The Dons advanced to their 5th straight CIF title game at Qualcomm after a 24-0 shutout victory over the Point Loma Pointers on Thursday night. The shutout is the Dons’ second straight after their 45-0 rout of Lincoln last week and their fifth shutout of the year (Olypmian, Patrick Henry, Scripps Ranch, Lincoln, Point Loma). The Dons will play for their 5th straight CIF title at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday against Olympian High School who defeated Mar Vista 40-8 to advance to the finals.
The Point Loma crowd was as loud as a Cathedral opponent has ever been, leading up to the game, and it spilled into the game as the crowd erupted when the Pointers returned the opening kickoff past the 40 yard line until it was called back with a block-in-the back penalty. The hostile environment did not threaten the Dons, however, as the defense forced a three and out early, continuing the dominance they have established this year. Credit the players and coach Montali for their phenomenal season thus far on defense.
The victory was just another showcase of the level of talent and coaching that the Dons’ defense has. The Pointers did not have a first down in the first quarter and went three and out a total of four times in the first period. The only life shown by the Pointers on offense came halfway through the first quarter when senior running back Jaivon Griffin busted a 30 yard run into Cathedral territory, but the drive stalled after that.
The Dons did struggle early on offense against a talented Point Loma defense but were able to find their groove when junior Garrett Bogart found senior receiver Brian Heinz in the end zone for the first score of the night in the form of a 25 yard touchdown strike.
The Dons receivers showed some great skill against the Pointers in both catching the ball and running with it. Senior tight end Andrew Pascale, in particular, made a number of plays after the catch, breaking tackles and gaining yards. Pascale ended the night with 39 yards and a touchdown.
The back half of the game was largely uneventful; the Dons continued pounding away at the Pointers on the ground with the lead in hand. The second half was highlighted by a touchdown catch to senior running back JJ Stavola for a touchdown to give the Dons their 24-0 lead.
On Monday, the Dons will travel to Qualcomm stadium to face the Olympian Eagles for the CIF title. This will be the second time these two teams will face each other this year after the Dons scored a 31-0 shutout victory at Olympian High School in week three of the season.
Olympian peaked at the right time this season, including a win over Eastlake 16-7 at Eastlake High School late in the year. The Eagles have defeated Serra High School 49-7 and Mar Vista 40-8 in the playoffs to make it to the finals. They have an overall record of 9-3 and a 4-0 league record.
The Eagles do not have a very dynamic passing attack but pose an interesting threat on the ground as they have three running backs with at least 5 touchdowns. The team has a combined 2000+ yards rushing on the year.
The CIF division 3 title game will be played at Qualcomm Stadium at 1PM on Monday December 5.