscholastic Association) that you can't just play ten games through."

The Warriors are averaging more than 43 points per game offensively and have won each of their three non-league contests by an average of 38 points. Defensively, they have shutout their last two opponents and are allowing an average of just 4.3 points and 127 yards per game.

The only thing Cosbie cares about, however, is scoring more points than the other team.

"I've never been a stat guy," Cosbie said. "The only one that matters is the ‘W' or the ‘L.' A lot of people get caught up about giving up so many yards or throwing for so many yards, but that doesn't win games. Playing good fundamental, disciplined football is what wins games, so that's what we try to focus on."

Saturday will mark the return of third-year starter Fatu Sua-Godinet to the Warriors' lineup. The senior quarterback/wide receiver missed the last two games with a knee injury.

"He'll play quarterback and he'll some receiver and probably do a little returning, too," Cosbie said.

In Sua-Godinet's absence, sophomore Thomas Yam passed for 495 yards (74 percent completion rate) and seven touchdowns without an interception in wins over Baldwin and Hilo. Cosbie said he expects Yam to get some snaps against Saint Louis.

"I think it'll just depend on how the game is going, but I would think so," Cosbie said. "He's been playing really well, he's been very efficient and he's a completely different player than Fatu."

The second-ranked Crusaders (2-0) have a standout at quarterback of their own in Tua Tagovailoa. The junior has thrown for 573 yards (73 percent completion rate) with eight touchdowns against one interception.

However, it's been the defensive side of the ball that has made the biggest strides since allowing 41 points in a controlled scrimmage at Mililani back on Aug. 8.

"I think we've gotten better there," Saint Louis coach Cal Lee said. "I think you learn from your mistakes and from the two preseason games we learned the work we had to do. We have to coach the up better and get the best out of them and I think they've responded well, took everything in a good way and they know the preseason is over and this is for the real thing. Understanding that, I think they've been working hard and that's all you can ask."

The Crusaders beat their two out-of-state opponents (Fagaitua, of American Samoa, and Liberty, of Nevada) by an average of 38 points. They have been prolific on offense, posting an average of 49 points and 456 yards per game, while the defense has surrendered 11 points and 302 yards per game.

"Kamehameha is probably a lot tougher of a team than our first two games we had," Lee said. "We feel good about ourselves and we've just got to keep working and trying to get better, but those two games did help us to look at our personnel."

Saint Louis is coming off a bye last week, which Lee said came at a good time.

"We were able to focus more on the team we're going to play, but it wasn't like we had three likes like (Kamehameha) did; that would be a lot of time to be off," Lee said. "Sometimes you need three weeks; it just depends. You never know. You get guys that are hurt and they come back, you can prepare more. You've just got to make the best use of the time that you have."

Both offensive guard Nate Herbig, who injured his foot in a scrimmage against Kapolei back on July 30, and wide receiver Drew Kobayashi, who has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury since track and field season last spring, are expected to play.

"Every day somebody has a knick and a bruise and those types of things," Lee said. "I'm hoping the kids come back from all the knicks and scrapes we have and are ready to go. Football is so physical, so you always have that even in practice, but we'll make sure we have eleven guys on the field."

Kickoff between the Warriors and Crusaders is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.