The Saints-Dons rivalry is one of the oldest and strongest in San Diego County. This year’s “Holy Bowl” however, has a different feel than games in the past. The two teams are more closely matched this season than they have been in years and it makes for an explosive game.
The Dons in particular have waited a long time for this matchup. It has been a year since the Dons fell to the Saints in last year’s regular season finale 28-21.
In what will be his first and only year as the starting quarterback for the Saints, senior Joe Kennedy has become one of the top players in the county. Against Scripps Ranch High School, Kennedy completed 15 passes for well over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 42-7 victory. Kennedy is an extremely talented player and a key to victory for the Dons will be keeping him off-balance.
Luckily for the Dons, they have had great success this year getting after the quarterback. With 32.5 sacks on the year, Cathedral is ranked in the top five pass rushing squads in the county. If the Dons can continue getting after the passer and force Kennedy into making mistakes, their offense will get their opportunities to make plays. Watch out for defensive lineman Casey Palid, and linebackers Lucas Zender and Taylor Esoldi.
The secret to the Dons success this season is playing complimentary football. The defense has made plays all season long to give their offense the opportunity to put points on the board. Whether it’s senior defensive backs Patrick Downing or Kale Evans intercepting the ball (the Dons are ranked 2nd in the county with 15 interceptions on the year), or the pass rushers getting sacks, the defense has seemed to always be able to make the big play to get their offense back on the field.
The Dons offense, similar to the Saints, can make big plays from anywhere on the field. Whether they are pinned inside their own 20 yard line, or right on the cusp of the endzone, they can make any kind of play necessary. Last week against Mira Mesa, senior JJ Stavola caught the Marauders napping and busted a 96-yard run and followed it with a short yardage touchdown.
Senior tight end Andrew Pascale has also made big plays this year and senior receivers Brian Heinz and Trevor Deddeh are always threats for a big play .The Saints need to be prepared on every part of the field on defense with this Dons offense.
This should be something out of a Hollywood script – two of the best teams in the county, part of a heated rivalry, both looking as good as they have looked in years, the 8th ranked scoring offense of the Saints, a Dons defense that only makes big plays every game, a Dons team full of offensive weapons and looking to rebound after a loss to the Saints last year – the 2011 “Holy Bowl” has the potential to be the most exciting game in years.