SAN JOSE, CA — Coming into Saturday’s West Catholic Athletic League opener against Mitty there was questions if Riordan was for real or not.
Already with a big win over defending CCS Open Division champion Sacred Heart Prep there was still doubts whether or not the Crusaders could handle the WCAL competition.
Riordan eased those worries Saturday, defeating Mitty 37-21 in the league opener for both teams.
Joshua Boone had 190 yards of total offense including two long touchdown runs to lead the Crusaders.
“I told my boys this whole week that we can’t just lay down in the WCAL and let it get handed to us,” Boone said. “We got to take it and I want to give thanks to my trench mob who allowed me to work to the best of my abilities.”
Boone rushed for 110 yards on only five carries with touchdown runs of 71 and 29 yards and caught five passes for 80 yards.
Both of Boone’s touchdown runs came out of the wildcat formation.
“The wildcat was working,” Boone said. “All week I’ve been told by coach (Kevin) Fordon that I’m too small to see over the line and I’m too light but I told them I was going to bring it and that I would go hard for all them.”
Mitty went into halftime leading Riordan 14-7 despite the Crusaders allowing the Monarchs only 66 yards.
The Monarchs (3-1, 0-1 WCAL) got on the board first thanks to a 76-yard punt return touchdown by Tyler Jochen for the first score of the game and Sam Serra added a one-yard touchdown run with 9:54 left in the second quarter.
Mitty was playing without leading rusher Derek Bauerle who broke a bone in his foot in the Monarchs' last game against Palo Alto. The injury required surgery and he is out for the season.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” Mitty first-year coach Keith Burns said. “We had to do running back by committee and find a heart and soul of the team because that’s what he was.”
The Monarchs rushed for only 55 yards on 28 carries.
The Crusaders (4-0, 1-0) tied the game 14-14 when Daniel Norman scooped up a Mitty fumble and raced 87 yards for a touchdown.
The 87-yard fumble return was a school record and the momentum changer.
Following a Monarch punt, Riordan took a 21-14 lead on a Raymone Sanders one-yard touchdown run and following a Monarchs' punt Boone went 79 yards for a touchdown on the following play making it 28-14.
“It feels good being 4-0 because we put in a lot of work for this,” said Sanders who had 120 all-purpose yards Saturday. “Everybody expected us to be like the other years. It’s different now though. We are a new team and a family. We are all in for each other, we are brothers in arms and all good for each other. I can count on anybody on this team. The trust is there.”
This was Riordan’s first win over Mitty since 2008.
It wasn’t just the offense as Riordan’s pass rush got to both Serra and Phillip Tran often, sacking the duo five teams including a sack producing a safety by Lasa Tofi late in the game.
Payton Ilalio, Jamarian Caston, Rocco Russell, Nino Tamburello and Tofi each had a sack.
Serra threw for 117 yards on 10-of-18 passing and Tran threw for 94 yards and a touchdown on 4-of-8 passing.
Jochen had a team-high six catches for 40 yards including a touchdown and Colin McKinnon had three catches for 56 yards.
“Give all the credit to Riordan,” Burns said. “They are an explosive group and Kevin has done a great job with them and they took the fight at us. They beat us, their lines beat our lines, and we made too many mistakes overall as a football team to win.”
Mitty meets Bellarmine (4-0, 1-0) Friday at 7 p.m. at San Jose City College. Riordan will host Serra at City College of San Francisco on Saturday Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.
Riordan, which went 1-9 last season, seems to have undergone a sea change under Fordon, the former De La Salle player.
“I’m so proud of our boys,” Fordon said. “I’m really happy our offensive line stepped up in the second half and I couldn’t be prouder of this team and group of guys. I don’t think our seniors ever beat Mitty so this is big for them. We got a bigger test with Serra next week and after that another one. There’s no off weeks in the WCAL so we got to get back to the grind and get the boys ready on Monday.”
“Coach Fordon has changed the era at Riordan and changed us all,” added Riordan fullback/linebacker Jamarian Caston. “What he’s done is special.”
Crusaders quarterback Jacky Luavasa threw for 199 yards on 13-of-18 passing and rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries.
