Cate 8-man football dropped a seesaw affair with Pasadena Poly by a score of 28-27 on Saturday at Meldman Field in Carpinteria.
“Today’s game was a test,” Cate head coach Ben Soto said. “This was the first true adversity we have faced this season, and we will not make excuses. We will watch the film and get back after it next week.
“Games like these are a good opportunity to see what we are made of, and there is still plenty of time to find success and challenge for a league title.”
The Rams got out to a strong start, with quarterback Sam Lambiotte scrambling for a 35-yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage to take an early lead.
After a Cate defensive stop, the Rams continued to roll with Lambiotte leading a drive down the field and scoring once again on the ground from 2 yards out to make it a 13-0 advantage.
Pasadena Poly got on the board early in the second quarter, but Cate answered immediately with a scoring drive capped off by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Lambiotte to Julian Belfer.
After the halftime break, the momentum shifted to Pasadena Poly as the visitors scored two unanswered touchdowns to take a slim 22-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
Pasadena Poly continued to roll with another big touchdown pass in the fourth to take a seven-point lead with 4:30 left on the clock.
The Rams needed just 90 seconds to march down the field, with Michael Mumbo ripping off a big run to set up Lambiotte finding Henry Helson for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 28-27 with three minutes to go.
Cate went for the two-point conversion but came up empty, and Pasadena Poly ran out the clock on the ensuing drive to escape with the win.
The Rams will be back at home next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to take on Santa Clarita Christian.
