It was like old times for Bishop Diego senior running back Brandon Gonzalez.
Used to carrying the offensive load, Gonzalez is now part of a more diversified attack for the Cardinals. But on Friday night against Santa Paula, Gonzalez was the featured guy and he picked up the biggest numbers on offense, rushing for 162 yards and scoring two touchdowns in a 42-14 romp at the Ventura College Sportsplex.
Gonzalez’s biggest play of the night was an exciting 76-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Senior quarterback Nolan Tisdale was sharp, tossing two touchdown passes as Bishop Diego raced to a 21-0 halftime lead and never was threatened.
Bishop capitalized on an early Santa Paula turnover to get the upper hand in the game. On the opening drive, Kameron Klein caught a pass from quarterback Hayden McClain on third-and-14 and was driving forward for first-down yardage when he fumbled. Bishop Diego recovered at the Santa Paula 42-yard line and needed only five plays to march down and take a 7-0 lead on a 29-yard run by Sam Kwock.
Santa Paula committed another fumble on the 12th play of a second-quarter drive that put Bishop Diego at the 40. Tisdale hit Gonzalez for the touchdown.
Bishop Diego (2-1) finished with 308 yards rushing and Tisdale completed 4 of 7 passes for 66 yards.
Santa Paula tried to battle back in the second half behind the running of Daniel Kohr. The sophomore wideout scored two touchdowns within a three-minute span — the first on a 14-yard scamper and the second on a 72-yard kickoff return.
Despite Kohr’s efforts, Santa Paula (0-3) remains winless.
“The injury bug is hurting us right now,” said Santa Paula coach Teohua Sanchez. “But you have to give due credit to Bishop Diego. They came out and executed.”
Information for this story provided by the Ventura Star
