There might not be another season in the history of prep football in Hawaii that had a bigger clear-cut winner of the offensive player of the year award.
Saint Louis’ Timmy Chang still holds the record today for most passing yards in a season, finishing with 3,985 yards and 64 touchdowns for the Crusaders to headline the 1999 prep football all-star teams.
His best target was senior Gerald Welch, who also holds the single-season state receiving mark of 1,689 yards to go along with 23 touchdowns.
Welch and Chang put the final touches on memorable prep careers with a victory in the first-ever state football championship game. 1999 was the first year the state held a tournament instead of the Prep Bowl, which had happened after each season since 1973.
Saint Louis dominated the All-State teams with 11 representatives on the Advertiser squad and 10 on the Star-Bulletin team.
Most of them were on offense. Chang, Welch, running back Pesefea Fiaseu, receiver Isaac Rodrigues and offensive linemen Phil Kauffman and Chad Kahale were all first-team selections by both newspapers. The Star-Bulletin also had offensive lineman Mark Narkon make their list.
The thing about 1999 was as much talent as Saint Louis had, which also included defensive player of the year in the Advertiser and co-defensive player of the year by the Star-Bulletin, linebacker Ikaika Curnan, there were a lot of talented players on other teams.
Pac-Five receiver Britt Komine, ‘Iolani offensive lineman Uriah Moenoa, Roosevelt athlete Chad Kapanui, Kamehameha defensive lineman Houston Ala, Kahuku defensive back Leonard Peters and Kamehameha linebacker Watson Hoohuli were just some of the other impressive names to be recognized.
This was also June Jones‘ first year at UH, and he took advantage of this extremely talented crop of players in the recruiting season. Of the 21 seniors to make the Star-Bulletin All-State first team, Chang, Welch, Komine, Kauffman, Mililani OL Ryan Santos, Kahale, Kahuku’s Orlando Wong, Ala, Hoohuli, Peters and Kamehameha kicker Justin Ayat all committed to UH.
For a listing of all prep football all-star teams over the years that have been posted, click here.
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Subscribers to the Star-Advertiser can search full-page archives going back two years for free (pages are not available on the archive for 30 days after publication) at Newspapers.com. To access digitized newspapers from farther back — all the way to 1840 — subscriptions to staradvertiser.newspapers.com are available for $7.95 per month or $29.95 for six months.
i forgot how much of a beast Kahuku’s Mapu was. only a 10th grader he was unstoppable on that defensive line. it still makes me wonder what took him all the way to Tennessee for college.🤔
Did Campbell not have a team that year?
Best name in Hawaii sports history… Mr. Braddah Choy Foo!