In a tradition that dates back to 1966, the Dons versus Sainstmen rivalry is one that goes down in history.

“We’ve been successful far more times than we’ve been unsuccessful, with Saints particularly, but more importantly, we’re going for a league championship,” Cathedral Catholic High School varsity football coach Mr. Sean Doyle said.

Tonight, October 23, marks the night of the annual Holy Bowl where the CCHS Dons face the St. Augustine High School Saintsmen. In the first game of league play, Mr. Doyle described his team’s confidence in securing another Dons victory as “a drive and a will.”

“[The football players] know the history of Dons football,” Mr. Doyle said.

In the history of Dons football, Mr. Doyle and his fellow varsity football coaches, Mr. John Montali and Mr. Dustin Nies, have participated in the excitement of the Holy Bowl during their years at CCHS’s predecessor, University of San Diego High School.

As an added pressure to perform its best to represent CCHS, the football team’s performance in tonight’s contest will most likely set the winner on the path to attaining the title of California Interscholastic Federation Eastern League champions.

Mr. Richard Sanchez, SAHS head football coach, described the outcome of the game coming down to ball control.

“The team that protects the football and can run the ball effectively I think will control the game and win it,” Mr. Sanchez said. “The [Saints] football players are disciplined and sound on their fundamentals and schemes, so our big key to victory is protecting the football.”

The Holy Bowl represents more than a football game to those fans in attendance; the game fosters unity within the CCHS and SAHS communities.

“I just like to see the excitement in the community,” Mr. Sanchez said. “The kids know a lot of players on both sides, but their relationships sort of come to a halt when they get on the field. It’s all business. In the end, we all play together on the [same] field. It’s quite an atmosphere.”

And in the special atmosphere that the Holy Bowl creates, Mr. Sanchez thinks the rivalry comes down to each side’s desire for being “Holy Bowl champions.”

“It’s a rivalry in regards to getting the kids together,” Mr. Sanchez said. “There’s a lot of bragging rights [involved]. The thing that stands out to me is that you get a chance to be a Holy Bowl champion. [This game] sort of created its own title.”

Similarly, Mr. Doyle contributes the hype over the Holy Bowl to each school’s continued support from both current families of the schools and past families.

“It’s just that special Catholic school rivalry,” Mr. Doyle said. “You know about it already by the ticket sales [selling out] early. We have 400 alumni coming up to Alumni Park before the game. That buzz and [the fact that this game] is our biggest league game contributes to the excitement of it all.”

In the excitement that is to come for the 2015 Holy Bowl, the Dons will kick off against the Saints tonight at 7 p.m. while Los Locos takes on The Pit in a ‘White Out’ vs ‘Purple Out’ banter across the football field.