LOMPOC - The final score was 42-7, and the game was even more one-sided than that.

St. Joseph quarterback Casey Cathcart went 20-for-26 for a career high 345 yards passing, including an 82-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to Kevin Buchanan, in a Knights rout in a Los Padres League game at Lompoc High School's Huyck Stadium Friday night. Meanwhile, the Knights defense thwarted Cabrillo's 1-2 running punch of Lydell Sargeant and Vai Taua.

"Last week we played about as bad as we can play," in a 21-6 loss to unbeaten Lompoc, the top-ranked team in Division X, said St. Joseph coach Barney Eames. "Tonight, I think we played about as good as we can play."

"It was just a disaster," Cabrillo coach Don Cross said afterward. "Offense, defense, special teams. St. Joseph handled us in every phase. Sometimes we didn't even line up right."

St. Joseph wrapped up a playoff berth. The Knights are 4-1-0 in the Los Padres League and 8-1-0 overall. Cabrillo is 4-1-0, 7-2-0.

The LPL regular season will end in a three-way tie for first place if Cabrillo defeats Lompoc in the annual Big Game - which, for the first time in years, really is a big game - and St. Joseph defeats Santa Maria. Kickoff time for both games is 7 p.m.

Because of numbers the teams drew in a pre-season draw, a three-way tie for the top would mean Cabrillo would be the top league seed. Lompoc would be second and St. Joseph would be third. Regardless of what happens next Friday night, all three teams have clinched playoff berths.

Advertisement

St. Joseph had 23 first downs to Cabrillo's seven and 482 yards of total offense to the Conquistadores' 106. Cabrillo speedster Sargeant had 45 yards on 17 carries. The 5-11, 218-pound Taua, a bruising runner, had 25 yards on five rushes. Fifteen of those came on one play.

"Our defense did an awesome job tonight," Eames said.

Linemen Buchanan, Ryan San Juan and Zachary Sternjacob, and linebacker Justin Maretti led the charge, but the entire unit had itself a game.

Sargeant is at least as good as anyone in the league at breaking tackles. He couldn't break many Friday night.

"Everyone on the team contributed," Knights safety Matt McCormack said. "We had a lot of guys around the ball."

After the second of two Brad Escobar touchdown runs, Sargeant's 43-yard kick return set up Sean McGinty's 32-yard touchdown pass to John Pierce. That brought Cabrillo within one score in the second quarter.

Catayas took the ensuing kickoff at his 7, ran through a big hole and made it to the Cabrillo 11 before kicker Casey Belluz took him out of bounds.

A personal foul penalty put the ball at the 7. Cathcart eventually scored behind center Zach Clayton on a sneak from the 1, and Cabrillo was essentially finished.

One guy who hadn't figured much in the Knights attack and a guy who hadn't played varsity ball at all came up big for St. Joseph against Cabrillo.

Ben Streeter caught six passes for 123 yards, easily his biggest game of the season. "Streeter came alive tonight," said Eames.

Since tailback-linebacker Philip Adam was out with a knee injury, the Knights brought sophomore running back Tom Sua up from the junior varsity.

Sua delivered the goods immediately. On his first varsity running play, in the third quarter, the hard-charging sophomore was hit three yards deep in the backfield at the Cabrillo 15. He got away and got to the Cabrillo 3 before tacklers finally brought him down.

Sua eventually scored from the 1. He scored the Knights' last touchdown on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter. He wound up with 39 yards on seven carries.

"Tom has played his last JV game," Eames said with a smile afterward.

Meanwhile, Cathcart posted NFL-type numbers in a 48-minute game. He connected on his first eight passes. Cathcart hurt the Conquistadores with short passes early, then St. Joseph's long passing game opened up.

"We knew we had some (running backs) hurt," Cathcart said. "We were doing okay back there, then we brought up a JV kid, Tom Sua, and he did a good job. Our passing game just really opened up."

"Philip was out with a knee, Brad's ankle was about 65 percent and we knew if we tried to grind it out with Barney Ball it was going to be a long night," Eames said.

"We said, 'you know what? Casey has a good arm, we know our line can pass protect. Let's just throw the ball and see what happens."

What happened was that Cathcart picked Cabrillo apart without being sacked.

Escobar wound up with a hard-earned 70 yards on 17 carries.

Nov. 6, 2004