After flying high against Hawthorne last Friday, St. Monica came back down to earth. The St. Monica Mariners received a blow on Friday as they fell 49-34 to the Peninsula Panthers. The Mariners gained 158 more yards on the day, but it was the Panthers that made the best use of them.
St. Monica's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bradley Cassier, who threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in total yards. Anthony Mason was another key receiver, picking up 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Even though they lost, St. Monica was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 454 total yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Peninsula only gained 296.
Peninsula's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mario Ruggiero led the charge by throwing for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while also punching in a rushing score. Christian Yoshino helped Ruggiero out on the ground, rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Having lost for the first time this season, St. Monica fell to 2-1. As for Peninsula, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 3-0.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. Monica will welcome Whittier Christian at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Monica knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 point or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Whittier Christian likes a good challenge. As for Peninsula, they will be playing at home against Compton Early College at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Peninsula is facing Compton Early College at the right time seeing as Compton Early College is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
