Serra comes up short; Riordan claims WCAL football title

In a battle befitting of a league title, Riordan (7-0 WCAL, 10-0 overall) came alive in the second half to claim a 42-35 victory over Serra under the temporary lights at Freitas Field. Serra jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the prolific output of Riordan senior running back Adonyae Brown and late heroics for senior quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. flipped the script in the second half.

With the win, the Crusaders finish out a perfect 10-0 slate, and claim their fourth league championship in program history.

While Riordan’s ground game kept it humming for much of the night, it was the arm of Mitchell that delivered the go-ahead strike midway through the fourth quarter. With the score deadlocked 28-all, the WCAL’s single-season record holder for passing yards added to his total from Riordan’s 39-yard line by hitting senior Cynai Thomas on a short hitch. Thomas dodged a tackle and jetted up the Serra sideline for a 61-yard catch-and-carry score to put Riordan ahead for good.

Then it was Brown who sealed the deal. After the Crusaders stuffed a Serra fourth-down try near midfield with 3:15 to play, it took the 6-foot, 215-pound Brown one play to go downtown by breaking free for a 53-yard touchdown run.

At the time of the run, Brown — who had missed the three previous games due to injury — was sitting at 227 total yards with four touchdowns. His final statistics were not available at press time. He scored three TDs on the ground, and added a 40-yard scoring catch earlier in the second half to give the Crusaders a 28-21 lead.

Serra (6-1, 6-4) set the tone early, though, with a sturdy defensive performance in the first half that turned the battle for the WCAL title into a fight to the finish.

The Padres’ “D” opened the night by forcing a big three-and-out, and the ensuing punt from deep in Riordan territory put them in Crusader territory at the 45. Serra then went to the ground, running 10 straight times for a 10-play, 45-yard scoring drive, including conversions on third and fourth down before Iziah Singleton swept wide around the left side for a 7-yard touchdown run to put Serra up 7-0.

Riordan’s next possession got some traction, but the Padres took it away when senior cornerback Aidan Labrador stepped in front of a Mitchell pass at the Padres’ 39-yard for an interception. Serra and Riordan went on to trade punts, putting the Padres at their own 36 to start the second quarter.

Serra then turned to quarterback William Orr, and the freshman kept it on the ground, flipping the field with keepers of 8 and 31 yards. Two plays later, Singleton scored on the same wide 7-yard sweeper in the opposite end zone to stake the Padres to a 14-0 advantage with 10:11 to play in the half.

The Padres’ defense earned another stop — senior two-way standout Jeovanni Henley got in on a first-down sack, then stopped a second-down toss 1 yard shy of the line of scrimmage — forcing another Riordan punt. But the Crusaders caught a break when the ensuing punt reception was fumbled, giving them the ball back near midfield.

Riordan used eight plays to move 58 yards, not passing the ball once, as big rushes of 26 yards by Brown, 10 yards by senior Kyle Welch, and 16 yards by Mitchell moved the ball to the Padres’ 2. Then Brown blasted it in for the Crusaders’ first score, cutting the score to 14-7 with 4:55 to go in the half.

But the Padres had one more big stop in them before halftime.

Serra took over at its own 34, and used a 28-yard pass from Orr to Charlie Walsh to move into the red zone. Riordan produced a stop, forcing Serra to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which sailed wide ride to put the Crusaders back on the ball at their own 20 with 2:13 remaining.

Riordan looked to have chunked into Serra territory when Brown rambled for 46 yards, but as the big senior fell injured on the Padres’ sideline at the end of the play, a yellow flag brought the play back on the holding penalty against the Crusaders. Brown returned four plays later, but not before Mitchell made up the yards and then some on the following play, advancing 59 yards on a QB keeper to the Serra 11.

But the Padres’ defense stepped up again. After sophomore running back Sione Vaihola picked up 7 yards on a trap through the middle on second down, Serra stopped Brown at the line of scrimmage on third down. Then on fourth-and-3 from the 5, Mitchell took to the ground and was hit by Henley close to the line to gain, but not close enough for Riordan, as the ball was ruled down at the 2 to force a turnover on downs.

In the second half, however, it was the Riordan defense that stole the spotlight.

Serra’s opening possession was stuffed for a three-and-out, then a fake punt got knocked backward for a 9-yard loss to give the Crusaders the ball at the Padres’ 28. Three plays later, Brown zig-zagged his way into the end zone to tie it 14-14.

Serra went back on offense for four plays for Riordan to force a turnover on downs, and again take over in Padres territory at the 44. Mitchell moved the chains twice before connecting with Thomas on a pearl up the right side for a 17-yard touchdown pass for the first of Riordan’s three go-ahead scores in the half.

Serra got even when Singleton capped a six-play, 71-yard scoring drive with a 6-yard scoring run for his third TD of the game. But Riordan fired right back with a six-play, 80-yard drive, punctuated by a screen toss from Mitchell to Brown that turned into a 40-yard touchdown reception to make it 28-21 Crusaders.

The Padres had one more tie in them as Orr hit Walsh with a 34-yard spiral up the left side for a score to make it 28-all. But by the time Serra scored again on a 2-yard carry by Orr with a minute to go, it wasn’t enough.

For Serra, the loss was the first in WCAL play this year. Both Serra and Riordan are ticketed for the Central Coast Section Open Division/Division I tournament, with the Crusaders’ win Friday likely locking up the No. 1 seed.