Cardinal Newman is on a ten-game streak of home wins, while Acalanes is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Cardinals will host the Dons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Cardinal Newman's defense has only allowed 10.5 points per game this season, so Acalanes' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Cardinal Newman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against San Marin by a score of 21-14. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Cardinals were the better team in the second half.

Carmine Guevara
| 11/14/25 vs San Marin | 58 |
| 09/05/25 vs Grant | 29 |
| 09/19/25 vs Bishop O'Dowd | 13 |
| 10/17/25 vs Rancho Cotate | -2 |
| 09/26/25 vs Pleasant Valley | -2 |
Pathoumnourack Malakai and Carmine Guevara were among the main playmakers for Cardinal Newman as the former rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown and the latter rushed for 58 yards and one TD. Those 58 rushing yards gave Guevara a new career-high.
Cardinal Newman's run defense was locked in: San Marin could only muster three yards per carry. The team can thank Kahlio Vaetoe for the heroic effort on defense: he. Cardinal Newman's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.4.
Meanwhile, Acalanes took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 51-21 victory over Marin Catholic. The Dons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 21 points or more this season.
Cardinal Newman better keep an eye on Tyler Winkles. He was instrumental in Acalanes' win, throwing for 334 yards and five TDs, while also rushing for 71 yards and a pair of scores. Their leading receiver Grant Ricker was Winkles' top target yet again, picking up 131 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Acalanes' defense made their presence known, laying out the QB five times. Daniel Dunne was especially locked on to Marin Catholic's QB and sacked him 2.5 times.
Acalanes' win bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Cardinal Newman, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Cardinal Newman came out on top in a nail-biter against Acalanes when the teams last played back in November of 2022, sneaking past 17-14. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Dons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.