A defensive slugfest at La Playa Stadium swung towards Oaks Christian in the second half as the Bishop Diego offense was shutout for the first time this season.
Visiting Oaks Christian came in ranked No. 16 in the state according to Maxpreps, but Bishop Diego stood tall in the trenches before fading late in a 13-0 loss on Friday night.
“I thought the effort level was really high and consistent across the board. I think that everybody that was in the field on offense, defense and special teams gave great effort,” said Bishop Diego coach Tom Crawford. “I think that they were positive with each other and we’ve got better each game over the season in terms of guys’ ability and willingness to be physical and understand what we’re trying to do.”
The Cardinals best chance to score came on the opening drive of the game. Bishop Diego had first and goal from the four yard line. However, Oaks Christian stuffed consecutive runs to force a third town.
Perhaps the play of the game came on the ensuing third down play as Bishop Diego quarterback Tua Rojas faked a handoff and sprinted toward the pylon, but his diving attempt to score was stopped at the one-yard line.
Rojas was injured on the attempt, and on fourth down a bad snap forced wildcat quarterback Gabe Villa to go down to the turf before the play got going for a turnover on downs.
Oaks Christian responded with a 16-play drive on its next possession, but the Bishop Diego defense stiffened and the Lions missed a 24-yard field goal to keep the score tied at zero early in the second quarter.
After a Bishop Diego punt, Oaks Christian took over possession, but Gabe Villa got the ball back for the Cardinals with an interception at the Lions 39-yard line.However, Bishop Diego could not take advantage of the field position and the teams went into the locker rooms at halftime tied at 0-0.
“Not getting on the board after we had a really good drive, that was certainly disappointing, particularly in a low scoring game like this,” Crawford said. “They are tough up front. They have some big guys and when it got to the short yardage things we didn’t execute very well and they stuffed us a couple times..”
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Oaks Christian finally broke the stalemate in the third quarter with a nine-play, 50-yard drive that was capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by Deshonne Redueaux with 8:37 remaining in the third quarter. The key play on the drive was a 34-yard pass from Oaks Christian freshman quarterback Trey Towns Jr. to 6’6” tight end Brayden Hampsten. Oaks Christian missed the extra point and settled for a 6-0 lead.
Bishop Diego put together a promising drive on its ensuing possession, but turned it over on downs in Oaks Christian territory.
The Lions came back again with a 13-play drive that Redeaux finished off with a three-yard touchdown run at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter, increasing the Oaks Christian lead to 13-0
Redeaux was a bright spot for the Oaks Christian offense. He finished with 113 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. Oscar Mauia led the way for Bishop Diego with 72 yards on 16 carries.
The Cardinals (4-2-1) will play at unbeaten Simi Valley next week. Oaks Christian will travel to St. Bonaventure.