Bishop Diego Secures Automatic Playoff Berth With 27-20 Victory Over Simi Valley

Needing a win to clinch an automatic berth into the CIF Southern Section playoffs, the Bishop Diego football team came of age on Thursday night with a dramatic fourth quarter comeback.

A 63-yard touchdown run by Oscar Mauia with 47 seconds remaining put the finishing touches on the thrilling 27-20 victory over Simi Valley and improved the Cardinals to 4-6 overall and 3-2 in Marmonte league play.

The top three teams in the six-team Marmonte League receive automatic playoff berths and the Cardinals finished in third place behind St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian, who play on Friday night for the league title.

A pair of special teams blunders early in the game put Bishop Diego in a hole as the Cardinals muffed the opening kickoff and after forcing Simi Valley into a 25-yard field goal that was missed Bishop Diego went three-and-out and had a punt blocked setting up the Pioneers at the one-yard line.

Brice Hawkins powered into the end zone to give Simi Valley a 7-0 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter.

Bishop Diego evened the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tua Rojas to Dominic Herrera. However, Simi Valley regained momentum by recovering a fumble deep in Bishop Diego territory and paid off the short drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Sereno to Dominic Demaio to take a 13-7 lead after a failed extra point.

Rojas tossed his second touchdown pass of the game to Isaiah Kitt from 23-yards out to give the Cardinals a 14-13 lead after a successful extra point.

A six-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Sereno to Brice Hawkins put the Pioneers back out in fron wirth 10:27 remaining in the third quarter.

Bishop Deigo took the lead for good on a one-yard touchdown pass from Rojas to Gabe Villa midway through the fourth quarter. Simi Valley was driving for the potential go ahead score, but Isaiah Kitt came down with an interception to end the threat with just under three minutes remaining in the game.

Bishop Diego executed a clock draining drive that was capped off by Mauia’s 47-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals a 27-20 lead. Simi Valley’s last-ditch effort to move down the field ran out of time and Bishop Diego secured the monumental victory.

The Cardinals will learn their playoff opponent when brackets are released Sunday morning.