Monte Vista Christian senior Dominic Pierini finished with 400 yards passing and four touchdowns for the Mustangs football team in a 49-28 non-league loss to Piedmont Hills High on Aug. 30.
The star quarterback also had two interceptions and two fumbles lost.
“That was kind of a tough part of the game, but he did a lot of really good things,” MVC head coach Spencer Ferrari-Wood said.
Nico Downey had 150 yards receiving and a 79-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for the Mustangs. Fellow teammates Boston Ashe, Max Torres and Jordan Ramirez each recorded one TD.
On defense, Torres and Gunner Sorensen, who had 14 tackles and two tackles for a loss, led the Mustangs in tackles.
“The guys we’re relying on were the guys that we knew we would have to rely on, and they performed really well,” Ferrari-Wood said.
MVC had a 13-0 lead early in the game, but the Pirates made the proper adjustments and ran away with the game in the fourth quarter.
“Week 1 is always weird. You feel like you don’t know a ton about the opponent. There’s always this mysterious feeling in week one,” Ferrari-Wood said. “Just a credit more to how well [Piedmont Hills] played than anything.”
Next up, the Mustangs (0-1) will travel back over the hill to take on Santa Clara High (1-0), which is coming off a 40-0 crushing win over MacDonald High.
Scoreboard
Flag football
St. Francis 40, Seaside 6: Sophomore Maya Calfee had six receptions for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Sharks in a non-league win over the Spartans on Aug. 29. Fellow teammate Liliana Whitmeyer, a freshman, threw for seven touchdowns and had an 80-yard rushing touchdown. Aubrey Nualart had 94 yards receiving and one touchdown, while sophomore Mackenzie Ridgway finished with four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Keira Grio and Talia Moakler each had one touchdown for the Sharks.
Girls volleyball
St. Francis 3, Ceiba 0: Peyton Orradre finished with eight kills to help lift the Sharks to a non-league win over Ceiba in three sets (25-17, 25-12, 25-9) on Aug. 29. Carley Anderson had six aces, while fellow teammate Mia McClendon finished with seven digs for St. Francis.
Games to Watch
- Aptos vs. Mitty, football, Friday at 7:30pm: The Mariners (1-0) will be put to the test against the West Catholic Athletic League powerhouse Monarchs (1-0), who are coming off a 42-12 non-league win against James Logan High.
- Watsonville vs. Santa Cruz, football, Friday at 7:30pm: In a rivalry that dates back to more than 100 years, the Wildcatz (0-1) and Cardinals (0-1) are searching for their first win of the season.
- St. Francis girls flag football, Friday at 4pm: The Sharks (1-0) will host a doubleheader starting with Sacramento Adventist Academy of Carmichael, followed by a contest against Loma Linda Academy which is traveling from Riverside in Southern California.
This week’s edition of the Weeklys Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Aug. 26-Sept. 1. Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and highlights to jr****@we*****.com . Follow sports editor Juan Reyes (@jmreyes831) on Twitter for scores and news updates.