Steele Pizzella, Notre Dame football edge Bishop Diego in thriller

SHERMAN OAKS — In a game that went down to the final possession, quarterback Steele Pizzella was the hero for Notre Dame, scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds left to give the hosts a 35-34 victory over Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara on Friday night.

Pizzella had a hand in all five Notre Dame touchdowns, completing 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and three TDs and one interception. He also ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries to help the Knights bounce back from their season-opening 42-21 loss to Downey last week.

Pizzella was at his best on the game-winning drive, running the ball six times for 41 yards.

“He’s the last one to leave the building every day, he’s so invested and so engaged,” Notre Dame coach Evan Yabu said. “We all follow his lead, he sets the tone for leadership and for work ethic and performance.”

Notre Dame (1-1) opened a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of Pizzella touchdown passes – a 47-yard toss to Elliot Cooper on the Knights’ first possession then a 44-yarder to Troy Trejo.

Notre Dame struggled to stop the Cardinal running game the rest of the half and trailed 21-20 at halftime.

Bishop Diego (1-1) capped a 14-play drive with an Abidal Garcia 1-yard touchdown run for its first score.

Samuel Crawford intercepted a Pizzella pass in the second quarter to set up the Cardinals’ score – a 17-yard touchdown run from Oscar Anoai Mauia.

Pizzella scored his first touchdown run on a 1-yard run after Notre Dame linebacker Hayden Bowne forced a fumble late in the first half, but Bishop Diego quarterback Tua Rojas had a 6-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Kitt to give his team the edge at the intermission.

Bishop Diego opened a 28-20 lead in the third quarter when Rojas scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Notre Dame defense came up with a fourth-and-1 stop early in the fourth quarter, and the Knights followed that with Pizzella’s third touchdown pass – a 19-yarder to Luc Weaver (five catches, 81 yards). A successful 2-point conversion knotted the score at 28-all.

Bishop Diego answered with a quick scoring drive that included a 57-yard run from Anoai Mauia. The Cardinals regained the lead on Rojas’ 3-yard touchdown pass to Nick Malesky, setting up the late drama.

Notre Dame held the ball for 4 minutes, 29 seconds during its game-winning drive. After Pizzella’s go-ahead score, Bishop Diego was unable to convert on multiple long pass attempts on its final possession.

“Coming back from a loss, we worked really hard in this week of practice,” Pizzella said. “I give it all to my guys for just staying in it with me and being there for me to be able to make this win happen.”

Trejo had three receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown for Notre Dame.

Bishop Diego’s Mauia rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries against a Notre Dame defense that was without two of its starting linebackers for much of the night. Senior captain Jacob Drucker did not suit up and Bowne left the game with an injury in the third quarter.

Notre Dame will take on St. Francis on the road next week, while Bishop Diego will travel to Westlake.