Sacred Heart Prep Statement — Gators dismantle Archbishop Riordan

ATHERTON — Carter Shaw seemed to stretch across the grass like Gumby as he tracked Mitchell Taylor’s first pass of the game. After running 20-something yards downfield, Shaw made a quick hop to angle his body toward the ball, and simultaneously snapped the ball out of the air while two defenders trailed behind him.

The result was a spectacular first-quarter touchdown and the start of a 35-7 Sacred Heart Prep win over the visiting Archbishop Riordan.

“For Carter to attack in the air and finish the play like that, I thought that was a huge play that got us going early,” Sacred Heart Prep coach Mark Grieb said. “Carter is an unbelievable athlete.”

ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Sacred Heart Prep’s Andrew Latu (8) hurdles a teammate looking for yardage against Archbishop Riordan in the 2nd quarter, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Atherton, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

Sacred Heart Prep tacked on another long play-action pass, this time a 30-yarder to Brandon Hsing on third and long. At that point, Taylor’s passes were the exclamation points on what were otherwise run-centric drives. The Gators’ running game started with Andrew Latu, who never seemed to go down on first contact and consistently gained yardage up the middle.

From there, the rest of Sacred Heart’s run game elaborated on this basic play. A sweep to Luke Maxwell off motion, or a counter to Anthony Moto, or a reverse to Will Maxwell could follow after a series of fakes and deceptive moves.

Sacred Heart Prep rolled up over 200 yards rushing, with Latu going for a little under 100 and a pair of touchdowns. Having a solid passing attack certainly helped open things up for Sacred Heart Prep.

“Riordan, with how they lined up, said they were going to try to stop the run,” Grieb said. “The game went on the shoulders of the passing game, and Mitchell is at the center of that.”

Things were considerably more difficult for Adhir Ravipati’s Archbishop Riordan team. Their game plan was also built off the running game, where King-Njhsanni Wilhite swerved in and out of Sacred Heart traffic for solid gains. Quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. — a freshman — had some success throwing short to receivers such as Zachary Jones, who had to leave the game because of injury. But he simply had no space to go deep, as Shaw and Latu and linebacker Shay O’Kelly clogged up passing lanes.

ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Sacred Heart Prep’s Mitchell Taylor (6) throws a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Hsing in the 1st quarter against Archbishop Riordan, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Atherton, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

“Having linebackers like that is a huge luxury, because they’re not just covering ground,” Grieb said. “They’re also making reads and attacking the gaps they’re supposed to.”

After those first-quarter touchdowns, Latu joined the scoresheet a few seconds before halftime on a short touchdown run. Latu added another a few minutes into the third, and then Teo Caseras came up big on the goal line with Sacred Heart Prep’s last score of the day.

In between, Luke Maxwell picked off a pass and the Gators’ defense remained stout. It wasn’t until the last few minutes that Riordan could get on the scoreboard.

ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Archbishop Riordan’s Javius Redding (7) rushes against Sacred Heart Prep in the 3rd quarter, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Atherton, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

“I kept telling the guys, we have to finish, we have to finish, and we kept fighting and fighting, so I am proud of that,”  Ravipati said. “And after the game, we have to stay together.”

Sacred Heart Prep has a huge home game against Los Gatos in a rare Friday afternoon contest that kicks off at 4 p.m. It may be the Gators’ biggest game of the year, at least in the regular season.

“They’re a solid football team, and then you look at their history,” Grieb said. “They’ve been consistently good over the years, and that’s a credit to their coaching staff and players.”

ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Archbishop Riordan quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. (9) passes against Sacred Heart Prep, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Atherton, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)  ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Sacred Heart Prep’s Luke Maxwell (11) looks to elude Archbishop Riordan’s Javius Redding (7), in the 2nd quarter, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Atherton, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

Joseph Dycus covers high school sports on and off the field/court/pitch for the Bay Area News Group. Before moving to the Bay Area, Joseph covered sports, courts and everything else you could think of for Chattanoogan.com in the Scenic City. He would rather walk long distances than pay money to park somewhere closer.