Top-ranked Bishop Diego beats Santa Paula, 44-0

Cardinals no match for Northwest power

Playing in front of a full house on Santa Paula’s homecoming crowd, Bishop Diego showed why it is the top-ranked team in the CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division, dismantling the host Cardinals 44-0 Friday.

With the win, Bishop Diego improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Tri-Valley League and positioned itself for a first-place showdown against Oak Park, which also remained undefeated in league with its upset of Nordhoff.

The defending Tri-Valley League champion led from the opening kickoff, which senior BJ Murillo returned 95 yards for a touchdown.

After forcing a three-and-out, running back Abel Gonzalez exploded through a huge hole for a 70-yard TD run.

The visitors made it 20-0 two plays later when Anthony Carter intercepted a pass from Santa Paula quarterback Christian Garcia and returned it 35 yards for another score.

Garcia was sacked five times and under constant pressure all night from Bishop’s three down linemen — Mitchell Oleson, Nolan Tooley and John Samson — while completing just 13 of 28 passes for 118 yards. The Bishop defense also limited star running back Noah Magana to 8 yards on 11 carries and the Santa Paula offense as a whole to just 110 yards, including a minus-four yards total rushing.

Despite the best efforts of Santa Paula nose guard Mario Soto, who collected a game-high nine tackles, the visitors from Santa Barbara continued to pull away, increasing their halftime lead to 37-0 on a 49-yard pass from Gabe Molina (6 of 10 for 132 yards) to Murillo for a touchdown, a 25-yard field goal by Santiago Bollag, who also made five of six extra point kicks, and a one-yard TD run by Carter, set up by completions to Aidan Williams and Tooley.

Bishop Diego marched 70 yards in five plays on its first possession of the second half, scoring on a 4-yard plunge by Williams to conclude push the final margin to 44.

Bishop Diego hosts Oak Park next Saturday at Santa Barbara City College at 7 p.m. Santa Paula has a bye next week and then travels to play Carpinteria the following Friday.