Cathedral Catholic takes the SCIRF Title 🏆

The final chapter of the SCIRF league came down to Cathedral Catholic and La Costa Canyon on Friday night. Cathedral Catholic has long ruled SCIRF, but La Costa Canyon showed up with fire in their belly—ready to challenge the throne.

We’ve covered plenty of Cathedral Catholic games, so we knew what to expect. Apparently, LCC did too. They came in prepared, sharp, and hungry.

First Half

The first half was a violent display, with heavy hits and relentless running from both sides.

LCC struck first with a heads-up play—one of their players snatched the ball mid-air when a Cathedral player made an ill-advised attempt to keep it in play, then dove into the try zone.

Cathedral answered with a moment of brute force from their 8-man Tama Mageo—who picked up the ball from the back of a scrum and bulldozed his way over defenders en route to a try.

Meanwhile, Cathedral scrumhalf Spencer Huntley was all over the place. Running, kicking, counter-rucking, kick coverage—you name it, he did it. His presence around the breakdown was a massive reason Cathedral was able to keep possession. Jonathan Solomon, Cathedral’s number 6, was also a beast—he notched a try on an elusive run to put it under the posts.

LCC marched into Cathedral’s half multiple times, relying on hard-nosed running and excellent support play. Their second try came after several grueling minutes of forward pressure inside the 5-meter line. Finally, they zipped the ball out wide, where their wing found space and dotted it down.

At halftime, Cathedral Catholic led 17-10—but the fight was far from over.

Second Half

The second half picked up right where the first left off—physical as hell.

LCC kept battering their way into Cathedral’s 22-meter area, fueled by their gritty forward pack. But Cathedral’s defense stood tall, thwarting multiple scoring attempts with disciplined, bone-crunching tackles.

Then, after Cathedral made their own march down the field, Dylan Trower made his move. The Cathedral inside-center sold a dummy pass, split two defenders, and raced in for a try. The conversion missed, but Cathedral extended their lead to 22-10.

LCC refused to go quietly. They put together seven minutes of straight-up ground-and-pound rugby, inching closer to the try line. After a few more punishing forward phases, they finally crashed in for a hard-earned score—closing the gap to 22-17.

The final 15 minutes were a war of attrition.

Neither side could break free, as both teams tackled like maniacs.
There were roughly a bazillion turnovers. Some came from frantic play, others courtesy of Mr. Whistlepants, who seemed to enjoy the sound of his own tweets.

Then, Spencer Huntley stepped up again. He slotted a crucial penalty kick, extending Cathedral’s lead to 25-17.

LCC had one last golden opportunity—an outstanding, tackle-breaking run down the sideline—but the player was ruled out of bounds. The LCC faithful weren’t thrilled about the call, and just like that, the momentum was gone.

After an extended period of physical play in midfield, the game came down to one last play.

And perhaps fittingly, it was Spencer Huntley—who had been a force all season—who sealed it.
One final penalty kick. Straight through the uprights.

Final whistle. Game over.

Final Score: Cathedral Catholic 28 — 17 La Costa Canyon.

And just like that, Cathedral Catholic earned their FIFTH consecutive (!) SCIRF Title 🏆

Congratulations boys!