KENTFIELD, Calif. – Prep2Prep Northern California No. 11 and host Marin Catholic (5-0) used a quick strike offense and a defense that totally stymied Bishop O’Dowd in what ended up as a resounding 52-0 victory on Saturday afternoon over the visitors from Oakland.
Not only did the offense roll, the Marin Catholic defense only gave up 44 yards of total offense for O’Dowd in a game that went to a running clock with 7:29 left in the first half. At that point, the score was 42-0 and the defense had only given up 18 yards.
“We still have some errors that we need to address and clean up but I’m pleased with our progress,” said Marin Catholic head coach Mazi Moayed.
After kicking off and then holding O’Dowd to minus-six yards on a three-and-out, the Wildcats took advantage of a three-yard punt. On their first play from scrimmage, 6-1, 175-pound senior running back Charles Williams, a 247Sports three-star recruit with offers from Wyoming, Oregon State and San Jose State, bolted around right end 15 yards for a touchdown to give Marin Catholic a 7-0 lead and the rout was on.
After the Marin Catholic defense forced another three-and-out, the Wildcats went right back to work. Quarterback Caeden Afsharipour only needed six plays to drive the Wildcats 60 yards. The drive culminated in the first of five first half TD passes by the 6-2, 200-pound sophomore, who connected with senior wide receiver Greer Arthur on a 9-yard TD pass that made it 13-0 Marin Catholic. The PAT was blocked.
Marin Catholic forced a third straight three-and-out and this time it only took three plays to go 50 yards with the third Wildcats score coming on a 27-yard pass to Arthur. Afsharipour hit senior Enzo Condit on a pass for the 2-point conversion and it was 21-0 Marin Catholic with 5:43 left in the first quarter.
A third TD pass by Afsharipour to senior Peter Macaulay gave Marin Catholic a 28-0 lead after one quarter.
Arthur caught a third TD pass of his own on a 54-yard completion from Afsharipour to make it 35-0, and O’Dowd agreed to a running clock after Afsharipour connected with junior Braiden Bachich-Dixon on a 21-yard TD pass that made it 42-0 with 7:29 left in the half.
By the end of the half Afsharipour, a transfer from St. Ignatius, only played two quarters, but he completed 11-of-15 passes for 194 yards and five touchdowns. About the only negative in the game for Marin Catholic was the fact Afsharipour did toss two interceptions, which was twice as many as he had thrown in the first four games.
“He’s steadily progressing every week and I’m proud of the progress,” said Moayed about his young signal-caller. “He preps like a senior veteran and he’s got a great head on his shoulders.”
Not only does Afsharipour have numbers on the gridiron, where he’s 69-of-111 for 1,278 yards and 15 TDs passing with only four interceptions in his first five games as a varsity quarterback, he has a 4.3 GPA in the classroom.
“My teammates and Coach Mazi (Moayed) and the other coaches made it a great transition for me,” said Afsharipour, who played JV football last year at St. Ignatius. “Super welcoming, great community at the school, and super thankful for all the support.”
Arthur finished the half with five receptions for 109 yards and the three touchdowns.
After the TD run to open the scoring, Williams was used sparingly and finished with nine carries for 82 yards and the one TD before coming out after two quarters.
The final two Marin Catholic tallies came on a 9-yard TD pass in the third quarter from backup quarterback Macaulay to senior Alex Spinale, and a 28-yard field goal late in the game by senior Charles Lewis, who showed a strong leg the whole game.
Despite just being a sophomore, Afsharipour has the Wildcats off to a great start and his numbers have been solid.
“We worked really hard in the offseason and just want to continue getting better,” said Afsharipour. “I think the team's and my best football is yet to come.”
Marin Catholic now has a bye before a Marin County Athletic League matchup with Tamalpais in two weeks. The Wildcats will play five of the MCAL members this season and while they are technically part of the league, because of their overwhelming success in the league - similar to De La Salle in the East Bay Athletic League - they are ineligible to win the league championship.
Bishop O’Dowd (2-3), with former Cal and NFL star Hardy Nickerson in his second stint as head coach, will look to regroup. After a bye next week, they host Tennyson in two weeks to kick off West Alameda County League-Foothill Division action.
