For Saint Louis football, it’s Noga time

Being the greatest running back in Saint Louis history is kind of like being the best-hitting pitcher in the American League. There is just not a lot of opportunity to make your mark.

But Saint Louis senior Adam Noga is approaching rarefied air at the school. With a coach who is not afraid to run the ball, the Crusaders have passed by the run-and-shoot era that dominated the state for two decades and returned to Ed Kini days.

Noga rushed for more than 150 yards three times as a junior last year, something no underclassman had ever done for Saint Louis. When he is finished with his senior year, he might take his place among the Crusaders’ greatest.

Let’s not get carried away just yet; Kini and Pesefea Fiaseu are the top two and will not be going anywhere. Noga has already joined them as one of only four schoolboys to rush for more than 200 yards at the football factory. Noga did it in a 52-40 loss to Bishop Gorman last year, the only one to run so effectively in a loss.

Kini did it twice and holds the single-game record with 283 yards against Iolani in 1973, but that is certainly within Noga’s reach. Duane Silva with 207 against Punahou in 1981 and Fiaseu with 207 in an 82-0 win over Damien in 1999 are the others.

Rushing for more than 200 yards is all well and good, but you can have some flukey days against an inferior opponent. Let’s see which Saint Louis running backs have exceeded 150 yards the most times.

• Ed Kini, 5
• Pesefea Fiaseu, 4
• Adam Noga, 3
• BJ Batts, 3

Eleven others did it once, including Silva.

So if Noga wants to top that list, he is going to have to match his junior season. All five of Kini’s games of more than 150 yards came in his senior year (only because we didn’t start counting until his senior year), while three of Fiaseu’s four came as a junior. Two of Batts’ three came as a junior.

Single-game rushing for Saint Louis School