Carlsbad survives Cathedral Catholic to advance to San Diego Section Open Division Championship: 5 takeaways

CARMEL VALLEY -- Carlsbad defeated Cathedral Catholic 21-20 in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division semifinals Friday night. Here are five takeaways from the game:

Top Performers:

Carlsbad’s defense did an excellent job of containing the Cathedral
Catholic rushing attack. The Dons were held to 201 rushing yards with 122 of
those coming from featured back Zavien Watson.

“We emphasized film all week,” Senior linebacker Kyle Vassau
said. “We went through every single formation and I felt like every play we
knew what we were doing.”

Cole Wright has put up huge numbers all season and showed
his skillset on a big stage on Friday. Wright had seven catches for 148 yards
and three touchdowns.

“Our blockers and our wideouts just cleared the way for me.
All I had to do was just run straight,” Wright said.

Cathedral has lacked a go-to receiving threat this season
but got a good performance from junior Colman Smith on Friday night. Smith
grabbed both of Cathedral’s 2nd half touchdowns, running it in from
68 yards and 25 yards.

It Was Over When:

Charlie Mirer found Colman Smith for a 25-yard touchdown
pass with just over one-minute remaining. The Dons lined up to kick the game-tying
extra point but suddenly turned it into a fake, with holder Colman Smith popping
up and looking for a receiver. He first went left and then ran back right but
was brought down by Kyle Vassau before he could find an eligible receiver.

The Lancers then took a couple knees to end the ball game
and book their first ever trip to the Open Division Championship Game.

“365 days ago, we lost to this team,” linebacker Dylan Quinn
said. “Ever since then we’ve been working our butts off. This moment’s even
sweeter but after twelve o’clock tonight it’s on to whoever won, I don’t know
who won.”

They Said It:

“Helix? No one else I’d rather face,” Dylan Quinn said after
the game once he was told who the Lancers would be playing.

The Lancers haven’t played the Highlanders since the 2008
season, but they’ll get their chance on Saturday night at Southwestern College.

Seeking Revenge:

Last season in the exact same spot, Cathedral beat down
Carlsbad 35-0 leaving little doubt. Tonight, the Carlsbad defense hung around
and stuffed the running game allowing their offense much more time to find a rhythm.

“We wanted revenge. Last year was humiliating to us and we
took that personal, so we knew we needed to come out and show them what we
could do,” senior wide receiver Cole Wright said after the game.

Senior Kyle Vassau added his thoughts.

“Our whole motto these past two weeks has been revenge,”
Vassau said. “Last year was embarrassing, but they were a great team. We stepped
up this year and prepared even more and we played like dogs out there.”

Second-half surge:

The Lancers trailed Cathedral Catholic 7-0 going into halftime,
but the Carlsbad offense wasn’t showing many signs of hope for a potential comeback.

“We were just making a ton of mistakes that are very uncharacteristic,”
Head coach Thadd MacNeal said. “So kind of settle down, get our quarterback to
settle down and get the ball to number five.”

MacNeal’s message had an immediate impact on the team as
Carlsbad forced Cathedral into three straight three-and-outs to begin the half
while the Lancers scored on two of their own possessions to give Carlsbad their
first lead.

What happened at halftime?

“Just our confidence, after that first half we knew we could
roll with them. We knew we had the talent to play with them, so just play our
game,” Wright said.