CHULA VISTA – Coach Jerry Ralph had a special game plan to start the annual St. Augustine-Cathedral Catholic showdown last night, and before the Dons had run a play, they were down 14-0.
“That was pretty exciting,” said the Saints coach.
But very temporary.
Eventually, Cathedral got the ball, and the results were predictable as the No. 2-ranked Dons scored the last 14 points of the first half and the first 35 of the second half en route to a 56-30 victory before a crowd of more than 8,000 at Southwestern College's Chet DeVore Stadium.
Also predictably, it was Tyler Gaffney leading the way.
The senior running back rushed for 260 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries and grabbed an 8-yard scoring pass. He leads the section with 35 TDs.
He had to do it without his No. 25 jersey.
“I don't know where it went,” said Gaffney, who wore No. 6. “I was filming a broadcast at school and it just disappeared.”
The Saints (5-4, 1-3) drove 80 yards on their first possession and scored on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Evan Crower to Dana Barbaro. St. Augustine then recovered an onside kick and scored again, on a 9-yard pass from Crower to Alan Aguilar, for a 14-0 lead.
But Cathedral (9-0, 4-0), ranked No. 19 in the state by CalHiSports.com, made it 21-21 at halftime.
The second half was all Cathedral Catholic, and Dons coach Sean Doyle wasn't surprised that his club scored on five straight possessions to put the game away.
“When we were down 14-0, I wasn't worried,” said Doyle. “I knew we could score and we hadn't even touched the ball yet. All we had to do was settle down. When you have a big crowd and an atmosphere like this, that isn't easy to do.”
The Dons were clearly the dominant team and won for the 27th time in the rivalry, which began 43 years ago.
St. Augustine quarterback Evan Crower, a sophomore, completed 22-of-42 passes for 233 yards and four TDs.
Cathedral Catholic's Parker Hipp connected on 11-of-15 passes for 220 yards and three TDs, including 6-of-6 in the second half. He did not throw an interception.
“I wouldn't be surprised if we see these guys again,” said Ralph, pointing to the playoffs just two weeks away.
