The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The562’s coverage of St. Anthony athletics is sponsored by Jane & B.I. Mais, Class of 1949.
Saturday night’s CIF-SS Division 10 title game is a story of resilience on both sidelines. The hosts from St. Anthony started their season 0-4, and the visiting Silverado Hawks came out of the gate 0-3.
Both teams now sit 8-5 and on the precipice of history, with the Saints looking for their third CIF championship in program history and the Hawks hoping to claim their first. Kickoff at the St. Anthony High School Athletic Complex at Clark Field is set for 7 p.m.
St. Anthony last won a CIF title in 2016, winning the Division 10 crown with a 33-32 win over Aquinas. Ironically, that same season was the only time Silverado has ever played for a CIF football championship, losing the Division 9 final to Valley Christian.
The Saints got back to the D10 championship in 2021, coming up short against Northview, but have the advantage of playing this game on their newly renovated home field.
“The familiarity of your own facility, your own locker room, training room; the game day routine is the same, even with us playing on Saturday,” said first-year Saints head coach Jeff Magdaleno. “Once we arrive, we know the routine, and being on our field with our stands, it’s special. We know the weather, we know the way the wind blows, we know where the scoreboard is, all those little things. Not that it creates an advantage, but it just gives you a little bit more comfort.”
In year one under Magdaleno, the Saints spent the first month playing higher division opponents and taking their lumps, but since then have won 8 of their last 9 games and are a confident, physical football team. They’ve shown the ability to come from behind, or play with a lead and churn the clock.
The running game has been their bread and butter with senior Jasiah Lolesio-Pua the main offensive weapon, but guys like Jeremiah Taufi and Marco Camacho have also been able to come in and run the ball well behind him. Sophomore QB Aidan Jones has shown an ability to make plays through the air and balance the offense, but he’ll need to make smart throws against a speedy Silverado team and trust his playmakers to do the work.
Penalties slowed down the St. Anthony offense in their 17-14 semifinal win over Pacifica, so that is surely an area to clean up as they hope to avoid obvious passing situations.
The defense has certainly stepped up for St. Anthony, especially in the playoffs. No team has scored more than 14 points against the Saints in the postseason, and last week Pacifica had just one offensive score on a 53-yard pass play. The Saints had five takeaways, including four first-half interceptions in that win.
Taufi is the physical and emotional leader at linebacker, but he’s gotten plenty of help from the rest of the stop unit. Logan Aranda had a pair of INTs from his defensive end spot last week, and the Saints’ ability to both stop the run and put pressure on the passer has been massive.
Silverado, meanwhile, brings in a high-powered offense, led by senior QB Jace Weiss. Magdaleno described the Hawks as “explosive” but has confidence in his defense and their physicality up front.
“He’s probably the most complete quarterback we’ll have faced all year, and he’s got three weapons on the outside that all have 40-plus catches,” said Magdaleno of Weiss and the Hawks offense. “They spread you out, and they can hit you in every pass zone. And they’ve got a running back that can change direction on a dime, he can get tough yards, or hit an explosive run at any point. So avoiding the big play is going to be huge for us.”
On the season, Weiss has thrown for 2,759 yards while completing a little over 54 percent of his passes. But he’s averaging 16 yards per completion, with 33 TDs through the air and 18 more on the ground. His 515 yards rushing are second on the team behind senior Dallas Kincherlow, who has 931 yards on the ground averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
They’ve run through the D10 bracket by scoring 52 points in the opener, 35 in round two and then exploding for 58 points in their 58-7 drubbing of South Pasadena in the semifinals. The Saints are hoping they peaked a round too early, but surely acknowledge the challenge in front of their defense. Weiss was 16/19 for 367 yards and 6 TDs passing in the last round, while adding a seventh score on the ground.
His trio of perimeter targets are seniors Sire Foster and Jarmarri Thorpe, plus junior Jayden Pauling. Foster has over 1,000 yards receiving and 13 TDs to lead the way, but Sharpe also has 764 receiving yards and 7 TDs, and Pauling has the most catches on the team with 53, scoring 11 times this season.
St. Anthony will need a good night from their secondary, led by senior Jerrell Jones and Lolesio-Pua at corner.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Clark Field, with one team about to complete a remarkable turnaround to claim a CIF Championship plaque. A paid live stream is available via NFHS Network.
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