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.
It was a historic run for the St. Anthony football team this season, as they bounced back from an 0-4 start to reach Saturday night’s CIF Southern Section Division 10 championship. The Saints won eight of their last nine games to reach Saturday’s championship, which they hosted against Silverado at the newly-renovated Clark Field.
The Saints took a 7-0 lead in the game, but saw their magic run out against an explosive Hawks offense in a 30-14 loss.
Asked what he told his team after the loss, first-year Saints coach Jeff Magdaleno said simply, “That I love them. You know, nobody expected us to get to this point—and we did. We grinded it out, we battled like crazy. That’s a very talented team right there, they made some big plays.”
It was a big win for Silverado and coach Keron Jones, a Wilson alum, who brought home the first CIF-SS title in Hawks history.
“I went to Wilson, I have an assistant coach who won a ring from Long Beach Poly, I have friends that graduated from St. Anthony,” said Jones. “It was good to come not necessarily home, but close to home, and win. It’s gonna be a great ride home.”
Things couldn’t have started much better for the Saints, as their defense posted a three-and-out to kick off the game, and then they took a 7-0 lead on a two-yard run by Preston Hochman. Things slowed down for the Saints’ O after that, as they would only gain 37 yards passing for the rest of the first half after that opening drive.
Silverado took a while to get their high-powered offense going, with their first five drives ending in punts or interceptions (with Saints two-way star Jasiah Lolesio-Pua snagging a pick).
Once the Hawks kicked into gear they came back with a vengeance, however, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Jace Weiss to Jarmarri Tharpe, which came after a 49-yard hookup between Weiss and Tharpe. The Saints blocked the extra point try to keep a narrow 7-6 lead, but the Hawks weren’t done. They scored away midway through the second quarter as Weiss found Jayden Pauling for a score to make it 13-7. Silverado would also add a field goal as time expired to take a 16-7 lead into the locker room.
The Saints offense gained just 58 yard through the air in the first half (on 10 passing attempts) and didn’t have much more success on the ground, with 65 yards.
Weiss, meanwhile, was 6/15 for 144 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing a feast-or-famine approach that was successful enough to give his team the lead.
In the second half, things broke the Hawks’ way. The Saints got the first score on a 25-yard touchdown from Aidan Jones to Andres Mendoza. That cut the lead to 16-14 and after a three-and-out for Silverado, momentum was wearing purple. The Saints drove to the Silverado 35, but on 4th and 8, what would have been a first-down was dropped by a Saints receiver. Three plays later, Tharpe hauled in a one-handed reception that went 67 yards for a score, making it a two-score game at 23-14.
The Saints fumbled on their next possession, and wouldn’t end up scoring again, while Silverado would add another touchdown to make it 30-14.
“You let a team like that hang in there, all they need is one play to grab momentum and they did that to us,” said Magdaleno. “They get a spark, a one-handed catch against great coverage. We had the opportunity down there and we drop one on fourth down, next possession we fumble. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap. We had the ball bounce our way so many times this postseason, and tonight it just didn’t.”
