The Bishop Diego Cardinals ended a four-game losing streak to rival St. Bonaventure with a hard-fought 35–27 victory Friday night at Ventura College.
The matchup carried extra intrigue as former St. Bonaventure head coach Joe Goyeneche, now an assistant at Bishop Diego, faced his old program. Bishop Diego Athletic Director John Muller, also a former St. Bonaventure staffer, added another layer to the rivalry’s storyline.
The Cardinals came out strong, taking a 14-0 lead behind a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tua Rojas to Sam Crawford and a 28-yard rushing score by Oscar Mauia early in the second quarter. Mauia, who had missed much of the season due to injury after back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, returned to form with a powerful performance.
St. Bonaventure cut the deficit to 21-13 in the third quarter after an interception return for a touchdown, but Rojas answered with a 9-yard scoring pass to Gabe Villa to extend the lead to 28-13.
The Seraphs responded with a 25-yard touchdown reception by Jeremiah Barrios and a successful two-point conversion to close within 28-21.
Mauia struck again with 6:03 remaining, plunging into the end zone to make it 35-21. St. Bonaventure scored once more with just over four minutes left, but Bishop Diego’s offense, powered by Mauia’s running, ran out the clock to seal the victory.
With the win, Bishop Diego improves to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the Marmonte League, while reclaiming local bragging rights in one of the area’s most physical rivalries.
