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.
A long road trip awaits St. Anthony for the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 10 playoffs. The Saints will travel 140 miles on Friday to visit Shadow Hills with a spot in the semifinals on the line. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
St. Anthony (6-5) relied on stars Jasiah Lolesio-Pua and Andres Mendoza to break the game open last week in the first round win over South Hills. The Saints also got a great game from their defense and junior leader Jeremiah Taufi.
“We knew that our job on defense was stopping the run, and the way we prepped was the way we played,” Taufi said last week after the 31-14 win. “Even though they put up 14, I believe we have the best run stopping defense in this division. It’s all the preparation all week.”
“He’s been our quarterback on defense all year and he’ll even play whatever we need on offense,” St. Anthony coach Jeff Magdaleno said of Taufi. “He just sees things and he’s a coach on the field. He’s so un-selfish and I’m so proud of him.”
South Hills (7-4) limped into the playoffs as an at-large bid out of the Desert Empire League after losing two of its last three games. The Knights are 5-1 at home this season and beat visiting El Segundo 27-14 last week. Senior quarterback Pedro Trujillo has passed for 2,136 yards and rushed for 492 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns.
