It is Nevada vs. Hawaii in the inaugural 2019 Aloha Football Classic on Aug. 30.
The Crusaders finished last season at No. 7 in our final Top 25 high school football rankings and won their third consecutive Division I open championship. They lost a couple of key starters, but return a boatload of talent led by 4-star linebacker
Jordan Botelho. He checks in as the No. 1 prospect from Hawaii from the Class of 2020 and is a Top 40 player overall.
The Gaels lost three games for the first time since 2006 last year, but don't expect that to happen again in 2019. They return key players from an 11-win team and ended the season winners of 10 straight.
Micah Bowens, a 2020 Penn State commit, is back under center after he had nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 44 touchdowns in his first year as the starter.
Ikaika Ragsdale and 2022 running back
Cam Barfield help form a big-time duo in the backfield and the top two receivers from 2018 are both back —
Rome Odunze and
Donovan Smith. They combined for 109 receptions, nearly 2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
The other matchup is legit, too. Mililani finished last year as the Division I Open runner-ups after falling to St. Louis in the title game. Liberty plays a national schedule every season and things won't change in 2019. The Patriots have games scheduled against
Chandler (Ariz.),
Centennial (Corona, Calif.),
Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) and Mililani. They return a lot of talent led by
Zyrus Fiaseu,
Lonenoa Faoa,
Moliki Matavao,
Donte Bowers, and
Dorian Stowers.
Micah Bowens, Bishop Gorman
Photo by Jann Hendry
