In short: Cathedral Catholic Dons high school football (San Diego, CA), 2026 season: 7-3 in the Western League. Last game: W 41-18 vs Lincoln on October 30, 2026. Next: vs Mission Hills, November 13, 2026. Schedule and results, player season stats, stat leaders, unit grades, ScorePirate ranking and the game-by-game log.
The turnover battle could decide Cathedral Catholic's next game, against Mission Hills, and the recent returns favor Cathedral Catholic. Cathedral Catholic forced 1.0 takeaways per game over its first 6 games (3-3), #56 in Section in that timeframe. Over the stretch of 4 games that followed (4-0), the Dons have forced 2.2 takeaways per game, a 125% rise, #10 in Section in that window. The schedule doesn't explain it: the opponents in both stretches have averaged about 1.2 per game on the season. Measured against those opponents' norms (1.2 per game), Cathedral Catholic forced 94% more turnovers than those offenses usually give up. The level of competition matters too: in ScorePirate's SP Strength Index, the last 4 opponents average a rating that would rank #18 in Section, well below the first 6 (#4), so the recent production comes against lower-level teams overall. Meanwhile, Mission Hills' ball security has been middle of the pack in recent weeks. The Grizzlies have committed 1.2 giveaways per game over their last 4 games (3-1), #42 in Section during that time. Those games came against a middle-of-the-pack set of defenses in Section (1.3 per game on the season, which would rank #44). Overall, those opponents average an SP Strength Index rating that would rank #4 in Section, a strong slate. Mission Hills offers Cathedral Catholic a fair measuring stick for whether the trend is real.
The number to watch when Cathedral Catholic meets Mission Hills is Cathedral Catholic's scoring defense. Cathedral Catholic allowed 27.0 points per game over its first 6 games (3-3), #60 in Section through those games. Over the stretch of 4 games that followed (4-0), the Dons have allowed 9.5 points per game, a 65% drop, #4 in Section through that stretch. The schedule deserves some of the credit: Cathedral Catholic's last 4 opponents have averaged 27.2 points per game, a #40 offense in Section on the season, against 34.3 points per game, #13 for the first 6. Measured against those opponents' norms (27.2 points per game), Cathedral Catholic held those offenses 65% below what they usually score. The level of competition matters too: in ScorePirate's SP Strength Index, the last 4 opponents average a rating that would rank #18 in Section, well below the first 6 (#4), so the recent production comes against lower-level teams overall. Meanwhile, Mission Hills' offense has been middle of the pack in recent weeks. The Grizzlies have averaged 31.2 points per game over their last 4 games (3-1), #32 in Section over that stretch. Those games came against some of the better scoring defenses in Section (18.1 points per game on the season, which would rank #22). Against those norms, Mission Hills scored 73% more than those defenses usually allow. Overall, those opponents average an SP Strength Index rating that would rank #4 in Section, a strong slate. Mission Hills offers Cathedral Catholic a fair measuring stick for whether the trend is real. Cathedral Catholic is 7-0 this season when it holds opponents under 34, and 0-3 when it doesn't.
NOTES
The biggest shift in Cathedral Catholic's season has come in its ball security. Cathedral Catholic committed 1.4 giveaways per game over its first 5 games (3-2), #59 in Section within that period. In the 5 games since that slow start (4-1), the Dons have committed 0.4 giveaways per game, a 71% drop, #1 in Section across those games. The schedule deserves some of the credit: Cathedral Catholic's last 5 opponents have averaged 1.5 per game, a #32 defense in Section on the season, against 1.9 per game, #14 for the first 5. Measured against those opponents' norms (1.5 per game), Cathedral Catholic turned it over 74% less than those defenses usually force. On the season, Cathedral Catholic ranks #18 in Section in giveaways. Mission Hills' defense sits in the middle of the pack, #40 in Section (1.4 per game).
Cathedral Catholic's offense has come a long way since the season's early weeks. The Dons averaged 27.7 points per game over their first 6 games (3-3), #35 in Section during those games. Over the stretch of 4 games that followed (4-0), Cathedral Catholic has averaged 43.5 points per game, a 57% rise, #7 in Section during that period. The schedule deserves some of the credit: Cathedral Catholic's last 4 opponents have averaged 25.1 points per game, a #56 scoring defense in Section on the season, against 19.9 points per game, #27 for the first 6. Measured against those opponents' norms (25.1 points per game), Cathedral Catholic scored 73% more than those defenses usually allow. The level of competition matters too: in ScorePirate's SP Strength Index, the last 4 opponents average a rating that would rank #18 in Section, well below the first 6 (#4), so the recent production comes against lower-level teams overall. On the season, the Dons rank #14 in Section in scoring. That form gets a real test against Mission Hills, whose defense ranks #9 in Section (15.7 points per game). Cathedral Catholic is 7-1 this season when it scores 16 or more, and 0-2 when it doesn't.
