San Diego, CA
Bishop’s runs winning streak over Francis Parker to seven
For the last six years, the yearly matchup between Bishop’s and Francis Parker has been rather one-sided, with the Knights winning each of the last six games.
On Friday night, the lopsided rivalry continued.
Bishop’s extended its win streak to seven with a dominant 48-0 victory over the Lancers.
“It’s always good to get a win, and it’s always good to have guys playing efficiently and effectively,” said Bishop’s coach Shane Walton. “And more than that, it’s good to get these young guys in there and get some opportunities late.”
A day after the announcement of his verbal commitment to the University of Iowa, Knights QB Cash Herrera put together arguably his most efficient performance of the season, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for one, all coming in the first half.
Herrera got his favorite weapons, Ian Browne and Ruben Gutierrez III, involved early. He connected with Browne on a 12-yard TD pass and then hit Gutierrez for a 32-yard TD on a perfectly timed screen, a staple of the Knights’ offense.
Bishop’s (3-2) ended the first half up 34-0.
“Cash is special, and Ruben Gutierrez has been a special player for us,” noted Walton. “Those two guys have kind of gotten things going for us. We’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries, so the offense hasn’t been as efficient as I would like it to be, but we’re starting to gel at the right time.”
The Knights used a RPO-based attack to generate numerous explosive plays against Francis Parker (3-3).
Browne had 100 receiving yards in the first half to go with his TD. Gutierrez added a rushing TD to go with his screen score. Both playmakers were pulled early in the third quarter along with Herrera.
The Knights’ defense was just as impressive as their offense, led by defensive linemen Declan O’Donovan, Henry Armstrong and Cooper Armstrong. The trio produced five sacks and eight tackles-for-loss in the win.
The constant pressure helped create turnover opportunities in the secondary. Son-Son Santiaguel and Jonah Garcia each came away with interceptions. Garcia also forced and recovered a fumble.
“Defense is about everyone being a piece to the puzzle, and we talk about everyone reaching their cap,” noted Walton. “We talk all the time that in every game, you get about 10 to 12 possessions a game. If you can take the ball away three times, that means they get seven to nine, and we get 13 to 15. Anytime you win the turnover battle, you’re typically going to come away with the win.”
Scoring Summary
Bishops 48, Francis Parker 0Bishops 14 20 7 7 – 48Francis Parker 0 0 0 0 – 0B – I. Browne 12 pass from C. Herrera (E. Granet kick)B – R. Gutierrez 32 pass from C. Herrera (E. Granet kick)B – Herrera 4 run (E. Granet kick)B – R. Gutierrez 3 run (E. Granet kick)B – D. O’Donovan 2 run (PAT failed)B – S. Santiaguel 2 run (D. Ashraf kick)B – J. Popplewell 8 run (D. Ashraf kick)
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