Game Recap: Bishop’s vs. Central
Central 35, Bishop’s 17
Spartans’ Pick Party Leads to CIF Semifinals
EL CENTRO — For a quarter and a half, top-seeded Central Union looked stunned. By night’s end, the Spartans looked unstoppable.
The Spartans (9-2 overall) turned a 17–7 first-half hole into a 35–17 playoff statement, burying eighth-seeded The Bishop’s School of La Jolla on Friday night at Cal Jones Field and punching their ticket to the CIF–San Diego Section Division III semifinals.
The spark came with 4:22 left in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Luis Jimenez, quiet to that point, dumped off a wide-receiver screen to senior Joshua Garcia, who sliced through defenders for a 63-yard sprint that instantly ignited the home crowd and trimmed the deficit to 17–14 at halftime.
When the teams returned from the locker room, Central wasted no time flipping the game on its head.
On just the second play of the third quarter, Jimenez launched a pass to senior C.J. Acosta, who caught it in stride and raced for a 43-yard touchdown and a 21–17 lead. The Spartans never looked back.
After a quick defensive stand, senior running back Matthew Lizaola bulldozed in from 11 yards out, stretching the margin to 28–17. Central’s defense then slammed the door shut, intercepting three consecutive Bishop’s drives — including two highlight-reel picks by Acosta.
His first interception was halted a Knights’ threat. Acosta snatched the ball at the Central 6-yard line with 1:37 left in the third quarter and weaved his way back to the Knights’ 47. Two plays later, Jimenez uncorked another bomb — this time to junior Angel Vasquez — for a 44-yard score that made it 35–17 and sent the Spartans sideline into celebration mode.
Central’s offense controlled the line of scrimmage, much to the liking of junior Fidel Camarena, who pounded out 123 yards on just 12 carries. Jimenez put up one of the most efficient lines imaginable: 3-of-8 passing with all three going for touchdowns and totaling 150 yards.
For Bishop’s, Indiana-bound quarterback Cash Herrera closed a stellar prep career by throwing for 242 yards on 22-for-39 passing, with one touchdown and three costly interceptions.
With momentum surging, Central marches on to the semifinals and will host University City of San Diego on Friday, Nov. 21, back at Cal Jones Field — where the Spartans now look every bit like a No. 1 seed.