Rams Win Rainy Quarter Final Bout
November 19, 2025
CIF-SS Division 2 Quarterfinals
Cate (4-7) 2 6 0 7 15
Santa Clarita Christian (3-8) 0 0 0 6 6
On a rain soaked Saturday night the Cate Rams traveled to Santa Clarita Christian for a Division 2 quarterfinal matchup. The torrential rain would play a role in the contest for both teams throughout. The Rams defense held tough on the opening possession after the Cardinals converted an onside kick to open the contest. With both teams struggling to establish a throwing game it became a war of attrition in the middle of the field. As the Rams played the field position game, senior punter Quincy Thorne would flip the field with a 50 yard punt, pinning the Cardinals deep in their own territory. On the ensuing possession the Rams would force Santa Clarita Christian to punt from their own 1 yard line, before junior Shogo Hayashi drove the upback into the punter resulting in a safety and the first score of the day with under a minute left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Rams offense would start coming to life as they had success running the ball. The Rams ground attack was paced by the 1-2 punch of junior quarterback Alek Kroehl (making his first start since September following an injury) and senior co-captain running back Barron Crayton, with both rushers leading the team in rushing yards on the day. Despite three sustained drives, the Rams could not find the endzone. On the defensive side of the ball, Sophomore Sam Lambiotte, helped orchestrate a stalwart defensive effort. Hayashi and Crayton held the frontline attack with both adding 5 tackles each on the day. Hayashi would recover a fumble with under 2 minutes to go in the second quarter, setting the Rams up with possession on the Cardinal 35 yard line. Just 5 plays later, Kroehl would find senior co-captain Oliver Charvel in the back of the endzone for a 21 yard touchdown, giving the Rams an 8-0 lead going into half.
The score would remain unchanged until the fourth quarter when the Cardinals would finally break through when tight end Caleb Shaffer would line up at wildcat and take a 26 yard keeper to the house making the score 8-6 with 6:31 to play. However, the Rams would answer with a 9 play, 50 yard drive culminating in another Oliver Charvel touchdown, this one being a 10 yard catch from Kroehl. Adding a Thorne PAT put the Rams up 15-6 with 1:43 to play. The defense would hold steady, with Barron Crayton coming up with a huge tackle for loss and a pass deflection before defensive back Nolan Montoya put the game on ice with a pass break-up to close out the day.
Head Coach Ben Soto remarked, “It was a battle against the elements and I am so proud of our guys for digging in and leaving everything on the field. This group is getting hot at the right time, and our tough regular season has prepared us for these tight games.” With the win, the Rams advance to face #1 seed Calvary Baptist in the Division 2 semifinal on Friday night, 7pm at a location to be determined.