City Game of the Week: Cathedral Catholic 8, Torrey Pines 7

When the ownership of Del Mar Heights Road is up for grabs, strategy and execution are important. But the most crucial thing each player has to control in inside their chest.

“We knew that it was going to be a tough game,” Cathedral defensive tackle Ray Smith said. “Rivalry games are always tough. We knew it was going to be a physical battle. We knew we had to [outdo] them, and we did it.”

In a defensive battle that came down special teams success and failure, Cathedral defeated Torrey Pines 8 to 7 after Tim Semenza’s go-ahead field goal with two minutes left.

“Now we own Del Mar Heights Road,” Smith said. “It’s a huge win.”

It was also a win that almost didn’t happen. After entering the second half up 3 to nothing, the Falcons Connor Mead came up with an interception, and one play later quarterback Sandy Plashkes took the option keeper 75 yards for a touchdown to put Torrey Pines up by four.

“You just keep your head, keep the composure,” Smith said. “You know that it was a [great fluke] play, but you’ve got to bounce back.”

The bounce back started with a renewed effort on defense, blowing up the option attack once again after a first half that included 10 stops of zero or negative yardage. Then luck had to meet opportunity – in the form of a bad snap on a punt through the end zone to cut the score to 7-5. Once Cathedral got the ball back, it was a short march to the red zone and the game winner.

All in a day’s work for a Dons team that had to get over the mental game just as much as the physical.

“It plays a huge role,” Smith said. “There’s gonna be chirping. It’s going to be physical.”