Early hole too deep for Casa

In what has been a hurting pattern for most of the season, Casa Grande High School’s varsity football Gauchos fell behind early and were not able to catch up, losing on their home turf Friday night to Cardinal Newman, 48-7.

Cardinal Newman quarterback Jordan Brrokshire passed for a touchdown and ran for two more in the first quarter as the Cardinals jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Before he was finished on the night, Brookshire ran for another touchdown. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 146 yards and ran for 24 more.

Casa Grande did show flashes of being competitive. The Gauchos rushed for 133 yards as a team, led by a pair of sophomores. Spencer Torkelson gained 40 yards on just eight carries, while Max Cerini gained 36 yards on four carries and scored the only Casa touchdown on a 17-yard run in the second quarter. Senior Kevin Donohoe added 38 yards on 11 carries.

Casa junior quarterback JJ Anderson passed for 108 yards, but completed just seven of 18 passes and had one picked off.

Senior wide receiver Joey Markam had a good game with three receptions for 45 yards.

Transfer Semi Komaaisavai continued to make a positive impact for the Gauchos. In just his second game after becoming eligible, he led the team with seven tackles, including a sack and another stop for a loss.

Also notable against the speedy Cardinals, Donohoe had six tackles, Torkelson had five and Nick Jensen, Ryan Lowe and Casey Longaker four each.

While the win kept Cardinal Newman headed toward a North Coast Section playoff berth with a 4-3 overall record and a 3-1 league mark, Casa Grande dropped to 1-6 overall and 1-3 in league.

The Gauchos play at home the next two weeks with Maria Carrillo at the Big House on Friday, followed by Santa Rosa on Nov. 1. Casa finishes up at Montgomery on Nov. 7.