For 14 remarkable seasons from 1986 through 1999, Saint Louis was the undisputed king of Hawai'i high school football.

Then along came Kahuku. And Kamehameha. And Punahou.

"A lot of people were saying, 'Ah, Saint Louis, they're done already,' " said current Crusader quarterback Micah Mamiya, a junior. "But we just take each game and try our best to win."

Suddenly, the Saints have won all five games this year and — lo and behold — are back as the state's No. 1-ranked team for the first time since Dec. 10, 2002.

Four years may not seem like a long time to some, but for Saint Louis players and their fans spoiled by past dominance, it has been much too long.

"We still talk about (the winning) tradition a lot," said senior defensive lineman Scott Smith. "We dreamed about being No. 1 again, and now it's reality because we've got the talent, we've got the coaches. But it's not easy."

Many things contributed to the Crusaders' dynasty, not the least of which was talent. Saint Louis sent dozens of players to NCAA Division I programs and several ended up in the NFL.

Recently, however, the talent has been spread out among schools. Opposing coaches also found ways to defend the Saints' prolific run-and-shoot offense, which had featured future college standouts like quarterbacks Jason Gesser and Timmy Chang, and receivers Micah Matsuzaki and Jason Rivers.

So following the 2004 season — during which Saint Louis was shut out (18-0, vs. Kamehameha) for the first time in 14 years and failed to win the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship for the first time since 1985 — head coach Delbert Tengan did the unthinkable and tinkered with the trademark offense.

He kept the run-and-shoot intact for passing situations, but installed Urban Meyer's "Utah" offense for a running attack that features more of an option look.

"I thought we needed something different that would fit the type of personnel we have now," Tengan said. "We don't have the same number of Division I-type of kids as before, so I didn't think we could just line up and run and throw it like we did in the past.

"But the first thing I did was meet with (former Crusaders coach) Cal Lee and (former Saint Louis offensive coordinator) Ron Lee, because this had been their program and I didn't want to mess up what they had built," said Tengan, a former assistant under both Lees. "They were behind (the change) whole-heartedly, and I got their blessing."

The Saints went 8-4 in last year's transition season and lost to Punahou in the ILH title game. It was the Buffanblu's third victory over Saint Louis in 2005, marking the first time in the Crusaders' 85-year football history that they lost to the same team three times in one season.

"We all remember that, and we worked hard (in the offseason)," Smith said. "Since May, that's the No. 1 team we wanted to beat this year."

Saint Louis got its payback with a thrilling 38-35 victory over Punahou last Friday, a win that propelled the Crusaders to No. 1 in today's Advertiser statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media.

It's where senior slotback Shane Ahlo feels they belong.

"I used to go to all the Saint Louis games and watch guys like Darnell Arceneaux, George Ornellas, Timmy Chang, and I always wanted to be like them," said Ahlo, a former ball boy. "But we're not satisfied until the season's over and we're still No. 1."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.