Tyler Gaffney, a defensive coordinator's nightmare, couldn't have dreamed of a better game.
The Cathedral Catholic High running back was responsible for four of his team's six touchdowns in a 48-7 season-opening drubbing of host Steele Canyon on Friday night. Gaffney finished with 108 yards on 13 carries, scoring three times on the ground and once on a reception.
“Our offensive line was amazing. I was running through holes the size of four of me,” Gaffney said. “I knew we were going to be a good team; I didn't know we were going to be this great.”
Gaffney, who sat out much of the second half, had 87 rushing yards by halftime. This game was a strong start for the senior running back, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last year.
“We have four new starters (on the offensive line), and they just did a phenomenal job,” Cathedral Catholic head coach Sean Doyle said.
After Gaffney rattled off three unanswered touchdowns, other Dons wanted to get in on the act. Junior linebacker Sam Zimmer intercepted a Chris McColl pass for a touchdown late in the second quarter, one of five Cathedral Catholic (1-0) trips to the end zone in that frame.
On the next drive, Gaffney caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Parker Hipp, who showed no signs of pain in his first game back from knee surgery. Hipp threw for 86 yards on six completions and ran for 50. Later in the quarter, junior cornerback Brien Moynihan grabbed an errant pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, giving the Dons a 42-0 lead going into the half.
While Cathedral Catholic's offense had no trouble putting points up, its defense found it easy to keep Steele Canyon (0-1) out of the end zone. The Dons constantly loaded the box, stacking against Alex Perlin, the Cougars' speedy running back. Perlin, who also runs track, finished with just 47 yards on 14 carries.
“We put it together and played very hard,” Doyle said. “Sometimes, you can get up quick and let down and feel arrogant, and I don't think we did.”
With the second team playing for most of the second half, the Dons didn't muster any more offense than two field goals from senior Roman Ferreira.
The Cougars had some success late in the fourth quarter, getting on the board with an 11-yard Joey Leos touchdown run. Leos had five carries for 65 yards.
