Since 2015, the Trinity Classical Academy and Santa Clarita Christian School football teams have faced off in a fierce rivalry game: the Faith Bowl.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, the Cardinals won the inaugural game by a double-digit margin, beating the Knights 42-18 at Canyon High School.
Over the past four years, SCCS has been on the winning side of each contest, outscoring Trinity 167-66 with the last win coming last September in a 56-28 win at Fillmore High School.
Gaining traction and popularity, both schools have produced next-level athletes including UCLA quarterback Blake Kirshner (SCCS), Chapman University defensive back Carson Campuzano (Trinity), Harding University linebacker Ryan DeMarois (Trinity), Arizona Christian University defensive lineman Jacob Holt (SCCS), Delaware State offensive lineman Noah Nnabuo (SCCS), Cal Lutheran tight end Ethan Schwesinger (SCCS) and The College of Wooster tight end Phineas Yi (Trinity).
Unfortunately, due to a drop in the number of players, SCCS athletic director Mark Bates, who was not available for comment, and the school have opted to not field a varsity team, and will move its JV team to an eight-man football schedule, effectively ending the annual Faith Bowl that was set for Saturday, Sept. 21 until further notice.
“It saddens me. Even though we never beat them, but I’m pretty sure we were going to beat them this year,” said Trinity head coach Les Robinson, who also coached at SCCS. “I think the Faith Bowl is good for the community. I think it’s good for the two schools and so them not being able to play this year really saddens me.”
Trinity is thriving in 2019, picking up wins against Desert Christian Academy and Rivera in the first two weeks of the season. Senior quarterback Rick Roberts has shown good decision-making and efficient passing, completing 72% of his passes for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Knights receiver AJ Horning has caught 14 receptions for 321 yards and six receiving touchdowns to lead the Knights in all three categories. Kyle Fields and Lucas Mendoza follow with nine catches for 228 yards and four receiving touchdowns and six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns, respectively.
With the vacancy on Trinity’s schedule, the Knights have replaced what would have been the Faith Bowl with a home game against Morningside High School in the same time slot.
“We are not happy about it. We really wanted to play (SCCS),” Robinson said. “We are sad because of the demise of the program and we hope that they recover and we can resume this bowl, possibly next year. It was a great game.”
