Last week, the Cathedral Catholic football team faced off against the Newbury Park Panthers, a team who went into the game with a four-game winning streak after defeating Dos Pueblos 51-0. The Dons, currently 3-1, entered the field after a win against Helix.

With a powerhouse like Newbury Park, the game might have required extra preparation on the Dons’ part. However, Coach Sean Doyle said, “We prepare the same way for any team regardless [of their ranking.] We worry more about ourselves than the opponent we are playing against.” With this ideology in mind, the Dons came out victorious against the Panthers, winning the game 42-28.

Scoring in the first quarter off of (#25) Adam Eastwood’s 5-yard rushing touchdown, the Dons led 7-0 until the Panthers scored a touchdown and a missed PAT. With about eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Panthers completed a 55-yard pass for a touchdown. In response, the Dons led another scoring drive resulting in a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Clayton Dale, #10.

To start the second half, the Panthers kicked off to the Dons who began a scoring drive which dominated most of the third quarter. The drive ended with Clayton Dale, #10, scoring another rushing touchdown and with Tim Semenza, #17, gaining a successful PAT and putting the Dons in the lead, 21-13. The Panthers were able to squeeze in a scoring drive in the third quarter and completed a pass for a two-point conversion, which tied the game.

With about ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, Clayton Dale completed a pass to #36, Currie Thomson, for a touchdown. The Panthers responded with another touchdown and tied the game once more. With three minutes left, Currie Thomson scored a five-yard rushing touchdown, followed by another Dons drive resulting in a five-yard rushing touchdown by #5, Drew Cowell.

The post-game stats revealed that the Dons had 72 penalty yards, compared to the Panthers’ thirty.  Coach Doyle said, “We have to take care of our penalties. More importantly, we have to limit our mistakes in order to continue winning.” Coach Doyle commended the offense and said, “Our offense did well, and we finally put a fairly good game together. There were few mistakes and almost no turnovers.”

With the final score, 42-28, the Dons now maintain a 4-1 record, the same as Newbury Park. The Dons will continue in their next game against Eastlake in Chula Vista. The Eastlake Titans are currently 3-2 and are ranked #62 in the state and #462 nationally, compared to the Dons who rank #10 in the state and #56 in the nation.

Looking ahead, the game against Eastlake should be a source of confidence for players and coaches about the rest of the year. Coach Doyle gave advice to his players about what they will need to do the most – “stay healthy,” because many starters have been taken out of the game due to injuries. The back-ups replacing them, according to Coach Doyle, have been “taking care of business” and are one of the reasons why the Dons will enter the game against Eastlake with a four-win streak.

Ultimately, Coach Doyle says that “[the Dons] are improving every week,” and they hope to continue their winning streak this Friday, October 3 against Eastlake at 7:00 p.m.

Be sure to follow @ElCidSports on Twitter for updates on the game and the Dons’ season.