Few teams in Section have thrown the ball better over the last 6 games than Cathedral Catholic. Cathedral Catholic averaged 8.2 yards per pass attempt (868 yards on 106 attempts) over its first 4 games (2-2), #31 in Section during that stretch. In the 6 games since that slow start (5-1), the Dons have averaged 12.2 yards per pass attempt (1,061 yards on 87 attempts), a 49% rise, #3 in Section over that period. The schedule deserves some of the credit: Cathedral Catholic's last 6 opponents have averaged 7.9 yards per attempt, a #48 pass defense in Section on the season, against 6.3 yards per attempt, #14 for the first 4. Measured against those opponents' norms (7.9 yards per attempt), Cathedral Catholic threw for 54% more per attempt than those pass defenses usually allow. On the season, Cathedral Catholic ranks #14 in Section in passing. Mission Hills' pass defense sits in the middle of the pack, #26 in Section (7.1 yards per attempt).
The Dons allowed 11.6 yards per pass attempt (943 yards on 81 attempts) over their first 4 games (2-2), #85 in Section over that timeframe. Few teams started slower in this department, and few have turned it around as sharply since. In the 6 games since that slow start (5-1), Cathedral Catholic has allowed 6.7 yards per pass attempt (1,011 yards on 150 attempts), a 42% drop, #24 in Section over that span. The schedule doesn't explain it: the opponents in both stretches have averaged about 9.0 yards per attempt on the season. Measured against those opponents' norms (8.8 yards per attempt), Cathedral Catholic held those passing attacks 24% below their usual yards per attempt. On the season, the Dons rank #58 in Section in pass defense. That form gets a real test against Mission Hills, whose passing game ranks #13 in Section (10.2 yards per attempt).
Something changed for Cathedral Catholic's offense after the first 6 games of the season. Cathedral Catholic averaged 7.3 yards per play (2,170 yards on 296 snaps) over its first 6 games (3-3), #22 in Section in that timeframe. Over the stretch of 4 games that followed (4-0), the Dons have averaged 9.7 yards per play (1,510 yards on 156 snaps), a 32% rise, #10 in Section in that window. The schedule deserves some of the credit: Cathedral Catholic's last 4 opponents have averaged 6.5 yards per play, a #43 defense in Section on the season, against 5.8 yards per play, #20 for the first 6. Measured against those opponents' norms (6.5 yards per play), Cathedral Catholic gained 49% more per snap than those defenses usually allow. The level of competition matters too: in ScorePirate's SP Strength Index, the last 4 opponents average a rating that would rank #18 in Section, well below the first 6 (#4), so the recent production comes against lower-level teams overall. On the season, Cathedral Catholic ranks #16 in Section in yards per play. That form gets a real test against Mission Hills, whose defense ranks #21 in Section (5.9 yards per play).
TIDBITS (13 found)
• Club Cathedral Catholic has won 4 straight, and a win would make it 5 in a row. The last time they won 5 or more in a row was 2025, a run of 6.
• Club Cathedral Catholic has gone 4 straight games holding the opponent under 8.0 yards per attempt (October 9, 2026 through October 30, 2026), going 4-0 over that stretch, matching the program record of 4 straight on record.
• Club Cathedral Catholic is 26-0 all time when scoring 40+ points in the games on file (26 such games).
• Club Cathedral Catholic is 28-2 all time when averaging 5.0+ yards per carry. Cathedral Catholic's last loss when averaging 5.0+ yards per carry was September 8, 2023 against Sicp (L, 28-35).
• Club Cathedral Catholic is 27-2 all time when averaging 7.0+ yards per play. Cathedral Catholic's last loss when averaging 7.0+ yards per play was September 15, 2023 against Helix (L, 21-35).
• Club Cathedral Catholic is 22-1 all time when holding the opponent under 100 rushing yards. Cathedral Catholic's last loss when holding the opponent under 100 rushing yards was October 10, 2025 against Point Loma (L, 7-14).
