Serra prevails in defensive battle
Three weeks into the West Catholic Athletic League season, there is just one unbeaten team — the defending champions.
Held scoreless for three quarters Saturday, fifth-ranked Serra got two 2-yard fourthquarter touchdown runs, one each from TC Lavulo and Kelepi Lataimua, as the host Padres (4-2, 3-0) defeated St. Francis 14-2.
Led by linebacker James Outman and defensive back Marco Mosqueda, who combined for 171⁄ tackles, Serra’s defense gave up just 144 yards and 2.7 yards per play. The Padres also had three interceptions, two by Lataimua and one by Justin Tatola.
St. Francis’ points came on a safety with 4:01 left in the first half when Padres punter Lataimua was tackled in the end zone.
The 10th-ranked Lancers (4-2, 2-1) also did a superb job on defense, limiting Serra to 240 yards, including just 77 yards on the ground in 33 attempts (2.3 average). The effort came a week after the Padres rushed for nearly 300 yards in a 32-20 win over St. Ignatius.
Serra quarterback Hunter Bishop, a transfer from St. Francis, was 14-of-22 for 163 yards with an interception. Lutoviko Ahoia led St. Francis with 48 yards rushing. #11 Valley Christian 33, Riordan 7: Tre McCloud rushed nine times for 165 yards and two touchdowns, Yusuf Haddad returned an interception for a touchdown, and Texas-bound receiver Collin Johnson caught four passes, one for another score, as the host Warriors (4-2, 2-1 WCAL) rolled to a WCAL win over the Crusaders (1-5, 1-2). … Valley Christian allowed just 184 yards of offense and led 33-0 before Jake Cochrane caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Raul Callero with 2:26 remaining. … Valley Christian totaled 388 yards, 356 on the ground. #13 Mitty 17, #17 St. Ignatius 14: Brett Foley connected on a 69-yard touchdown pass to Ben Granberry to give the visiting Monarchs (4-2, 2-1 WCAL) a 10-7 lead in the third quarter, a lead they would never relinquish against the Wildcats (3-3, 1-2). Salesian-Richmond 30, #15 St. Mary’s 23: Sophomore Dewayne Dixon returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown as the host Pride (5-2, 3-0 TCAL) won in a battle of defending North Coast Section champions. … Sophomore Dalonnie Crater also rushed for two touchdowns for the winners. “It’s obviously a big win for us,” Salesian coach Chad Nightingale said. “I thought we won both sides of the line.” … Ron Smith returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown for St. Mary’s (7-1, 3-1). Lincoln 49, Balboa 22: Jacquez Williams-Chish rushed 11 times for 143 yards and four touchdowns, and he caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Roel Marania (11-of-18, 114 yards, two touchdowns) as the visiting Mustangs (3-4, 2-2 AAA) scored 42 straight points after trailing 6-0. … Chris Peacock also caught a 20-yard TD pass and intercepted two passes for the winners. … Balboa dropped to 2-4, 1-3.