Saturday's Open Division championship game will feature two of the state's best quarterbacks in Saint Louis' Jayden de Laura and Mililani's Dillon Gabriel. CJ Caraang | SL

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This one is for all the marbles.

The 2018 prep football season will come to a close this weekend with Saturday's First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Championship triple header at Aloha Stadium.

In the nightcap, two-time defending champion Saint Louis will try for its third consecutive Open Division title when it takes on upset-minded Mililani.

Kickoff between the top-seeded Crusaders (10-0) and second-seeded Trojans (10-2) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will follow the D1 final between Hilo and Waipahu at 4:30 p.m. Lahainaluna and Kapaa will kick things off in the D2 title game at 1:30 p.m.

Saint Louis, which has held the top spot in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings all season, captured its fourth straight Interscholastic League of Honolulu title en route to its fourth straight title game appearance. It lost to Kahuku in the 2015 Division I final — then, the top tier — before claiming back-to-back Open crowns with victories over the Red Raiders in each of the last two seasons.

"Oh, who wouldn't be proud of the type of season that we've had? You know, to get here again it's a real credit to the coaches and players to get us where we're at," said Crusaders coach Cal Lee, the winningest prep coach in state history.

Lee said a big reason for his team's success this year can be traced to its ability to turn the page on the program's past achievements.

"I think they realized that what happened last year is over," Lee said. "You can look back at it but we want to look forward and what we gotta do forward is to prepare and get ready for the season, focus in on what we gotta do from the very beginning and I think they got that done and here we are at the end and one more to go and it's a wrap."

The first year of an agreement between the ILH and the Oahu Interscholastic Association to play an integrated regular season schedule has forced the Crusaders to keep their focus on the task at hand, rather than look ahead at a potential three-peat.

"Honestly, we don't think about down the road. I mean, one game at a time. If it's a preseason game, a league game, whatever it is, I mean, why would you look at ahead? You take one step at a time and we've taken eight, nine, 10 steps, so we're right at where we want to be," Lee said.

The formula has paid off for Saint Louis, which is one of just two remaining undefeated teams in the state (Lahainaluna being the other). It has also garnered national attention, earning a No. 16 ranking in USA Today's Super 25 and a No. 8 and No. 5 ranking in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 and Freeman polls, respectively.

This might be the greatest picture ever taken at a state football media day. pic.twitter.com/yX1LRkkUmE

— Kalani Takase (@SLKalani) November 20, 2018

"To be the best, you gotta beat the best and Saint Louis right now is the best," Mililani coach Rod York said. "They're the two-time defending state champs, they're ranked in the nation, they've got a bunch of guys with D1 offers, so naturally you're going to aim for the top guy. We love Saint Louis, but the same time we're ready for the challenge."

The Trojans claimed their fourth OIA championship this season, but first since 2014. They are seeking a third state title after winning the top tier-D1 tournament in 2014 with a shootout victory over Punahou and claiming the middle tier-D1 tourney in 2016 by beating Iolani.

Mililani has won seven straight games after a 3-2 start to the season that included back-to-back losses in consecutive weeks to St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) — the nation's No. 1 ranked team by both USA Today and MaxPreps — and Punahou.

"It just speaks to our kids. Our kids work very hard," York said. "We've been working since February 1st and this was definitely one of our goals, but the goal wasn't to get here, the goal is to finish, so hopefully Saturday night we can give them a good run and come out on top."

York knows it won't come easy. The Crusaders have been dominant on both sides of the ball. They are averaging 47.4 points and 397.3 yards on offense, while allowing only 14 points and 177 yards per game defensively.

"It's going to take a lot. We definitely gotta play our A-plus game, (but) like we do every game, we don't really focus on them, we focus on us. We feel like if we bring the right attitude and we execute and we do our job and we come together in that mindset that we'll be successful and victorious no matter what," York said.