• Club Cathedral Catholic has scored 174 points over its last 4 games (43.5 a game, October 9, 2026 through October 30, 2026) -- its most in a 4-game stretch since the 181 from October 17, 2025 through November 14, 2025.
• Club Cathedral Catholic has gone 9 straight games committing fewer than 3 turnovers (September 4, 2026 through October 30, 2026), going 7-2 over that stretch, the program's longest such streak since 2025 (15 games).
• Player Ryder Molchanoff has 10 sacks over his last 6 games (1.6 a game, September 25, 2026 through October 30, 2026) -- his most in a 6-game stretch on record.
• Player Ryder Molchanoff has gone 3 straight games recording two or more tackles for loss, the longest such streak of his career.
• Player J. Samuela has 52 tackles over his last 5 games (10.4 a game, October 2, 2026 through October 30, 2026) -- his most in a 5-game stretch since the 53 he had from August 28, 2026 through September 25, 2026.
• Player Jordan Lilo has gone 2 straight games recording two or more tackles for loss, the longest such streak of his career.
• Player Willie Flores has gone 14 straight games without rushing for 100+ yards. The last time he ran for 100+ yards was September 26, 2025 against Granite Hills (W, 40-30) — 146 rushing yards.
MILESTONE WATCH
Cathedral Catholic
Noah Lauifi needs 1 tackle for 75 (averaging 7.4 a game)
Honor Faalave needs 3 tackles for 50 (averaging 5.9 a game)
Asofa Lauifi needs 3 tackles for 50 (averaging 5.2 a game)
Isaac Cook needs 55 receiving yards for 1,000 (averaging 94.5 a game)
Titus Napoleon needs 0 sacks for 5 (averaging 0.5 a game)
Win chances are the site's own game projections where one is on file, otherwise the SP Strength Index gap with a small home edge. The realistic range covers 80% of outcomes (10th to 90th percentile).
Every player with a stat on file, listed only where he has one. Open the arrow beside a name for his game-by-game line. Stats through the Oct 30 game; last updated Nov 6; roster and numbers checked Sep 14.
Click a column heading to sort. MIN hides players below that many attempts.
3 CIF State titles · 1 CIF State runner-up finish · 1 league title
YEAR
HONOR
2025
Western LEAGUE CHAMPION (3-0 in league)
2021
CIF STATE CHAMPION (def. Folsom 33-21)
2018
CIF STATE RUNNER-UP (lost to Folsom 21-14)
2016
CIF STATE CHAMPION (def. St. Mary's/Stockton 38-35)
2008
CIF STATE II CHAMPION (def. St. Mary's 37-34)
Section and state results and Players of the Year: CIF-SS Record Book. League finishes judged from league schedules on file (2022-2025 seasons); earlier league titles are not on file.
PPG/OPP PPG use every played game on file. YPG/PLAYS-PER-GAME columns only ever come from games with a full box score on file, which can be a smaller sample than GP -- see the coverage note below when that's the case for this team.
Averages use only games with that number on file. SACKS ALW comes from the opponent's box score; TO FORCED is takeaways; TO MAR is takeaways minus giveaways, and its bottom cell is the season total. Dashes mean not on file.
UNIT INDEX
Pass Offense: grade 92.2/100 (+114 yds/gm vs average)
Rush Offense: grade 84.2/100 (+86 yds/gm vs average)
Pass Defense: grade 78.8/100 (-46 yds/gm vs average)
Rush Defense: grade 92.0/100 (-106 yds/gm vs average)
Unit grades: 0-100 league percentile, adjusted for the opponents faced.
CC finished 2025 at 11-3. Made the playoffs (4 postseason game(s) on file; exact round/result not available). Notable win: 20-16 over CARLSBAD (CARLSBAD finished 83% that season). Toughest loss: 7-14 to POINT LOMA (7-point margin).
"N/A" stands in for a box score that does not have stats entered. A total followed by a count in parentheses covers only the games with that stat on file.
TALKING POINTS (15 storylines)
CC HAS PERFORMED BEST THIS DATA SET WHEN...
