Bishop Diego’s entire season came down to a two-point conversion in overtime at the end of a wild playoff game against San Jacinto at La Playa Stadium on Friday night. The Cardinals had led a gutsy comeback at the end of regulation, and in overtime the drama continued as Bishop Diego Head Coach Tom Crawford elected to go for two, and the win, instead of kicking the extra point for the tie.
With the score 30-29, Bishop Diego lined up in a heavy formation and faked the handoff, with quarterback Tua Rojas rolling out to the right and sending a pass to Mason Bidlow in the end zone. Bidlow nearly corralled the pass, but a San Jacinto defender closed in at the last second, wrestling the ball loose and ending the Cardinals’ 2025 season with a one-point playoff loss.
“It was a good high school football game, from both teams, to the bitter end,” Coach Crawford said. “I’m proud of our guys in terms of the way they came back and just kept on fighting.”
It was a game full of momentum shifts, starting on the very first drive, when San Jacinto drove deep into Bishop Diego territory and looked poised to score. The Cardinals defense stepped up, however, forcing a fumble on a fourth down attempt, which sophomore linebacker Sam Boeddeker scooped up and returned 83-yards to give Bishop Diego a 7-0 lead with 7:43 to go in the first quarter.
San Jacinto’s offense relied heavily on senior running back Jomini Ransom, who broke free on several first-down runs in the first half before tying the game on a five-yard run early in the second quarter.
Bishop Diego’s offense struggled in the first half, as Rojas threw an interception to San Jacinto’s Ahmad McClellan, setting up the Tigers’ offense to score their second touchdown of the night. After a successful two point conversion by Ransom, San Jacinto was up 15-7.
The Cardinals responded with a run-heavy drive, with senior running back Oscar Mauia helping Bishop Diego move deep into San Jacinto territory and setting up a field goal attempt to cut the lead to 15-10 with just 1:25 to go in the first half.
San Jacinto snuck in one more score before halftime, with Ransom breaking loose on a few explosive runs before capping the drive with a five-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the second quarter. At halftime, Ransom had over 100 yards on 20 carries, and San Jacinto held on to a 23-10 lead.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, though Bishop Diego’s offense began to build momentum behind the bruising running of Mauia. In the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cardinals offense marched into San Jacinto territory, setting up at the 10-yard line before the Tigers defense squashed the drive with an interception in the back of the end zone.
Bishop Diego’s defense clamped down in the fourth quarter, forcing another San Jacinto punt and giving the Cardinals offense another chance, down by 13 points with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter.
As the clock ticked to five minutes remaining, Bishop Diego’s offense was in a tough spot after two penalties and a bad snap put the Cardinals in a third-and-38 situation from their own two-yard line. But Rojas began to work his magic, connecting on big passes to Mauia and Sam Crawford to give Bishop Diego new life in San Jacinto territory.
“They had to overcome some long down-and-distance situations,” Coach Crawford said. “Tua kept a lot of stuff alive with his feet.”
Rojas completed passes to four different receivers on that drive, picking up several first downs as the clock ticked below two minutes left in the fourth quarter. When the Cardinals were inside the five-yard line, Mauia plowed in for a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-17 with 1:39 left in the game.
Bishop Diego failed to recover the onside kick, but the Cardinals defense stepped up once again, forcing a quick three-and-out and giving the offense one last possession. Bishop Diego got the ball back with 1:08 left, needing a touchdown to tie and an extra point to potentially win the game.
With the clock ticking down, Rojas connected on six completions to four different players, marching down the field and setting up a dramatic finish. With eight seconds left, Rojas delivered a laser over the middle to Sam Crawford, who fought through two defenders as he caught the ball and fell into the end zone to tie the game at 23-23.
“I’m not surprised,” Coach Crawford said. “That’s Sam Crawford, and the kid is just a baller. He makes a ton of plays on both sides of the ball, and he’s one of those guys that if you are in the clutch situation, you can count on him. That was a great catch.”
The Cardinals had an opportunity to win the game in regulation with an extra point, but San Jacinto blocked the attempt and forced extra time.
In overtime, San Jacinto got the ball first, and the Tigers took only two plays to score a touchdown. Ransom got loose on a swing pass for his third touchdown of the game to give the Tigers a 30-23 lead.
The Cardinals answered with a mix of hard running by Mauia and precision passing by Rojas. Faced with a fourth-and-eight at the ten yard line, Rojas scrambled out of the pocket and connected with Sam Crawford once again to score a big touchdown and set up the final failed two-point try.
“You have a play that ends it where it truly can go either way,” Coach Crawford said. “It was a good high school football game.”
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