The St. Paul Swordsmen will face off against the Paraclete Spirits at 7:00 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, St. Paul put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Bishop Alemany 41-7. The victory was familiar territory for the Swordsmen, who have now won three games in a row.
Marley Luatua had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 102 yards and a pair of scores on only five carries. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 73-yard run. Another back making a difference was Jordan Lauago, who rushed for 50 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: St. Paul was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 254 rushing yards. They are 3-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
St. Paul's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Luatua, Ryden Starr, and Jeremiah Tahaafe, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Paraclete was able to grind out a solid win over St. Francis on Friday, taking the game 42-35. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Spirits' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 130th, while the Golden Knights are ranked 339th).
St. Paul better focus on containing Joseph Mesa and Kyle Fulton Jr as the pair were huge in Paraclete's win. Mesa threw for 270 yards and five TDs, while Fulton Jr rushed for 196 yards and one score while picking up 10.3 yards per carry. Those 196 rushing yards gave Fulton Jr a new career-high.
Paraclete's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for St. Paul, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
St. Paul came out on top in a nail-biter against Paraclete in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, sneaking past 31-28. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Mesa, who threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also rushed for 33 yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Swordsmen still be able to contain Mesa? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