• CC rushes for 100+ yards (.897), and has won 7 straight when doing so
• CC averages 6.0+ yards per play (.926), and has won 7 straight when doing so
• CC averages 5.0+ yards per carry (.999), and has won 23 straight when doing so
• CC holds its opponents under 100 rushing yards (.947), and has won 6 straight when doing so
• CC's offense has averaged 0.3 giveaways per game over their last 3 games. Their 35-game average is 0.7 giveaways per game. (-53%)
• CC holds its opponents under 8.0 yards per attempt and under 5.0 yards per carry
• CC holds its opponents under 6.0 yards per play while forcing 2+ takeaways
• CC averages 8.0+ yards per attempt while throwing for 200+ yards
• CC's defense has averaged 10.3 points allowed per game over their last 3 games. Their 36-game average is 17.3 points allowed per game. (-40%)
• CC's offense has exceeded 8.0 YPA in 4 straight games (10/09/2026-10/30/2026), going 4-0 over that stretch.
• CC's defense has limited opponents to under 8.0 YPA in 4 straight games (10/09/2026-10/30/2026), going 4-0 over that stretch.
• CC's defense has limited opponents to under 7.0 YPP in 4 straight games (10/09/2026-10/30/2026), going 4-0 over that stretch.
• CC's defense has averaged 83.7 rush yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 34-game average is 122.2 rush yards per game. (-32%)
• CC's defense has averaged 1.8 takeaways per game over their last 5 games. Their 35-game average is 1.4 takeaways per game. (+31%)
• CC holds its opponents under 87.0 rushing yards (CC's own median) (.941)
• CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC has scored 40+ in 4 straight games (10/9/26–10/30/26). It has not reached 5 straight in the last 4 years of games on file (2023-present).
• CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC has won by 20+ in 4 straight games (10/9/26–10/30/26). It has not reached 5 straight in the last 4 years of games on file (2023-present).
• CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC has scored 30+ in 4 straight games (10/9/26–10/30/26). It has not reached 5 straight in the last 4 years of games on file (2023-present).
• CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC has won 4 straight (10/9/26–10/30/26). It has not won 5 straight since 10/17/25–12/5/25 (2025). It has reached 5 straight 2 times in the last 4 years and has won a high of 6 straight (2025) in that span.
CC's defense has averaged 10.3 points allowed per game over their last 3 games. Their 36-game average is 17.3 points allowed per game. (-40%)
CC's defense has averaged 83.7 rush yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 34-game average is 122.2 rush yards per game. (-32%)
CC's defense has averaged 1.8 takeaways per game over their last 5 games. Their 35-game average is 1.4 takeaways per game. (+31%)
CC's defense has averaged 220.7 total yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 34-game average is 294.0 total yards per game. (-25%)
CC's defense has averaged 137.0 pass yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 34-game average is 171.8 pass yards per game. (-20%)
(moved to the Appendix, Data Export 1, to keep this section shorter -- the full spreadsheet-paste table is there unchanged)
APPENDIX
Full-length explanations and full-size data exports for the shortened notes and relocated tables referenced throughout this report, numbered in the order their pointers appear above.
Explanatory Notes
Note 1 -- SEASON OUTLOOK
Every remaining game is projected from schedule-adjusted ratings; already-played games carry their real result. Records are simulated distributions, not a single guess -- MOST LIKELY FINAL is the single most probable record and its own probability, PROJECTED RECORD is the season's expected win total expressed in record form (an average across every simulated outcome, so it can land on a fraction of a game).
Note 2 -- OPPONENT TRACKER -- why some cards have no record shown
Only meaningful for an opponent who is ALSO a tracked team in the library -- an opponent with no games on file here at all shows the date and site alone.
Note 3 -- MOST IMPORTANT NUMBERS -- how a number is scored
Every split this report computes is scored on how strong the number is and how much it sets this team apart from its opponent and the rest of the field, and the top 5 per team are listed. A condition needs at least 8 occurrences to count.
Full Data Exports
Data Export 1 -- TRENDS — TAB-SEPARATED (10 columns)
CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (SAN DIEGO): OFFENSE VS DEFENSE, 2026
Where CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (SAN DIEGO) sits among 89 section teams on the two Unit Index composites -- Offense Grade 87.3, Defense Grade 65.9.
PASS YARDS ALLOWED / GAME: CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (SAN DIEGO) VS THE SECTION
CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (SAN DIEGO) ranks #71 of 82 section teams in passing yards allowed per game (207.3) -- a weakness worth a look.
CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC (SAN DIEGO): SP STRENGTH INDEX BY SEASON
The program's index across 5 seasons on file -- 25.4 in 2022 to 27.6 in 2026.
These graphs were chosen by the program from this season's most notable numbers. Build your own -- any stat against any other, for any mix of teams, seasons or players, with a JPEG download -- in the Graph Builder.
