Quaterback CJ Montes threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns on Friday night to guide No. 9 Paraclete to a 44-13 football win over Bishop Diego.
Montes, a transfer from Long Beach Poly, completed 22-of-33 passes with TDs of 91, 7 and 5 yards in the non-league game at La Playa Stadium. Jacobee Taylor caught five passes for 131 yards and scored the first touchdown on a 91-yard catch and run.
Bishop dropped its fourth straight game to fall to 3-5. The Cardinals’ last three opponents were all ranked in the top 50 in the state. The Spirits, ranked No. 9 in CIF Division 3, improved to 6-3.
Paraclete jumped ahead 21-0 on a 91-yard pass from Montes to Taylor, a 6-yard run by Amir Bankhead and a 7-yard pass from Montes to Dewit Wasse with 6:12 to go in the first half.
Bishop took over on downs at its own 29 with just over a minute left in the first half. The Cardinals drove down the field, buoyed by a 43-yard toss from Michael Luckhurst to Luke Knightley. They had a first-and-goal at the 9 but three incomplete passes led to a field-goal try.
The Spirits made one of the biggest plays of the night when Adam Luckhurst lined up for a 27-yard FG try. It was blocked and Nicholas Wyatt returned it 61 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 halftime lead.
Luckhurst completed 10-22 for a season-high 205 yards. Sam Mikaele caught four passes for 112 yards.
The Spirits didn’t outgain the Cardinals by a lot (386 to 269 yards) but Bishop turned the ball over four times compared to one for the visitors.
Bishop scored its first points in six-plus quarters early in the third. Montes was sacked and the ball was knocked loose at the Paraclete 11. JJ Fuller scooped it up at the 5 and ran in it for the TD. A high snap led to a missed PAT and the Cardinals trailed 28-6.
It only took the Spirits 2:10 to get back in the end zone. Bankhead ran for 25 and 11 yards, moving the ball to the 5-yard line. Montes tossed his third TD pass to Wasse, stretching the lead to 34-6.
Bishop drove to the 15-yard line as Luckhurst tossed 24-yard passes to Gabe Martinez and Kaio Tuttle. On second down, Jayloe Wilson intercepted a pass at the 3-yard line. With 7:37 to play, Micah Adams had a pick-6 from 21 yards to make it 44-6.
The Cardinals moved to the Paraclete 27 when Sam McHale made a leaping 31-yard catch in the waning minutes. On fourth-and-15 from the 33, Luckhurst found Mikeale open in the flat and he sprinted into the end zone.
The Cardinals return to Camino League play next Friday at Moorpark with kickoff at 7 p.m.