Saint Louis LB Kila Kamakawiwoole looks to get into the Waianae backfield in the Crusaders' season opener against the Seariders last Friday. Jim LeBeau | SL

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While most of the state's teams will be in league action this weekend — week three of the prep football schedule — a pair of reigning state champions will face off in a marquee non-league game beneath the bright lights of Aloha Stadium Friday night.

Reigning two-time Open Division state champion Saint Louis, the top ranked team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, will take to the turf against California Division 1A state champion Narbonne (Harbor City) in a rematch of a wild shootout a year ago.

When the teams faced off 11 months ago, the Crusaders rallied from a 30-21 halftime deficit and scored 28 fourth-quarter points en route to a thrilling 56-50 win over the visiting Gauchos.

"I think for both teams, being that it was the first time we played each other, nobody really knew what everybody was doing, but I think we're a little more familiar with what they're doing. From that game last year what we saw is that they're very well-coached and they've got some very good players on their team. It's a good challenge for us to find out where we are," said Saint Louis coach Cal Lee, the winningest coach in state history.

Narbonne's Manuel Douglas has seen his share of success as well. The veteran coach enters his 17th season at the school having won eight Los Angeles Section championships and two state crowns in his tenure.

"In Southern California there are a ton of teams that can compete and can beat you on any night. That being said, when this opportunity came up and (the Crusaders) had an opening and we had an opening — plus being able to travel to Hawaii this early in the year — why wouldn't I take it?," Douglas said via phone Tuesday night.

The Gauchos entered last season's matchup with a 2-2 record and coming off a 52-6 drubbing at the hands of Centennial (Corona, California) a week prior.

"We had just come off that whooping from Corona Centennial where we did not play well, so even though we lost (against Saint Louis), I was happy because we woke up as a team and we were able to start clicking offensively," Douglas recalled.

Wake up it did, as Narbonne went on to win its final 10 games en route to its second state title in three years. The shootout against Saint Louis was the last loss it suffered.

This time around, however, the Gauchos come to the 50th state without a game under their belts.

"Last year's game was last year. We haven't even really spoken on that all. This year we could lose in a blowout, we could win in a blowout. A lot of the guys I had last year are gone and off to college now, so we don't talk about it that way. We just talk about it being a great start to our season and I do think we're a little bit more prepared than past first games of the season for us, so we're clicking a little bit, we just wanna go out and compete and come out injury-free," said Douglas, whose team will face perennial-powerhouse and area-rival Long Beach Poly next Friday.

Despite the personnel losses, make no mistake about it, Narbonne is loaded with talent.

Jonah Tauanuu, a 6-foot-6, 314-pound senior left tackle, is among the top offensive linemen in the country and a four-star recruit. Other four-star recruits include cornerbacks Mykael Wright (5–1, 180, Sr.) and Brandon Jones (5-10, 165, Jr.), running back JoJuan Collins (6-0, 205, Jr.), receiver Josh Jackson (6-2, 185, Jr.) and defensive tackle Jordan Berry (6-3, 280, Jr.).  

Tauanuu and Wright recently gave verbal commitments to Oregon.

Douglas is also expecting big things from middle linebacker/defensive end Jordan Banks (6-3, 243, Jr.), running back Marceese Yetts (5-9, 165, So.) and quarterback Jake Garcia (6-2, 185, So.)

"We're fast-paced on offense, no huddle, and we like to go, but we're just hoping we can compete. I know Saint Louis has great size, but we do, too, especially on the offensive line," Douglas said.

The Gauchos, who arrived in Honolulu Wednesday afternoon, brought over a traveling party of about 60, including 45 players — down from the 80 or so bodies that made the trip last year.

Garcia, a highly-touted quarterback who transferred from Long Beach Poly in the offseason, is among those who will not make the trip due to the state's 30-day sit-out periods for transfers.

Starting in place of Garcia — who already has scholarship offers from USC, Florida and Florida state among other major programs — is another sophomore in Jaylen Henderson.

"(Jaylen) has been competing with (Garcia) and he's coming along and looks pretty good, so I'm not going in there with a guy who's a backup backup. I'm going in with a guy who was very close to beating a guy with offers from a bunch of big schools," Douglas said.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Tilini Suli Livai, Narbonne's 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior starting left guard. Livai, who played at Hilo High last year, recently received a scholarship offer from Hawaii. Another local boy on the Gauchos' roster is Maui High-transfer Sione Lolohea. However, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior defensive end is not yet cleared due to transfer rules.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders are coming off a 69-6 rout of Waianae last Friday.

Junior quarterback Jayden de Laura threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 9-of-12 passing and the defense allowed only 48 yards by the Seariders.

"What it does is it gets you into a real game — it's not like a scrimmage — you've got all the kickoffs and all the special teams and you gotta get a feel for that, so that's what we accomplished and what we did in the first game," Lee said. "Being that it was our first game, we still need to work on things to make us better. It's a long season, so we've got a lot of work to do."

Lee is looking forward to the rematch with the Gauchos, but fully understands the schedule does anything but let up after Friday. Saint Louis will face No. 3 Mililani, No. 2 Kahuku and No. 5 Punahou in the weeks to follow.

"I think it's a good test for us to see how good we really are, but I think it just prepares you for the upcoming games you're gonna have. What you need to do is get better and that's why you play teams like this," Lee said.

Likewise, Douglas is hoping Friday's game can once again provide some forward momentum for his team.

"My belief is that these types of games and competition allows you to put yourself in a position to win postseason games. We challenge ourselves and put a strong preseason together so that later in the season, we can go and play big teams in big games and it's not a big deal. We want to put our kids in a situation where they have to face adversity and whether we win or not, that's not what determines success because it's not how you start, it's how you finish," Douglas said. "Last year we went two-and-three in the the preseason, but that game against Saint Louis was a turning point for us. From then on we rolled and won a state championship — and obviously it paid off for them, too."

Both teams are nationally ranked in MaxPreps Xcellent 25; Saint Louis at No. 12 and Narbonne at No. 24.

The Crusaders are also ranked No. 14 in the USA Today Super 25. The Gauchos are not ranked in that poll.

Kickoff Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.