Rams romp into CIF semifinals

Three first-quarter touchdowns by Isaiah Washington sent Cate on its way to a 62-0 CIF victory over San Jacinto Valley Academy in the Division 1 quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Rams overwhelmed the Wolves on both sides of the ball. All but two of Cate’s touchdowns came before the halftime break. The defense stopped the run and Dean Smith pulled down an interception.

Washington’s three touchdown runs in the first quarter were for 41, 65 and 18 yards. The Rams had multiple guys with long scoring plays. Quarterback Mike Nettesheim connected with Keller Mochel for another 65-yard TD, Clinton Hall and Oliver Welch hooked up for a 43-yard pitch-and-catch, and Hall took off for a 47-yard strike on the first snap of the third quarter. Pierce Lundt and Dean Smith added touchdowns for the Rams, who improve to 10-0 on the season.

Ranked No. 2, Cate enjoyed a first-round bye last week.

“It seemed like forever ago since we last played and our guys were very eager to get back on the field. I thought we played very well, especially our lineman up front,” said Rams assistant coach Dave Soto.

Cate must travel to No. 3 Avalon for its semifinal game next week. Kickoff is scheduled at 5 p.m. on Friday.