HONOLULU -- Does losing 84-0 accomplish anything? Brother Gregory O'Donnell certainly doesn't think so, and he's doing something about it.

The president of Damien Memorial High School doesn't want to see a repeat of his boys getting battered by football powerhouse St. Louis School.

So, despite protests from some parents and football players at Damien, O'Donnell said Wednesday he will not back down from his decision to forfeit games against the state's football juggernaut.

"If David and Goliath had a rematch, the smart money would still be on Goliath," O'Donnell said.

After meeting with officials from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, O'Donnell said it's a simple issue of safety, given the physical disparity between the all-boys Catholic high school teams.

	“	If David and Goliath had a rematch, the smart money would still be on Goliath. ”
		— Brother Gregory O'Donnell, president of Damien Memorial High School

Damien has fewer than 600 students, and St. Louis more than 1,100, but there is even more of a difference in the physical strength of their football teams.

"This would be a physical mismatch of the highest order, to the point where it would be irresponsible to have the games," he said.

O'Donnell said his school's games against St. Louis always have a special "level of ferocity" that "works against the well-being of the student athlete."

"In this particular case, it would be dangerous," he said.

The Crusaders have outscored the Monarchs 415-7 in the past six meetings.

Damien has had 10 consecutive losing seasons, while St. Louis has won the past 15 Oahu titles. This season doesn't promise much better for the Monarchs, with only five seniors on the roster.

Unlike public schools, private schools can recruit students from any part of the island. And St. Louis, which is run similar to a college program, is a magnet for college and pro prospects.

St. Louis has spawned several NFL players, including Olin Kreutz of the Chicago Bears, Chris Fuamatu-Maafala of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dominic Raiola of the Detroit Lions.

Last season, three St. Louis alumni were starting quarterbacks on Division I teams -- Timmy Chang at the University of Hawaii, Jason Gesser of Washington State and Darnell Arceneaux of Utah.

Some parents say Damien's administration is taking away the dream of high school sports, the chance for the heavy underdog to take on the unbeatable.

Tuese Mauga-Tuiasosopo, a Monarch linebacker, said he looked forward to playing the Crusaders.

"We're the ones playing, not him," he told The Honolulu Advertiser, referring to O'Donnell.

Originally, because there only a few parochial schools on Oahu, Damien and St. Louis were supposed to play twice in 2001, and O'Donnell forfeited both.

The league, in a meeting Wednesday, tried to bring some parity for smaller schools by splitting the league into two divisions, with three schools in each.

Under the new plan, Damien would be scheduled to play St. Louis only once instead of twice. But that didn't sway O'Donnell.

Clayton Benham, league executive secretary, said officials agreed to give Damien's president the prerogative of forfeiting the single game against St. Louis, but urged him to await a final decision until he sees how his boys play next season.

Benham said the new format would be used this year and re-evaluated next year.

O'Donnell said his decision to forfeit against St. Louis was made after consultation with other school administrators.

He said he was surprised by the controversy over the forfeits.

"The past six games have been 415-7," he said. "Why would anybody be worried about this?"