The 47th chapter of San Diego’s greatest rivalry, the Holy Bowl, kicked off Saturday night between the Saint Augustine Saints and the Dons. What was once known as the Charity Bowl, the Holy Bowl has had many instant classics over the last couple of years, and this year wouldn’t be any different.

The Saints got off to a very quick start as they jumped to 14-0 on the Dons at the end of the first quarter. Then on the verge of being down three touchdowns, senior cornerback Brandon Michel forced an interception and returned it deep into Saints’ territory. With 44 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Garrett Bogart hit fellow senior Theo Hardson for a 30-yard touchdown before halftime to cut the deficit in half going into the intermission.

Right from the second half kickoff it was obvious that the Dons were on a mission. On the first play of the second half, running back Tony Johnson busted through the whole for a 77 yard scamper and score to square everything up at 14-14. Johnson finished with over 100 yards in the game and the touchdown score.

But the Saints also refused to give up and drove the ball all the way to the Cathedral 10- yard line. Fortunately, the Dons’ D proved to be formidable. As the Saints were zoning in for the score and once again recapturing the lead, standout cornerback Parker Price picked up a Saints’ fumble and scooted 90 yards for the Dons’ touchdown and a 21-14 lead, their first lead in the entire game. The Dons tagged on another score when Bogart connected with tailback Chris Moliga for a 30 yard touchdown, to make it 28 unanswered points for the Dons and a crushing blow for the Saintsmen.

Saint Augustine tacked on an extra 6 points with a minute left in the game to make the score 28-20, but in the end the Dons’ perseverance and tenacity was too much as Cathedral captured their 32nd win in 47 games against Saint Augustine. The Dons now improved to 6-2 on the year and are in prime position to win another Eastern League title and sixth straight CIF title.