Padres Finish Pre-Season on High-Note Over Buhach Colony

Written by Colton Seike

It was a cold night at Chabot College in Hayward, as the Serra Padres defeated Buhach Colony High School by the score of 48-15. 

Serra came out to a slow start in the first quarter as the Thunder defense pressured Serra starting quarterback Matthew Fa’aita and slowed down the Padre run game. 

Ultimately, Fa’aita had to leave the game early in the first quarter due to a shoulder injury, which opened the door for back-up quarterback Anthony Smock.

Beginning in the second quarter, the Padres scored on a Kava Cassidy 41-yard 
reception from Smock. Unfortunately, the point after attempt was missed to make the score 7-6 Buhach Colony.

In the middle of the second quarter a Cassidy 1-yard run made it 12-7 Padres. Serra decided to go for the two-point conversion and succeeded on a Smock dive to the left.

The Padres scored once more from a 68-yard reception by sophomore wide receiver Brandon Monroe. Serra finished the second quarter and led 21-7 going into halftime. 

As Serra came out in the second half, their offense continued to have success in the run as Cassidy and back-up running back Kevin McGee added a pair of touchdowns early in the third quarter. 

With the third quarter coming to a close, the Padres scored again on a McGee 20-yard run, making the Serra lead 41-7. After a Thunder touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Serra closed the door on the game with a 21-yard touchdown run by Kelepi Lataimua.

Serra finished the night with a total of 550 yards of offense, including 180 yards and two touchdowns from Kava Cassidy. 

“Everything was just connecting,” Cassidy said. “Our offensive line had a great night blocking and that was the key to the game.”

Anthony Smock was stellar against the Thunder defense, as he threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

“Smock’s performance was unbelievable,” head coach Patrick Walsh said. “He came off the bench and we did not skip a beat.” 

Next up for the Padres is tough league matchup against Bellarmine High School of San Jose. Last season, Serra lost twice to the Bells, once in the regular season and once in playoffs.

The game will be held at San Jose City College on October 4. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.