Archbishop Riordan is 2-8 against Junipero Serra since October of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Crusaders will face off against the Padres at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Archbishop Riordan's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Archbishop Riordan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 42-9 win over Salinas. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Crusaders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Cowboys are ranked 129th).
Michael Mitchell Jr.
| 11/15/25 vs Salinas | 4 |
| 11/07/25 @ Junipero Serra | 3 |
| 11/01/25 vs Archbishop Mitty | 4 |
| 10/24/25 @ Bellarmine College Prep | 4 |
| 10/18/25 vs Valley Christian | 5 |
Michael Mitchell Jr. continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 385 yards and four TDs while completing 73.9% of his passes. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in each of the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Cynai Thomas, who picked up 83 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Archbishop Riordan's defense and their 8.5 sacks. In that department, Dj Sanchez was the leader with 5.5.
Meanwhile, Junipero Serra didn't have too much trouble with Archbishop Mitty on Saturday as they won 29-13.
Archbishop Riordan better keep an eye on Andrew Takapautolo. He was instrumental in Junipero Serra's win, rushing for 113 yards and one score on only eight carries. They also got a significant boost from Iziah Singleton, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 112 yards.
Junipero Serra didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Archbishop Mitty to a completion percentage of just 45.5%. The team can thank Cornell James for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Junipero Serra; they were averaging 57.9%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 57.9%.
Junipero Serra didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aidan Labrador and Brody Smith.
Archbishop Riordan's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-0. The home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.8 points on average over those games. As for Junipero Serra, their record now sits at 7-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Archbishop Riordan has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 296.5 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Junipero Serra, though, as they've been averaging only 100.8 passing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Archbishop Riordan was able to grind out a solid victory over Junipero Serra when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 42-35. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Padres have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
