Bishop Diego Eliminated From Playoffs After 29-23 Loss to Redondo Union in Double Overtime

Redondo Union quarterback Nicholas London dropped back and fired a dart over the middle and connected with wide receiver Cadence Turner for a 24-yard touchdown pass in double overtime.

Many Bishop Diego players collapsed in heartache as their dreams of a long playoff run faded away with the 29-23 double overtime loss to the visiting Seahawks on Friday night at La Playa Stadium. 

“Unfortunately it was a replay of a couple of other games that we had, where mistakes early in the game put us kind of in a hole then and we were trying to claw our way back,” said Bishop Diego head coach Tom Crawford. “We did that and had a chance. Then we had some missed opportunities and a lot of penalties that hurt us in critical situations during the game.”

Bishop Diego outgained Redondo Union in total yardage 363 to 233, but nine penalties and three turnovers were too much to overcome for a team with only one senior suited up for the game.

The Cardinals were hopeful that they would get senior running Misa Pauia back from a meniscus injury with an extended playoff run. Pauia, was a key contributor on both sides of the ball for the 2022 team that reached the CIF-SS Division 3 semifinals, but did not play at all this season after suffering the injury the week of the first game, but he warmed up before the game and was close to making his season debut.

Giving Pauia a chance to play was clearly a motivating factor for the entire team and was a gut wrenching component of the loss. 

“I don’t know if you were here watching him in full pads in pregame, you are just amazed at the level of recovery and the athleticism that he showed,” Crawford said. “I don’t know what would have transpired, he was cleared to do all non-contact stuff so we’ve seen him cutting and sprinting and running routes and it looked like Misa. If we’d been able to go a couple more weeks I would have hoped we would have been able to have him and you could see how obviously disappointed that it didn’t go that way and we’re kind of heartbroken for him because of that.”

The Cardinals got off to a fast start, forcing a quick Redondo Union three-and-out on the opening drive of the game. Bishop Diego took over possession on their own 38-yard line and marched 62 yards on three plays. Oscar Mauia capped off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run, reversing field against a stacked box and rumbling into the end zone to give Bishop Diego a 7-0 lead with 8:04 remaining in the first quarter.

From there, the mistake began to pop up for Bishop Diego. Redondo Union recovered a fumble deep in Bishop Diego territory and capitalized on the turnover with a one-yard touchdown run by London to even the score at 7-7 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

On the next Bishop Diego possession, quarterback  Tua Rojas was intercepted by Colin Kelly and on the very next play London connected with Max Ausmus on a 19-yard back shoulder throw with one-minute remaining in the first quarter.

The Cardinals tacked on a second quarter field goal and trailed 13-10 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Rojas connected with John Michael Flint on a 28-yard touchdown pass to give Bishop Diego a 17-13 lead with 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

The Seahawks immediately responded with an eight-play, 65-yard drive. London’s pass was tipped into the air at the line of scrimmage and landed perfectly in the arms of Ausmus to give the Seahawks a 20-17 lead with 3:38 remaining.

The back and forth drama continued, as Bishop Diego cme back with a seven-play, 80-yard drive that Mauia finished off with a four-yard touchdown run. The sophomore Rojas proved his incredible poise in key moments on the drive with a beautiful 38-yard toss to Flint on third-and-10.

The Cardinals missed the extra point and had to settle for a 23-20 lead. That mistake was costly as Redondo union kicker Nicolas McGee tied the score at 23-23 with a 26-yard field goal with 32 seconds left. 

On the first play of overtime, Bishop Diego cornerback Danny Ortega grabbed an interception and raced down the field with the opportunity to end the game with a touchdown, but was knocked out of bounds on the ten yard line.

The Cardinals took over the ball and failed to convert a fourth and ten. On the ensuing Bishop Diego possession a missed 21-yard field goal gave Redondo Union a chance to win. On the second play of the ensuing drive the Seahawks clinched the victory on the pass from London to Turner.