This past Saturday, the SHC Fightin’ Irish faced off against the Saint Ignatius Wildcats in the CCS Championship game. The Irish ended up falling just short of victory with a last-second 41-yard field goal by the Wildcats to win the game 24-21. In the nail-biter of a matchup, the Irish showed grit, intensity, and heart against the Wildcats, who took the Bruce-Mahoney game in early November. Nevertheless, the contest ended up being one of the team’s best performances of the season and will become a game to be talked about for a long time.

Before the CCS Championship, the Irish put up an impressive 63-27 win vs. the undefeated Santa Teresa Saints at Kezar Stadium in the CCS Semifinal. Michael Sargent stood strong with 387 total yards, throwing four touchdowns and running for another. The Irish receiver core went for 361 yards, led by Chase Jenkins, with two touchdowns and 155 yards on 6 receptions. 

But a new face shined through the special teams department with Finn O’Donoghue ‘28 going 9/9 on kicks in his first varsity start. The game had many unconventional plays that favored the Irish. On a kickoff from the 20-yard line due to a multiple flag touchdown, Clive Gabrielsen ‘27 forced a fumble to regain possession of the ball, leading to a touchdown just before halftime. After the game, Gabrielsen said, “It’s not one play that leads to a win, it’s everyone doing their job, and that’s what we did”. This win punched the Fightin’ Irish’s ticket to the CCS championship to face rival Saint Ignatius.    

              In the prior meeting with the Wildcats in the second leg of the Bruce Mahoney, the Irish fell short to the Wildcats 23-14(See previous article Bruce Mahoney: Eyes Forward.) With the win vs. Santa Teresa, the Irish had an opportunity at redemption to beat their crosstown rivals. Fans were in uproar about the game being scheduled at San Jose City College, which is over 40 miles away from both schools. California State Assemblyman Matt Haney, with backing on social media from Mayor Daniel Lurie, urged on social media to have the game hosted at Kezar Stadium. The same Bruce Mahoney rematch was set in the DIII CCS Championship. This matchup was set at Oracle Park after a push from newly appointed Mayor Ed Lee, which drew nearly 15,000 fans for the big game. After a long battle with CCS and both schools, the efforts to move the game to the city failed, and the game was ultimately held in San Jose.

The game began with Irish fans packing the visiting team’s bleachers, bringing much-needed energy to the hopeful squad. Early in the

first quarter, the Irish took the lead with a rushing touchdown from Michael Sargent after a forced fumble caused by Mickey Williams midway through the first quarter. Williams had quite the day defensively, putting constant pressure on the quarterback and picking up a sack. The Irish kept the score 7-0 after the first quarter with a fired-up defense holding the Wildcats scoreless in the first quarter. After a few questionable calls on the defense, which likely would have resulted in a safety for James Elliott, the Irish ended the first half tied up with the Wildcats 7-7.

The Wildcats came out of the gate swinging in the third quarter with a kick-return touchdown to bring the Wildcats up 14-7 early in the third quarter. The Irish responded with a scoring drive, leading to a Zion Secrease ‘27 touchdown, but the PAT was blocked. Now with the score being 14-13 Wildcats, the Irish defense stepped up and held the Wildcats throughout the remainder of the third quarter and early fourth quarter. With the ball back, the Irish went on a scoring drive, highlighted by a Chase Jenkins ‘27 touchdown, with the two-point conversion being good, giving the Irish the lead at 21-14, midway through the fourth quarter. 

The Irish defense again was on fire, holding the Wildcats off the return to a quick 3 and out, giving the ball back to the Irish in good position to score once more. After the Wildcats held the offense to a fourth down, the Irish made the controversial decision to go for it rather than punting the ball, leading to a pick-six touchdown for the Wildcats, tying up the game late in the fourth quarter. With the energy of the game quickly shifting in favor of the Wildcats, the Irish offense was held off by great plays from the Wildcats’ Defense, forcing the Irish to punt. The Irish boldly went for a fake punt, resulting in a good read by the Wildcat punt team, stuffing the Irish at the line. Now with a few minutes to go, the Wildcats ran slowly, running down the clock to just get in range for a field goal. With the game on the line, the Wildcats went for a long 41-yard field goal taken by the Wildcats’ kicker. Once the play was on, the Wildcats’ kicker narrowly brushed the ball over the goal posts to win the game for the Wildcats. The final score of 24-21 left the entire Irish side speechless and full of emotion as the team was as close as it gets to winning the biggest game of the year. 

The Irish displayed heart and hustle the entire season, giving the football team its first look at a trophy since 2021. Now that the football season is finished, we look forward to watching the SHC Basketball, Wrestling, and Soccer programs take place as the winter season begins.