The first game of the Raul Lara era at St. Anthony will be a tough challenge for the Saints, hosting the projected LA City Section champions, San Pedro. While Clark Field is being prepped for renovations, St. Anthony will be using various host sites this season, beginning with Thursday’s opener at St. Pius X – St. Matthias Academy in Downey.
The Saints will look to hit the ground running, and will likely try to do that literally by handing the ball to powerful running back Sone Aupiu. Lara and the Saints will likely need some time to get up to speed thanks to a coaching change during a shortened offseason, and their opening night opponent won’t do them any favors.
The Pirates only got to play two games in the spring season but outscored their opponents 119-19 in two blowout wins. San Pedro was a 10-2 team in 2019, and expectations are high for this season. The Pirates have senior quarterback Aidan Jackson back running the offense, who had four total touchdowns in San Pedro’s scrimmage win over Peninsula last week. Two of his touchdown tosses went to WR Chris Nixon. Senior wideout Rob Sarmiento is also a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Pirates.
St. Anthony was originally scheduled to open its season against Lakewood, but the Lancers were unable to play in Week 0 after a campus closure forced them off the practice field for two weeks.
Kickoff between the Saints and Pirates will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday at St. Pius X – St. Matthias Academy.
