Cate 8-man football punched its ticket to the CIF-SS D2 Semifinals with a 46-14 upset victory over top-seeded Calvary Baptist on Friday night at Warkentin Stadium.
The Rams will now host Lancaster Baptist for the Division 2 title matchup next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Meldman Field on Cate’s campus.
“It is exciting to get back to the championship game,” Cate head coach Ben Soto said. “In the first half, we were executing as a team at a very high level. We know to win the big one, we have to put together a complete four-quarter effort next week.
“I am proud of the effort that got us here, and I know our best football is yet to come.”
It will be the first time Cate is competing in an 8-man football CIF-SS championship since 2021, when the Rams defeated Grace Brethren.
The Rams opened Friday’s semifinal game with a bang as Barron Crayton ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage to take a quick 7-0 lead.
After forcing a three-and-out, Cate then put together a six-play scoring drive that ended in a 3-yard rushing score by Josh Butler.
Later in the first quarter, the Rams expanded their lead to 21-0 heading into the second with a 20-yard, one-handed touchdown catch by Chase Meyer on a throw from Alex Kroehl.
Calvary Baptist had a chance to score in the second, but a big tackle by Oliver Charvel and a forced fumble by the Cate interior defense gave the Rams the ball back at their own 1-yard line.
Two plays later, Butler erupted for a 79-yard shovel pass touchdown and a commanding 28-0 advantage.
The Rams’ continued to dominate in the final stretch of the first half as Quincy Thorne nailed a 37-yard field goal and the Cate defense forced a safety to take a 33-0 lead by halftime.
Calvary Baptist fought back with a strong third quarter in which it outscored the Rams 14-0 to cut the deficit down to 33-14 with one quarter to play.
However, Cate settled in and rounded out the scoring in the fourth with a pick-six by Quincy Throne and a touchdown reception by Oliver Charvel to bring the game to its final score of 46-14.