Mateo Serra Takes Back West Catholic Athletic League Title From Defending Champion Riordan

Serra builds a commanding lead

Serra scored on its opening drive when Oregon-bound safety Malakai Taufoou returned a deflected interception 75 yards. Cal-bound Jeovanni Henley added a 1-yard touchdown run, and Jax Cannon connected with Charlie Walsh on a 52-yard scoring play.

Taufoou later caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cannon. After another short Riordan punt, Andrew Takapatulo ran for a 3-yard score, giving the Padres a 35-0 advantage with 9:20 left in the second quarter. Cannon completed 12 of 18 passes for 207 yards.

Riordan responds before halftime

Sophomore quarterback Braxton Larosa led Riordan on a scoring drive, completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to freshman DJ Green. The Crusaders went into halftime trailing 35-7.

Padres finish and claim title

Serra answered late, including a 55-yard touchdown run by Kapono Keaania and a 6-yard scoring run by Takapatulo, to secure the 49-14 win. The Padres finished with 419 yards of offense, compared with Riordan’s 177.

The result ended Serra’s three-game losing streak against Riordan, which had beaten the Padres twice at Serra last season. Riordan played without its leading player, UNLV-bound running back Adonyae Brown, who was on the sideline in street clothes.