The following article is from The San Diego Union-Tribune: “Honor Fa’alave-Johnson unleashed in regular-season finale; Cathedral Catholic tops Lincoln.”
By John Maffei | john.maffei@sduniontribune.com |  October 30, 2026

Photos: Friday Night Football, October 30, 2026 | Photos by Meg McLaughlin and Xavier Hernandez

FOX 5 KUSI SeaWorld City Game of the Week RAW: Cathedral vs Lincoln

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Finally, after nine games, Cathedral Catholic unleashed the beast.

Kept under wraps most of the season, Honor Fa’alave-Johnson emerged again Friday night, rushing 15 times for a season-high 157 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 1-ranked Dons outlasted Lincoln 41-18 in the regular-season finale.

Cathedral Catholic wins the Western League championship and enters the playoffs, which will be seeded Sunday, 7-3. Lincoln enters the playoffs 4-6.

A USC commit who was last season’s CIF Player of the Year, Fa’alave-Johnson had carried just 44 times for 286 yards and five TDs.

Friday, he had scoring runs of 3, 27 and 68 yards while continuing to play the kind of defense that makes him among the city’s best.

“The plan was 100 yards plus,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. “The plan was for me to run the ball, do what I do. The O-line was great as usual. I’m nothing without those guys.”

Fa’alave-Johnson had seven carries for 55 yards at the half, then broke loose in the second half as the Dons ran for 254 yards and passed for 96.

“It feels great to run the ball again,” Fa’alave-Johnson said. “I don’t know what the plan is going forward, but I’ll do whatever the coaches ask.”

Cathedral Catholic led 21-18 at the end of a sloppy first half.

Lincoln took the opening kickoff and went 90 yards on 13 plays with quarterback Xavier Cruz hitting Jaeveyion Allen with a 4-yard scoring pass. The PAT kick attempt was blocked.

Cathedral Catholic answered in the second quarter when Jordan Lilo recovered a Lincoln fumble and the Dons cashed in on a 27-yard run by Fa’alave-Johnson.

Lincoln came right back with an eight-play, 78-yard drive with Cruz hitting Allen with an 18-yard scoring pass. The two-point conversion attempt was intercepted by Fa’alave-Johnson.

The Dons got the lead right back when Fa’alave-Johnson capped an 89-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. They added on when Jordan Lilio sacked Cruz in the end zone and recovered his fumble for a score.

Lincoln, however, wasn’t done. Duuruthy-Faulkner went up the middle from 19 yards out to score. The PAT attempt was blocked again.

Lilio finished the game with three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

The Dons finished the game on a high note, with Zedahn Smith intercepting a pass and returning it the length of the field for a score on the game’s final play.