San Francisco, Calif. - With playoff seedings on the line for both teams, St. Ignatius (4-5, 2-4 West Catholic Athletic League) visited their cross-town red hot rivals Archbishop Riordan and came home with a 24-21 victory.
With the win the Wildcats retain the Gil Haskell Trophy. Haskell is the former coach of both teams. He went on to help coach USC to two Rose Bowls, and the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win.
St. Ignatius dominated the last three encounters by a score of 122-0 combined, but this year’s Riordan team was different. They clawed their way back from deficit after deficit, but ultimately fell short on their final drive of the game, giving the Wildcats the win.
The Wildcats couldn’t have had a better start in their Haskell Trophy defense, with a three-score lead halfway through the first quarter, all while running just six offensive plays.
On just the third play of the game, linebacker Keith Reyes broke through the Crusader offensive line and delivered a crushing blow on quarterback Emilio Cruz, causing a fumble that Luke Leopold picked up for a nine yard scoop and score.
Moments later, August Parker picked off a pass intended for Riordan’s Zachary Jones, returning it 57-yards for a pick six to make it 14-0 St. Ignatius.
Cruz’s very next pass attempt was intercepted by Ben Boyden, resulting in a 39 yard field goal, giving the Wildcats a formidable 17-0 lead.
“Our defense today was fantastic, making plays, scoring,” said St. Ignatius head coach John Regalia. “That was the perfect start, having a two score lead before putting your offense on the field is a luxury you rarely get, and it set us up beautifully today.”
The key to Riordan clawing themselves back into the game was the running back tandem of Curtis Jones and Kemoeatu Kefu. Jones’ speed combined with Kefu’s size kept the Wildcats guessing on every snap. Kefu rushed for 136 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. Jones got the majority of the carries, but on 22 carries he only gained 67 yards.
Despite the early deficit, the Crusaders were unfazed, as Cruz led his offense down the field multiple times to reduce the deficit to 17-14 heading into halftime. He connected with his favorite target Jones for a 55-yard touchdown to start the Riordan comeback. Jones finished with 135 yards on seven receptions, with his speed aiding him in finding open space.
“There was no panic,” said Riordan head coach Mark Modeste. “We knew we had the capability to put some points on the board and get ourselves back into the game.”
“It’s great to have more than one option,” continued Modeste, “The two really add that extra dimension to our offense, and it’s helped us throughout the season.”
The teams traded touchdowns in the second half. Wildcats quarterback Aiden Smith connected with wide receiver Ryan Ivers for a 63-yard touchdown and Kefu powered into the end zone on fourth-and-goal in what turned out to be the final score of the game.
At that point the game lied in the balance during Riordan’s final drive. Down three, the Crusaders needed to drive 95-yards for the win. After several penalties they found themselves in a tough predicament, fourth-and-25 from their own 25-yard line. Modeste decided to go for it, and despite being double teamed wide receiver Zion Wells rose above the secondary and hauled in a 40-yard completion placing the Crusaders in prime position to take the lead.
“The decision was an easy one,” Modeste said. “The game was on the line, we weren’t sure if we’d get the ball back. We had faith in our offense to get that first down and they went out there and did it.”
Despite the successful conversion, the Crusaders dug themselves into yet another hole, as Cruz took two sacks en route to fourth-and-15. This time, the Wildcats learned from previous mistakes, as Ryan Ivers picked off Cruz’s pass to end the game.
“It’s a shame,” said Modeste, “I felt we were the better team for three of the quarters, and we could’ve definitely walked away with the win today.”
With both teams looking to solidify their playoff rankings, Riordan (5-4, 2-4) will face the daunting task of guarding Valley Christian’s Jurrion Dickey this weekend.
Meanwhile the Wildcats will host Bellarmine in their regular season finale.