Junior quarterback Jayden de Laura has thrown for 2,144 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions this season. He has a deep and talented receiving corps at his disposal, but has also benefitted from a productive rushing attack that has netted 150.5 yards per game. Sophomore Dayton Sam (69 carries for 436 yards, 6 TDs) and senior Robbie Paikai (60 for 376, 9 TDs) are both averaging 6.3 yards per attempt.

"I think as a coach, you not only need to throw the ball — I mean, we love to throw the ball, that's the fastest way to get into the end zone — but sometimes you gotta control the game and I think the passing game has opened up our running game and vice versa, so if you got both going you're in pretty good shape, so we're happy that we've been doing that, both running and passing it pretty good," Lee said.

The Saint Louis defense is anchored by 6-foot-4, 299-pound Faatui Tuitele, 6-foot-3, 270-pound Gino Quinones and 6-foot-4, 215-pound Liloa Kapiko, while junior linebackers Jordan Botelho (6-2, 220) and Nicholas Herbig (6-2, 199) have been a menace to opposing offenses from the second level. Both Botelho and Herbig has accounted for three defensive scores this year. In the secondary, 6-foot, 170-pound safety Kamoi Latu has been ballhawk, recording eight interceptions on the season.

York is banking on the experience his team gained over the course of the season — specifically the road trip to play St. John Bosco in late August — to pay off against the Crusaders.

"We've faced some good defenses. We played Bosco, we played Kahuku, we played Punahou, we played Campbell — who did a number on us this past game — and definitely with all the athletes and great coaches that Saint Louis has, it's going to be a tough challenge, which we're definitely looking forward," York said. "They've got the Crusader swag, but we got the Trojan God-fidence, so we ready."

The Trojans also possess a prolific offense — it averages 36.6 points and 334.6 yards per game — and have the luxury of a veteran at quarterback in three-year starter Dillon Gabriel, who has thrown for 3,495 yards and 37 TDs against 10 INTs in 2018.

"It's like all good quarterbacks, he can throw the ball first of all, and then not only that, he can scramble, he can run. I think he's a smart player when he goes out there. If number one isn't open, he looks for his second receiver — he's just a nightmare, honestly," Lee said of Gabriel, who has logged more passing yards than any other player in state history.

Defensively, Mililani has clamped down since allowing a combined 95 points in the losses to St. John Bosco and Punahou. Opposing teams have totaled 47 points during the Trojans' current winning streak and only twice did they managed to score in double figures. For the season, the defense is allowing 15.6 points and 233.8 yards per game.

FB: Trojans top All-OIA Open standouts https://t.co/RP8rydqPYZ pic.twitter.com/j892olQ3Vc

— ScoringLive (@scoringlive) November 20, 2018

"Every time I hear Mililani, I get little shivers. I mean, the coaching staff, I know them, they're really good coaches and I'm so happy for them and the season that they had and now we gotta face them, so a lot of sleepless nights," Lee said.

The Trojans' front seven has been especially tough this season. Mykah Tuiolemotu (5-10, 225) has been a stalwart on the interior defensive line, while Shane Kady (6-3, 195) has terrorized opposing offensive tackles off the edge to the run of nine sacks this year. University of Hawaii-commit Darius Muasau (6-1, 225) anchors the linebacking corps.

"Everybody looks at the offense, but defensively they've got guys on that front that move around," Lee said. "They're like cats — wildcats — they move around and you gotta block ‘em and again, that causes coaches nightmares."

The teams were originally scheduled to meet in the regular season back in late August, but that weekend's slate of games were postponed due to Hurricane Lane. Because of scheduling conflicts the game was never made up.

"It'll be the first time this season, but we're very familiar with each other. … We haven't seen them, but they haven't seen us yet, so it'll be the first time that we get to smell, taste and feel each other out on the field," said York, who previously said his team's offseason preparations were focused specifically on two opponents: Kahuku and Saint Louis.

The Red Raiders and Crusaders beat the Trojans in consecutive weeks to end their 2017 season.

"Everything we do in the offseason sets up the season, everything we do in season sets up the playoffs and everything we do in the playoffs sets up for this game, so we've been waiting to get here and we're just looking forward to Saturday night," York said.