Bishop Diego football got contributions from up and down its roster en route to a 42-13 victory over West Ranch on Friday at La Playa Stadium.
The Cardinals (2-0) controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish, utilizing their several running backs and their size on the line units to dominate the Wildcats (0-2).
“Going into the season, we felt our strength, both in experience and size, was in the trenches,” Bishop Diego head coach Tom Crawford said. “The guys touching the ball are getting pretty comfortable and confident that the guys up front are going to move the line of scrimmage and make things happen.
“All in all, I thought the game was a good game for a second game… I think we’re taking that next step in terms of what we have to be prepared to deal with going into league.”
After a Bishop Diego three-and-out to begin the contest, West Ranch marked into Cardinal territory and had a chance to strike first, but a 30-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
The Cardinals’ offense then took over and marched down the field thanks in part to big runs by Terrence Tasila and Connor Boyd. The chunk plays got Bishop into the red zone and set up an 18-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch from Kaleo Satele to Mateo Williams for a 7-0 lead with 2:29 left in the first.
The Bishop defense maintained the momentum by forcing a three-and-out, and the offensive unit went right back to work as the game flipped to the second quarter.
Satele showed off his arm strength with an impressive 39-yard completion to Joe DeRosa to get into West Ranch territory and, a few plays later, the duo connected once again for a 19-yard score to make it a 14-0 lead with 8:34 left in the half.
“Kaleo tonight, I thought, was really pretty excellent in terms of keeping plays alive, and keeping his eyes downfield,” Crawford said. “I think the kids are getting confident that we can throw the ball, and that’s really what the preseason is all about. Just trying to gain some confidence and some rhythm offensively.”
The Cardinals’ defense continued to stand tall on the ensuing drive, forcing a turnover on downs to immediately put its offense in a strong position to score.
“I thought the defense kind of righted the ship for us at the outset of the game,” Crawford said. “We’re growing on the defensive side, particularly in the secondary, where we had to replace a lot of guys.”
They did just that, as three run plays got the ball into the red zone before Nathan Hernandez weaved his way through the defense for a 19-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0 at the 4:10 mark.
Hernandez then immediately made his impact felt on the defensive side of the ball as well, thwarting a West Ranch drive with an interception with 1:48 to go in the half.
The Bishop offense took advantage of the turnover, as a 24-yard completion to Gabe Phillips got the ball down to the 1-yard line and Fusi Tauave punched in the score to give his team a 27-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Wildcats came out of the break with some offensive momentum, but it was immediately taken back by the Cardinals when Hernandez jumped in front of a receiver and secured his second interception of the night.
“It’s a combination of guys up front doing their job and making it difficult on the quarterback, forcing some quick throws that he’d like to take back,” Crawford said of his defense’s success in the secondary.
Bishop Diego then turned to its running game, this time handing the ball to Joel Sanchez. The junior ripped off a 33-yard run to get inside the 20-yard line before taking a carry for 9 yards and barreling in for a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
Sanchez’s score was followed up by a successful two-point conversion rushed in by Tauave to expand the lead to 35-0 with 4:58 left in the third.
The Wildcats responded with their longest drive of the night, aided by a kickoff return into Bishop Diego territory. After a few solid plays and a Cardinal personal foul, West Ranch got on the board with an 11-yard passing touchdown to cut the deficit to 35-6 heading into the fourth.
With the clock running due to the lopsided score, the Cardinals continued to pound the rock with Sanchez, who got his team into West Ranch territory with a series of big runs before scoring his second touchdown of the night from 12 yards out to grow the lead to 42-6.
Sanchez was one of several running backs Crawford deployed successfully throughout the night as the team was missing key starters Samuel Boeddeker and Remi Boykin.
“That was one of the things that we were hoping to see today was that the run game could still function at a high level, despite not having Sammy and Remi available,” Crawford said.
“That’s a bright spot because if we can be a multi-headed monster, it’s going to help us and it’s going to stop teams from keying on us.”
West Ranch put together a six-play scoring drive that ended in a 13-yard rushing touchdown, bringing the game to its final score of 42-13 as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard.
Satele was efficient in the win, completing 8-of-10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Sanchez led the backfield committee by taking seven carries for 92 yards on the ground.
Bishop Diego will look to keep it rolling when it hosts Lancaster next Thursday at 7 p.m. at La Playa Stadium.
