SAN MATEO, CA - The Serra Padres and Riordan Crusaders on Saturday locked up in an intense battle for the John Baxter trophy.
The award goes to the winner of the annual game between two schools where the late Baxter coached.
Serra won 36-10, but not without a tough fight as Riordan led 3-0 at the half.
The Crusader defense was dominating in the first half, intercepting Serra junior quarterback Hunter Bishop three times. The Padres didn't pick up a first down until the second quarter and were held to less than 60 yards of offense in the first half.
Riordan moved the ball better in the first 24 minutes, gaining just over 100 yards, including 97 yards passing by quarterback Jack Luavasa. Luavasa completed 9 of 16 passes in the first half, with his favorite target being senior receiver Jake Cochrane, who caught four of those passes for 65 yards before the break.
"Maybe Riordan did something right," Serra coach Patrick Walsh said regarding the lack of Padre offensive production. "They (Riordan) are a good defense and we knew that coming in. Their defense played well and our defense play well. I wasn't shocked about their performance."
Riordan was able to move the ball deep into Serra territory in the second quarter before the Padre defense stiffened, leading to junior kicker Dylan Ennis's field goal to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead.
Serra (now 5-2 overall, 4-0 league) came into the game in sole possession of first place in the WCAL. Riordan (1-6, 1-3) won its only game two weeks ago against Sacred Heart Cathedral to take home the Stanfel Cup -- another award for which the Crusaders compete.
Serra, after that listless first half, was opportunistic in the second half. The Padres recovered a fumble early in the third quarter, leading to a 31-yard touchdown around the right side by junior running back Kelepi Lataimua. The Padres led 7-3.
"It kick-started our offense for the whole team and brought a lot of momentum into this game," Lataimua said.
The second possession of the Crusaders in the second half resulted in another turnover. Serra linebacker James Outman intercepted Luavasa to give the Padres the ball in Crusader territory. That led to an eventual 15-yard TD run by sophomore back Leki Nunn and a 14-3 Serra lead.
Said Serra offensive lineman Joey D'Agostino: "The offensive line really worked together in that second half by making their blocks quicker and pushing their defensive line back."
The Padres then blew the game open with just under five minutes left in the third quarter on Brandon Monroe's 52-yard punt return for a touchdown. Monroe reached the football over the goal line for the score, putting the Padres up 21-3 after the PAT.
The final Serra score in a 28-point Serra third quarter came on Bishop's first varsity TD pass, a 22-yard toss to Rory Uniacke with 2:23 left in the period.
Said Walsh of his QB, a transfer from St. Francis who was not eligible until Game 5: "It's a learning experience and there are going to be good and bad days being quarterback, especially at Serra High School where the spotlight is on you."
Serra fumbled near the end of the third quarter and Riordan recovered and began driving. But then Padres' senior defensive back Marco Mosqueda picked off a Luavasa pass and returned it for a touchdown. Nunn tacked on a two-point conversion for Serra's final points with 11:03 left in the game.
After a mostly scoreless fourth quarter, the Crusaders mounted a drive and tallied in the final minute on a 23-yard pass from Raul Callero to Jake Cochrane (10 catches for 128 yards), who made a nice grab just across the goal line as he was being hit and managed to hold on.
Cochrane's effort did not surprise Serra cornerback Lataimua, who spent part of the afternoon guarding the Crusader.
"I grew up playing with Jake and I knew he was a great player," Lataimua said. "He showed what he can do. He caught many passes to get Riordan going. He's a great player and he played tough."
Said Cochrane, a San Brunan who was a teammate of Lataimua's on the West Bay Rams' Pop Warner team: "I went out there and gave it my all because it was the last time we were playing Serra. They were playing man-to-man and I was comfortable reading defenses. I love when teams play man because I feel like I can pick it apart."
Cochrane also plays some defense and felt good about the way the Crusaders played on D in the first half.
"We were solid against Serra which everyone knows is a powerhouse," he said. "If we played every game like that things would be different because we shut them down and didn't allow a point in the first half."
As for the season, Cochrane said: "We need to step it up. We're ranked No. 21 in CCS but we're 1-6. We need to get some victories."
Offensively for Riordan, Luavasa completed 15 of 39 passes for 132 yards; he was intercepted twice. Callero completed 4 of 8 passes for 49 yards and one TD, with one intercepted.
Following the game the teams gathered in the middle of the field and the P-A announcer spoke of the contributions of Baxter, who coached for more than 30 years including stints at Serra, Riordan, Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Ignatius.
Former Padre player Mike Langridge, who also coached at both Serra and Riordan, then spoke of what Baxter meant to him, commenting that his former coach would be proud of the effort shown by both teams. Then a Baxter family member presented the trophy to Walsh and team captains Kava Cassidy, Jack Dreyer, Outman, Tevita Tuitavake and Creighton Felise.
Serra continues its quest for a league title against Mitty at 7 p.m. Friday at Foothill College. Riordan meets Bellarmine at 7 p.m. Friday at San Jose City College.
