LOS ALTOS HILLS — You could say Archbishop Mitty’s Kai Sniffen had a nose for the ball on Friday night at Foothill College.
Sniffen, Mitty’s junior linebacker, sniffed out not one, not two, but three Menlo-Atherton passes on Friday night, compiling a trio of interceptions. That triad of turnovers turned the tide of the game in favor of the Monarchs, who took down M-A 21-0 after scoring all three of their touchdowns in the third quarter.
So is three a magic number? On Friday the 13th, it certainly was for Mitty, which improved to 3-0 this season.
“It feels real good,” said Sniffen after the game. “It feels real, real good. I want to say thanks to my D-line for getting pressure on the QB to allow me to get those picks.”
The Archbishop Mitty football team celebrates their 21-0 victory over Menlo-Atherton in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
Sniffen’s first two interceptions came in the first half, a defensive struggle that ended with neither team putting a point on the board. But everything changed in the third quarter.
Mitty’s momentum mounted when Menlo-Atherton (2-1) fumbled a snap, and the Monarchs’ Caden Eagleson recovered on the M-A 36-yard line. Mitty converted a few first downs, then faced fourth-and-goal from the 2.
This time, they answered the bell. Monarchs QB Jonah Kroenung found Lazaro Faraj-Washington on a short pass to put points on the scoreboard for the first time.
“That put us up 7-0 in the third quarter,” Sniffen said. “So it felt really good that we had a lead, and our defense just had to keep making stops.”
Archbishop Mitty quarterback Jonah Kroenung (7) throws a pass for a touchdown in the third quarter of their football game against Menlo-Atherton in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
That they did. Mitty secured a three-and-out on the next M-A possession, then kept the good times rolling offensively. Kroenung found tight end Owen Harrington on a reverse flea flicker for a 38-yard gain, then tossed a 6-yard touchdown to Billy Hutton while rolling out to the right side.
“They did such a good job of keeping me on my heels in terms of play calling, mixing up coverages,” said Mitty coach Danny Sullivan. “I think it messed with Jonah’s eyes a little bit, and I just told him to settle in. He found a way. And it helps when you’ve got a guy like Owen Harrington making a big catch, and Lazaro making big runs.
“But the line just stuck to it and kept our thing going. Defense just created havoc for them all night, which we have to do. You’ve got to be special.”
Menlo-Atherton’s Evaimalo Ama (22) almost makes an interception on a pass intended for Archbishop Mitty’s Billy Hutton (6) in the fourth quarter of their football game in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
On the next Menlo-Atherton possession, Sniffen picked off his third pass of the game. Mitty’s third interception set the Monarchs up at Menlo-Atherton’s 38-yard line, and this time, they turned it into points.
Two Faraj-Washington runs later, Mitty had a 21-0 lead.
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“Turnovers gave us bad field position,” said M-A coach Chris Saunders. “Our defense had to play with its back against the wall. When we had field (position), we did pretty well. You turn the ball over on your own side and go three-and-out and can’t flip the field on a punt, that’s a bad formula.
“We avoided that up until that second half, really, that third quarter, and then it got away from us a little bit. Those are the things that I say to the kids, the championship-caliber teams, we have to respond to those moments of adversity. So I think Mitty gave us a little medicine tonight, and we’re going to grow from it.”
Menlo-Atherton’s JT Roeder (5) catches a pass out of bounds of the end zone while under pressure from Archbishop Mitty’s Isaac Turner (13) in the first quarter of their football game in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Lazaro Faraj-Washington (4) runs 39 yards for a first down in the second quarter of their football game against Menlo-Atherton in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)