Football Game Preview: Cardinal Newman Cardinals vs. Pittsburg Pirates + How To Watch

The Cardinal Newman Cardinals will square off against the Pittsburg Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Cardinal Newman will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.

Cardinal Newman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past Acalanes to the tune of 52-17. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won five contests by 32 points or more so far this season.

Pathoumnourack Malakai

Rushing Yards

11/21/25 vs Acalanes	237
11/14/25 vs San Marin	85
11/07/25 vs Vintage	105
10/31/25 vs Marin Catholic	107
10/24/25 vs San Marin	17
+ 7 more games

Cardinal Newman's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Pathoumnourack Malakai led the charge by rushing for 237 yards and three TDs while picking up 13.2 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Malakai is now averaging an impressive 111 rushing yards per game. Brody Estrela was another key rusher, rushing for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only seven carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cardinal Newman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 463 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Pittsburg faced De La Salle in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Pirates took a 24-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Spartans. The Pirates' defeat signaled the end of their eight-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Pittsburg saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Javale Jones threw for 304 yards and one TD. Those 304 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Jones. A healthy portion of Jones' aerial production (83 yards to be exact) went to Kenneth Ward, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Pittsburg's defeat dropped their record down to 10-2. As for Cardinal Newman, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.