For the second straight week the Bishop Diego Cardinals defeated their opponent in shutout fashion.
After a 21-0 win last week at Righetti, Bishop (2-0) kept on rolling this Friday with a 40-0 trouncing of fellow Catholic prep school Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo.
The non-league game took place at Santa Barbara City College’s La Playa Stadium on a relatively chilly summer night.
While the weather may have been cold, Bishop Diego certainly was not.
The Cardinals compiled 431 yards of total offense while holding Mission Prep to only 127. Bishop accrued 349 rushing yards on the game.
“Our kids are pretty confident in terms of what their assignments are and they’re willing to be physical,” said Bishop Diego coach Tom Crawford after the game. “When the kids are confident, they’re moving fast, and they’re physical. It’s good to see.”
Junior running back John Harris led the way for Bishop with 136 yards on 17 carries. His 4-yard score in the first quarter and 1 yard touchdown run in the second quarter put Bishop up 14-0.
Junior quarterback David Gladish went completed 7-11 passes for 75 yards on the night, adding 25 yards on six carries.
Sophomore Jack Luckhurst nailed a field goal as the second quarter expired to give the Cardinals a 17-0 halftime lead.
The second half was much of the same, although with some different names making plays.
Senior Austin Bohnett took a handoff 65 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the half.
After senior Tommy Murillo intercepted a pass by Mission Prep quarterback Bryce Fledderman, senior Mark Soracco took two carries for 28 yards, the second of which being a 9-yard touchdown run putting Bishop up 30-0.
After Luckhurst boomed a 43 yard field goal, sophomore quarterback Jake Engel connected with junior receiver Will Goodwin for a 7 yard touchdown with 10:57 remaining in the fourth quarter; marking the final score of the game.
Most of Mission Prep’s offense came on the ground, with seniors Brayden Corona and Branson Morain rushing for 36 and 53 yards, respectively. Mission Prep only converted 1 of 12 third-down attempts, as the Bishop defense was simply too overpowering.
Coach Crawford credits his team’s success to strong offensive and defensive line play and holding on to the ball saying, “we haven’t hurt ourselves with mistakes.”
Next week, Bishop Diego travels to Pasadena to face La Salle (2-0).
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
