SAN FRANCISCO — The offensive machine that’s second-ranked Archbishop Riordan revved its engines early Friday night time and saved on rolling towards inner-city rival Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral.
SEC-bound quarterback Michael Mitchell accomplished his first two passes for touchdowns and completed with 4 scores on 348 yards passing because the Crusaders (5-0, 2-0) cruised to a 56-30 win over the Combating Irish (3-2, 1-1) at Kezar Stadium.
Mitchell, who’s off to Vanderbilt after this season, acquired to carry the Stanfel Cup trophy one final time as he and his teammates serenaded the visiting followers. Riordan claimed its third straight win over SHC — all by 20-plus factors — although it nonetheless trails the sequence since 2004, 11-12.
After going up early on its previous two opponents and permitting them to hold round, Riordan left little doubt towards SHC.
“We talked about finishing,” coach Adhir Ravipati mentioned. “My whole thing with the kids is just playing four quarters of clean football. We’ve got to get to that point if we want to be an elite team. … We still have a lot of room to grow.”
Archbishop Riordan, in white, fields a kickoff from Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral in the course of the first quarter of a highschool soccer sport, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Space Information Group)
All however 28 yards of Mitchell’s yards via the air got here earlier than halftime as Riordan amassed a 35-7 benefit heading into intermission. His final landing put them up 42-7 shortly into the second half and the remainder of the way in which Riordan leaned on its bruising operating again, junior Adonyae Brown, who racked up 63 of his 99 speeding yards within the second half and scored thrice in complete.
“We talk about being a balanced offense and all that means is if the run game is there, we’re gonna take it and if the pass game’s there, we’re gonna take it,” Ravipati mentioned. “(Brown) is a special, special talent. He’s a load to take down, just his fuel for the game, his vision, he’s a really special player.”
The multi-talented Brown confirmed off his arm, too, throwing for a landing on a trick play that prolonged Riordan’s result in 49-14. Dealing with third and 4 from SHC’s 19-yard line, Mitchell threw what seemed to be a display screen to Brown, fooling the protection, who left Cynai Thomas uncovered ultimately zone.
Brown accomplished the go to push his complete yards from scrimmage into triple digits — and to make good on a problem from Riordan’s basketball coach, Joey Curtain.
“Joey was giving me a hard time the other day that we don’t run a lot of trick plays,” Ravipati mentioned. “We run reverses and stuff, but he was like, ‘I want something with a little more razzle dazzle.’ So I told Joey, ‘I’ve got something for you.’ That’s why, before the play, I was yelling at Joey on the sidelines.”
Archbishop Riordan vast receiver Perrion Williams (3) leaves his ft to catch a dee go in entrance of Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral defensive again Kiran-davu Tate-day (10) in the course of the second quarter of a highschool soccer sport, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Space Information Group)
The majority of the explosive performs got here from the arm of Mitchell, who had amassed 161 yards by the fourth time he had thrown the ball and accomplished six passes of 35 or extra yards. Senior Choose Nash was on the receiving finish of three passes of at the least 42 yards, together with a 49-yard landing strike to open the sport.
Thomas, who hauled within the trick-play landing, scored on two different passes from Mitchell and completed with 83 yards, senior Perrion Williams added 77 yards on a team-high seven catches and senior Kyle Welch caught six passes for 57 yards.
Senior quarterback Michael Sargent returned for Sacred Fireside Cathedral after sitting out the previous two weeks with an damage and threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns however confronted constant stress from the Riordan entrance seven. Defensive ends DJ Sanchez and Zachary Kleppin teamed up for a number of sacks and compelled a fumble, whereas linebacker Tevita Tuifua capitalized on the duress to return down with an interception that arrange one other Riordan rating.
Archbishop Riordan linebacker Tevita Tuifua (45) celebrates his go interception towards Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral in the course of the second quarter of a highschool soccer sport, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Space Information Group)
“Our defensive line is playing really, really good football and our linebacking corps, we’ve got some really good players there who have played a decent amount of football now,” Ravipati mentioned. “I think we’re just a little older in the box, we have a lot of talent and I think we’re picking stuff up well.”
“We’re close to being a team that can put 50-60 (points) on the board really consistently,” Ravipati mentioned. “We’re close to being a team that can hold you under 20 and force you to throw the ball, and we like our chances when we start playing tempo and pushing teams that way.”
