Which ever team's perspective you take, a championship has been a long time coming for the top-ranked Saint Louis Crusaders and the No. 2 Leilehua Mules.

They meet tonight for the First Hawaiian Bank Division I State Football Championship at Aloha Stadium. Kickoff is 8 p.m.

Saint Louis (11-0) has been synonymous with championship football for the last two decades. The Crusaders have won two of the first eight state tournaments and previously won 14 of 26 O'ahu Prep Bowls, including the last 13. So going without a championship for a half decade seems like an eternity to Saints followers.

For Leilehua (9-4), it has been nearly a quarter century since it beat Saint Louis, 10-0, in the 1984 Prep Bowl. The Mules never returned to the Prep Bowl, but are making their second appearance in the state tournament final in four years. They lost to Kamehameha, 28-7, in 2004.

On paper, the Crusaders appear to be the favorites. They have won 22 of their last 23 games dating to last season. The only loss was by one point, but it was in the championship in a 7-6 loss to Kahuku. They return 10 starters, 11 if you count starting receiver Tamatoa DeMello, who started last year's title game at quarterback for the injured Micah Mamiya, the Offensive Player of the Year last season.

The Mules, though, came up on the right side of a tie-breaking procedure. A loss to a different team, and Leilehua might not have even made the O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoffs, much less the state tournament. The Mules were in a four-way tie for fourth in the West; only the top five qualify for OIA postseason. Their 3-3 record was the same as 'Aiea, which became the hard-luck sixth seed that missed making the playoffs. Leilehua has been opportunistic once the postseason started. And fortuitous. The Mules beat Castle, 36-13, in the OIA first round, but lost their two rotating quarterbacks to injuries in the game.

Oh, well, nice season.

But in comes sophomore Andrew Manley, who was called up from the junior varsity. Four wins later, the Mules are a win away from winning it all.

WHEN SAINTS HAVE BALL

Only an athletic offense can combine the run-and-shoot with the option, thanks largely to Mamiya. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior is a threat throwing and running. He has been responsible for 33 of the offense's 49 touchdowns. He has passed for 2,112 yards and 24 TDs. He has thrown just three interceptions, while averaging 9.6 yards per pass attempt. He hasn't thrown an interception in his last 112 attempts, or since six games ago against 'Iolani.

"They're just flawless on offense," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said. "They don't turn over the football."

The Mules' 4-3 defense thrives on speed, but pays the price up front for being fleet-footed. Leilehua's defensive front averages 219 pounds per player compared to the Crusaders' offensive line that averages 262 pounds per player. Four linemen are returning starters: center Mana Greig, tackles Tytan Timoteo and Brent Shimabukuro, and guard Tui Tuiasosopo.

Saint Louis coach Delbert Tengan said the Mules, though, remedy fatigue by rotating their linemen.

Although Saint Louis is known for its passing, it runs the ball equally well. The Crusaders have rushed for 25 touchdowns and passed for 24. Slotbacks Ryan Iaea and Lucas Gonsalves and wide receivers DeMello and Billy Stutzmann account for all the TD receptions, so besides having the option to run, Mamiya has many options when he throws.

Leilehua's defense is led by linebacker Robert Siavii, who has shown in postseason a range that just isn't lateral, but up and down. The 6-2, 200-pound senior packs the punch to stop ball carriers, yet has the speed of a defensive back to play an effective man-to-man against running backs out of the back field or receivers.

"He's like a Troy Polamalu-type (player)," Tengan said. "He's physical and he can track you down from behind."

After watching film of Siavii's fumble return for a TD against Baldwin, Tengan was impressed not just with Siavii, but with the defense as a whole.

"I stopped the film," Tengan said. "When he picked up the ball, there were seven green shirts within two or three steps from the ball. They swarm to the ball. They're relentless."

WHEN MULES HAVE BALL

The talk of the postseason has been Manley.

"Where was this guy?" has been asked a lot recently. Manley missed most of last season as a freshman on the JV because of an injury; he played only three series in the team's last game, Tokuda said. Manley played in the summer pass league on the JV and varsity levels, but Tokuda felt he needed more reps in live games, so he began this season on the JV team.

"He knows exactly about the system because he was taught well in the JV (so that's how) he comes up and fits right in," Tokuda said.

With four postseason games under his belt, Tengan knows how to put a spin on comparing the quarterbacks.

"That's more than Micah has," Tengan said of postseason games experience. "He's a veteran when it comes to playoffs and he's playing like one."

The reality is, Manley's a factor. The 6-2, 180-pound sophomore is blessed with a strong arm and uses it well. He has passed for 710 yards and seven TDs. He can take deeper drops to buy time because of his arm.

"He's like a Brett Favre in that he's going to fire it in there," Tengan said.

All of a sudden, receivers Edieson Dumlao, Allan Macam and Elijah Manaea get to show their athleticism and skills. Switching Zaire Macapagal from slot to running back with Rico Newman also added a wrinkle.

But the Crusaders' defense is athletic all around, even up front. Like the Mules, the Crusaders also swarm to the ball.

"They keep it simple," Tokuda said. "Because they're such good players, they let their athletes play. It could present some problems for us, so we definitely have to control the football and keep their offense off the field and take our chances when we need to. We don't want a shootout with them and keep our defense on the field so long."

Because the defensive line keeps the offensive line occupied, linebackers Kapa'ihi Umebayashi, Steven Donohue and Christopher Kamaka register a ton of tackles. Plus, Manley will encounter another athletic secondary like Baldwin's. The difference is the Crusaders also have height from 5 feet 10 Todd Nakano to 6-1 Joseph O'Connor.

OTHER FACTORS

Macam, also a defensive back, is the only listed two-way starter for the Mules. But look for Marcus Breakfield (DB/WR), Siavii (LB/WR), Hoku Kama (DB/WR) and Kaipo Kea (DB/SB) to rotate.

Kea was one of the two rotating quarterbacks the Mules used during the season and, like Saint Louis' DeMello, having QB experience, well, something might happen.

Special teams usually is a factor, especially in close games. The Crusaders have been the model of special teams play for two decades. The Mules, while not shabby, have a different kicker for PATs (Garrison Garma) and field goals (Breakfield).

"They're real solid in the kicking game," Tokuda said of the Crusaders. "That's what separates them from the pack. They're just so sound in all three phases."

WARNING

Hawai'i High School Athletic Association director Keith Amemiya said spectators should account for today's rush hour traffic. The first game starts at 5 p.m.

Also, both games will be televised on a one-day delayed basis on OC16.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.