Serra, toughened by schedule, routs Valley Christian in WCAL opener

SAN JOSE — The Serra football team learned some tough and painful lessons in going 0-3 the first three weeks of the season.

Those lessons paid off Saturday as the Padres opened West Catholic Athletic League play with a 41-6 win at Valley Christian.

“We’re not afraid of embracing some pain and using it to get better,” Serra coach Patrick Walsh said.

Serra started the season with a 56-42 loss to Folsom, then faced perhaps the two best teams in the state, losing 26-0 to De La Salle and 42-0 to St. John Bosco.

“We’d been shut out for eight straight quarters and sometimes doubt can slip in,” Walsh said. “Are we good, are we bad, who are we? I’m proud of the kids and happy they got to feel the victory tonight after that painful three weeks.”

Serra broke open a scoreless game with three touchdowns in the final 3:29 of the second quarter.

That late first-half blitz got started when freshman quarterback William Orr came off the bench and connected with Charles Walsh, the coach’s son, on a 54-yard pass play that set up Jeovanni Henley’s 3-yard scoring run.

Two plays later Valley Christian quarterback Rome Leota-Pritchard tried to get rid of the ball as he was about to be sacked and the ball went right to Serra’s Brody Smith, who returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

Serra then forced a three-and-out and Orr hit Jace Cannon for a 39-yard gain to the 1. On the next play Malaki Taufoou came in at quarterback and plunged in for a 21-0 lead 21 seconds before halftime.

The Padres were only getting started. On Valley’s first play of the third quarter Cornell James came up with an interception and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.

“We had only one takeaway the first three games,” Walsh said. “It was really really nice to get two takeaways that led to two touchdowns.”

After Leota-Pritchard got Valley Christian ((2-2, 0-1) on the scoreboard with a 33-yard touchdown run, Serra struck again on a 19-yard pass from Orr to Cannon.

All that was left was for Serra’s thunderfooted kicker Saul Marks to blast field goals of 48 and 44 yards.

“He’s a five-star kicker and one of the best in the country,” Walsh said. “He’ll be a weapon for us this entire year. You don’t normally think of the 35-yard line as field-goal range. Now we get to the 35, 52 yards, we’re not afraid of that. Tell him to go out and have fun.”

Orr finished 5-of-10 for 143 yards and his first touchdown pass.

“I had my first snaps at quarterback against Bosco and threw two interceptions,” Orr said. “So I had to hold my head up and use it to my advantage. This gives me some confidence, but one thing I do understand is I’ve got to stay humble. This is one game.”

So now Serra (1-3) is 1-0 in the WCAL and tied for first place with St. Ignatius up next on the schedule in a home game in San Mateo next Saturday.

“We needed this after how our preseason went,” Smith said. “This is a great start to league but we’re not done.”