Serra football routs rival St. Francis

Villaroman is a third-year varsity player but has seen few reps since his sophomore year due to a knee injury suffered in the 2020 season in the spring of 2021. After missing the 2021 season as a junior, he’s been steadily finding his footing this season.

“He’s missed these games the last few years with an injury,” Serra head coach Patrick Walsh said. “And when I heard him speak at our chapel (this week), I knew he was going to have a good night, because he was pouring out his heart and soul and what he really wanted to do and be a part of this team.”

But with the Serra offense struggling early, it was a wide-open look to Weber that started the scoring landslide. Leading 8-7 midway through the third quarter, with Weber not having touched the ball to that point, Smith aired it out up the left side to find Weber in the end zone.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Weber said. “The play wasn’t for me, it was for the tight end. Then I realized when I saw it and was like — ‘Oh, shoot!’”

Villaroman had six catches to that point.

“Joey was just hot, so we kept feeding him,” Weber said. “The focus went to him, so it made it easier for the other receivers.”

Serra added on with 3:07 to go in the third quarter. Smith hit Villaroman with a 3-yard pass on a short out route. Just over a minute into the fourth quarter, senior Malachi Gastrock took his first carry of the night for a 6-yard scoring run.

The Padres outgained St. Francis 318-117 in total yards — quite an answer to Serra suffering its only regular-season loss to the Lancers last season.

“This week we were focused, we were locked in,” Serra defensive end Collin Tahitua said. “We knew this was going to be a fight in the trenches. Last year, after that loss at home, we had a chip on our shoulders.”

Tahitua recorded the second of two Padres sacks. Junior linebacker Danny Niu tallied the first, amid a stretch of four three-and-outs by St. Francis to start the game. For Tahitua, it was his first sack of the year, and a fun one at that as he took a direct route on an edge blitz to blindside St. Francis quarterback Matthew Dougherty Jr.

“I was right there, and I was looking at the ball, as soon as I see that ball, I’m off,” Tahitua said. “I’m off, I’m already past the center, past the guard, I’m free, I see the QB — it was a rush of excitement.”

Serra faltered on its first two possessions, netting 1 yard with four incomplete passes. In taking over at their own 12-yard line with 3:08 to go in the first quarter, the Padres went on a 10-play, 88-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 24-yard catch by Villroman to move the ball to the Serra 37.

Then on third-and-goal from the Lancers’ 1, junior running back Jabari Mann dove it for a touchdown. The Padres followed with a swinging gate option run by Alex Atkins for a 2-point conversion, giving Serra an 8-0 lead.

But St. Francis (0-1, 1-3) answered back. After trading quick possessions, the Lancers took over at their own 26. They totaled just five first-downs all night, but four of them came on the 14-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 10-yard scoring pass from Dougherty to Riley Long, cutting Serra’s lead to 8-7. It was as close as the Lancers would get.

Smith was 19-of-26 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

“O-line, give them credit, a lot of time,” Weber said. “He’s a great quarterback.”

While the Padres improve their record to 4-0, the win was bittersweet as senior guard Ryan Silver — arguably Serra’s best player — was helped off the field in the first half with an excruciating looking leg injury. Walsh said he had no status available following the game, but that Silver left the game because he was injured.

“We have second strings that are going to step up,” Tahitua said. “We have bottom of the fire (next man up); we always talk about bottom of the fire. But he’ll be back. A minor setback for a major comeback.”