Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and Archbishop Riordan are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Fightin' Irish will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They really took it to Bellarmine College Prep for the full four quarters, racking up a 71-14 win. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 57-14.
Jayden Crane
| 09/26/25 @ Bellarmine College Prep | 5 |
| 09/05/25 @ Berkeley | 3 |
| 09/12/25 @ Folsom | 1 |
| 08/30/25 @ Sacred Heart Prep | 1 |
| 09/28/24 @ Archbishop Riordan | 1 |
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jayden Crane led the charge by throwing for 257 yards and five touchdowns while completing 82.4% of his passes. Those five passing touchdowns gave Crane a new career-high. Another rusher making a difference was Legend Williams, who rushed for 130 yards and one score on only five carries.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 312 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Riordan put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Saint Francis with points to spare, taking the game 47-28. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Crusaders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 15th, while the Lancers are ranked 78th).
Archbishop Riordan's win came from a few key players Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Michael Mitchell Jr., who threw for 376 yards and four TDs while picking up 13.4 yards per attempt. Mitchell Jr. is crushing it when it comes to passing touchdowns: he's passed for at least three every time he's taken the field this season. Adonyae Brown helped Mitchell Jr. out on the ground, rushing for 136 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.0 yards per carry.
One reason for the win was Archbishop Riordan's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Isaiah Grant was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with nine.
Archbishop Riordan's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 207.5 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Archbishop Riordan has preferred to attack from the air: they average 282.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory was dealt a bruising 63-34 loss at the hands of Archbishop Riordan in their previous meeting back in September of 2024. Will the Fightin' Irish have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
