Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Division III: Cathedral Catholic vs Lincoln

Lincoln quarterback Erick Jones scrambles outside the pocket with Cathedral Catholic linebackers Eric Shlemon (45) and Hugh Yoder (2) in pursuit

Dons stifle Hornets to take fourth straight section title

QUALCOMM STADIUM – In a season that started with three losses in a row, Cathedral Catholic still found its way to a fourth straight section title. The 3-seed Dons delivered a businesslike 24-7 victory over 5-seed Lincoln in the Division III finals on Monday.

“We were down a lot, but the whole team stayed together the whole time,” said Cathedral Catholic running back Jonny Martin. “We just had a feeling that we knew that we would be back here at the end of the season.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Cathedral Catholic (8-5) broke through midway through the second. With 5:42 left in the half, Dons quarterback Garrett Bogart connected with wide open running back J.J. Stavola down the middle for a 20-yard touchdown.

Cathedral Catholic added a 20-yard Jacob Roman field goal just before the half to take a 10-0 lead. Both defenses dominated a scoreless third quarter, as Lincoln (7-7) and Cathedral Catholic combined for four punts, a turnover on downs and an interception.

“We didn’t really need to be flashy, we didn’t need it to be close,” said Cathedral Catholic defensive back Eric Sapp.

Sapp’s interception near the end of the third quarter set the Dons up in Lincoln territory at the beginning of the fourth. Cathedral Catholic turned that pick into points when Martin ran 23 yards outside for a score behind an overloaded left side of the line to make it a 17-0 game.

“That’s one of my favorite formations, having about 800 pounds in front of me on the offensive line,” Martin said of the Dons’ ‘Chicago’ jumbo package. “It’s pretty much unstoppable with big kids like that.”

Lincoln avoided the shutout by getting on the board with a 12-yard pass from Erick Jones to Tyree Robinson midway through the fourth quarter. The Hornets got the ball back down by 10 with 3:28 left, but were unable to move it against Cathedral’s swarming defense.

“Coach (John) Montali is the best coordinator in San Diego County and he does and absolutely tremendous job week in and week out,” said Cathedral Catholic head coach Sean Doyle. “We played great defense until the very, very end.”

Martin added a four-yard touchdown late to seal the 24-7 victory for Cathedral Catholic. The Dons have won in Qualcomm Stadium each of the past four seasons.

“That’s coaching, because whatever team you put with the coaching staff we have, they’re going to come and they’re going to win,” Martin said. “We know when we go to the ‘Q’ we’re not coming just to play a game, we’re coming to win the game. We do that every year.”

After losing their first three games and four of their first five, it looked like Cathedral Catholic would have a hard time winning their fourth championship in a row. But the Dons won four of their next five games and stormed through the Division III playoffs to take home another section title.

“It was a little bit of a rocky road for while, but we had a really tough schedule, we knew it was going to pay dividends in the playoffs and it really did,” Sapp said. “In our three playoff games we brought our ‘A’ game and nobody could compete with us.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Drinking Sudden Death on All Saint’s Day in Quixote’s church-themed interior

Seeking solace, spiritual and otherwise
Next Article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount

Lincoln quarterback Erick Jones scrambles outside the pocket with Cathedral Catholic linebackers Eric Shlemon (45) and Hugh Yoder (2) in pursuit

Dons stifle Hornets to take fourth straight section title

QUALCOMM STADIUM – In a season that started with three losses in a row, Cathedral Catholic still found its way to a fourth straight section title. The 3-seed Dons delivered a businesslike 24-7 victory over 5-seed Lincoln in the Division III finals on Monday.

“We were down a lot, but the whole team stayed together the whole time,” said Cathedral Catholic running back Jonny Martin. “We just had a feeling that we knew that we would be back here at the end of the season.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Cathedral Catholic (8-5) broke through midway through the second. With 5:42 left in the half, Dons quarterback Garrett Bogart connected with wide open running back J.J. Stavola down the middle for a 20-yard touchdown.

Cathedral Catholic added a 20-yard Jacob Roman field goal just before the half to take a 10-0 lead. Both defenses dominated a scoreless third quarter, as Lincoln (7-7) and Cathedral Catholic combined for four punts, a turnover on downs and an interception.

“We didn’t really need to be flashy, we didn’t need it to be close,” said Cathedral Catholic defensive back Eric Sapp.

Sapp’s interception near the end of the third quarter set the Dons up in Lincoln territory at the beginning of the fourth. Cathedral Catholic turned that pick into points when Martin ran 23 yards outside for a score behind an overloaded left side of the line to make it a 17-0 game.

“That’s one of my favorite formations, having about 800 pounds in front of me on the offensive line,” Martin said of the Dons’ ‘Chicago’ jumbo package. “It’s pretty much unstoppable with big kids like that.”

Lincoln avoided the shutout by getting on the board with a 12-yard pass from Erick Jones to Tyree Robinson midway through the fourth quarter. The Hornets got the ball back down by 10 with 3:28 left, but were unable to move it against Cathedral’s swarming defense.

“Coach (John) Montali is the best coordinator in San Diego County and he does and absolutely tremendous job week in and week out,” said Cathedral Catholic head coach Sean Doyle. “We played great defense until the very, very end.”

Martin added a four-yard touchdown late to seal the 24-7 victory for Cathedral Catholic. The Dons have won in Qualcomm Stadium each of the past four seasons.

“That’s coaching, because whatever team you put with the coaching staff we have, they’re going to come and they’re going to win,” Martin said. “We know when we go to the ‘Q’ we’re not coming just to play a game, we’re coming to win the game. We do that every year.”

After losing their first three games and four of their first five, it looked like Cathedral Catholic would have a hard time winning their fourth championship in a row. But the Dons won four of their next five games and stormed through the Division III playoffs to take home another section title.

“It was a little bit of a rocky road for while, but we had a really tough schedule, we knew it was going to pay dividends in the playoffs and it really did,” Sapp said. “In our three playoff games we brought our ‘A’ game and nobody could compete with us.”

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Bracket Breakdown: Division III

Next Article

Game of the Week: #7 Cathedral Catholic at #1 Eastlake

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader