Quarterback Ryder Dinning turned in a solid performance in his first postseason game, leading Cate to a 49-22 win over visiting Public Safety Academy of San Bernardino in the first round of the CIF Division 1 8-man football playoffs on Saturday.
Dinning, who started the season as the Rams’ No. 4 quarterback and moved into the starting job because of injuries, ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. Running back Isaiah Washington caught the TD pass and rushed for two scores.
Running backs Kian O’Connor and Pierce Lundt had scoring runs of 33 and 32 yards, respectively.
The Rams (6-3) led 27-6 at halftime and expanded the lead to 49-6 by the end of the third quarter.
Assistant coach Dave Soto said the return of two lineman was key to Cate’s offensive success.
Cate will travel to Mojave for a second-round game on Friday night.
