Serra Football Dominates With First Win of the Year

Written by Colton Seike

The Serra Padres earned their first win of the year on Friday night as they dominated Encinal High School of Alameda with a score of 49-13.

Serra came out to play right from the beginning. After an early interception by Encinal, the Padres scored on a one yard run by Matthew Fa’aita, the first-year starting quarterback. The Padres went on to lead 35-6 at halftime in this one-sided match. 

The Padre offense had a record breaking performance in Alameda. After putting up 415 total yards in the first half, the Padres finished with a school-record 626 yards. The Padres rushed for a total of 385 yards, including a great performance by Kava Cassidy and Kelepi Lataimua. 

Serra’s offense did not stop there though, as the offense succeeded through the air for 241 yards from both Fa’aita and Anthony Smock, who shared snaps throughout the game. Hamilton Anoa’i, who missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, led the Padres in receiving with six receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.

"The offensive line went to work like they always do...We had a lot of things working tonight,” Serra running back Kava Cassidy said after finishing with 120 yards rushing and one touchdown. 

The strong defense was seen throughout the entire game. After giving up negative six yards in the first half and zero touchdowns, the Padre defense only suffered one touchdown and a total of 66 yards in the second half. 

The Padre defense forced two fumbles and two interceptions, respectively. The defensive line was one to be reckoned with, as they pressured the Encinal offense all night. 

“Defensively, we did a great job in the first half against a team like Encinal,” Serra defensive lineman Daniel Lavulo said. “This is the third time we have played Encinal, so we are well aware of how explosive they can be on offense.”

Next up for the Padres is a a tough non-league matchup against Buhach Colony High School. Last season, the Padres came out with a close victory over Buhach Colony, 36-35.

On Thursday, the game will be held at Chabot College in Hayward. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.