Reprinted from the Contra Costa Times, 9/4/15
CAMPOLINDO 24, ST. IGNATIUS 14
Jacob Westphal threw for 186 yards and Nick Moore scored the go-ahead touchdown as the defending Division III state champion Cougars held off the visiting Wildcats.
Westphal overcame a slow start to finish 12 for 21 in the air and marched the Cougars downfield to take the lead for good in the second half. Moore scored on a 12-yard run with 13 seconds left in the third quarter to break a 14-all tie and the Campolindo (2-0) defense did the rest by containing the potent St. Ignatius running attack.
On the Wildcats’ ensuing possession, Miles Harrison picked off St. Ignatius quarterback Peter Katz for the second time on the night, giving the Cougars the ball at the Wildcats 19 with 11:28 remaining.
Campolindo’s Matthew Blair nailed a 29-yard field goal to make it a two-possession advantage.
The Wildcats (0-1) went from their own 20 to the Cougars’ 40 on their next drive, eating up over seven minutes, but Madison Young intercepted Katz’s fourth-down desperation pass and Campolindo ran out the clock to preserve the win.
St. Ignatius scored first on a 13-yard run in the first quarter by Nick Menchero, but the Cougars answered back when Jack Cassidy scored on an 8-yard scamper five seconds into the second quarter. Cassidy then put Campolindo in front with a 9-yard touchdown reception in the flat by Westphal, but Xavier Tharpe tied the game at 14-14 with 21 seconds left in the half with a 5-yard run.
Tight end Joey Benzins led the Cougars with four receptions for 54 yards.
— Tony Gonsalez, correspondent