The Cate football team put together a first-half masterclass and punched its ticket to the CIF-SS 8-Man Division 2 Championship Game with a 46-14 victory over Calvary Baptist of La Verne on Friday night.
The persistent rain that has pounded the Central Coast left Cate’s home turf unplayable, so the game was moved to Warkentin Stadium on the campus of San Marcos High. The change in venue didn’t slow down the Rams, as they jumped out to a 33-0 halftime lead.
“We had a good game plan. The coaches do a heck of a job all week long getting ready and watching tons of film. We knew what we wanted to do, and we were able to execute that and build on it,” said Cate coach Ben Soto. “One thing led to another and the next thing you know it was 33-0, so I was really pleased with the way both sides of the ball played.”
The Rams set the tone on the opening drive of the game with a 49-yard touchdown run by Barron Crayton. Cate added to its lead on its ensuing possession with a three-yard touchdown plunge by Joshua Butler to go ahead 14–0 at the 6:57 mark of the first quarter.
The play of the game came with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter as Cate faced 3rd-and-14 from the 21-yard line. Cate quarterback Alex Kroehl lofted the ball into the end zone for senior captain Chase Meyer, who plucked it out of the air with one hand in the back of the end zone, giving the Rams a 21-0 lead.
Calvary Baptist mounted a long drive on its ensuing possession but fumbled at the goal line. Cate took over at its own one-yard line, and on the second play of the drive Kroehl found Butler with a shovel pass. Butler exploded up the middle and cut outside for a 76-yard touchdown reception that increased the Cate lead to 28-0 at the 10:59 mark of the second quarter.
Quincy Thorne boomed a 38-yard field goal with 7:56 remaining in the first half, and Cate forced Calvary Baptist into a safety on its next possession to increase the lead to 33-0 at halftime.
The second half was sloppy. Cate defensive back Noah Casbarro snagged an interception on the first Calvary Baptist drive of the half, but Cate immediately fumbled the ball back on the second play of its ensuing possession.
Overall, the first four drives of the second half ended in turnovers.
Calvary Baptist got on the board at the 6:17 mark of the third quarter on a 14-yard pass from Devin Debuono to Zaedik McPhail. The Cougars converted the ensuing two-point attempt, cutting their deficit to 33-8.
Debuono and McPhail connected again on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 remaining in the third quarter on a beautiful double move, making the score 33-14.
“We knew that they were going to throw 70 percent of the time, so we designed some blitzes and exchanges,” Soto said. “The coaches worked with the defensive backs and we were able to knock some down, but even though we had three-on-one, McPhail was able to make some catches, showing the great receiver that he is.”
Cate scored its first points of the second half on an interception return for a touchdown by Thorne and tacked on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Kroehl to Oliver Charvel with 3:40 remaining to take a 46–14 lead.
Calvary Baptist came into the game with a 9-1 record, but Cate’s tough regular-season schedule has led to a thrilling postseason run. The Rams are now 5-7 overall this season.
“We had the toughest schedule. We played all the big boys, including most of the teams in the Division 1 playoffs. We were not consistent,” Soto said. “When we got into the playoffs, we knew we needed to work on consistency, and the coaches and players have done that.”
Cate will host Lancaster Baptist on its home field in the Division 2 Championship Game on Saturday, November 29, beginning at 1 p.m.
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