Patriots fall to unbeaten rival SFC

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 23, 2025

Christian's Kai Rosier stiff arms an SFC defender. / Vic Marano

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2025 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 17 SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 28, CHRISTIAN 14

EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON (9-19-2025) – The long-running small-school rivalry between Christian High and Santa Fe Christian was renewed Friday night at Grossmont High, and it delivered the same intensity and big-play swings that have defined the series over the last two decades.

In the end, it was the unbeaten and 17th-ranked Eagles who walked away with a 28-14 victory, pulling away in the second quarter and fending off a determined Patriots rally in the second half.

This matchup nearly didn’t happen in 2025 due to scheduling conflicts, but its late addition to the calendar brought extra juice for both programs, as the game was played on the somewhat-neutral Grossmont High turf.

Coming in, the spotlight was on two of San Diego County’s top quarterbacks: SFC’s junior Dax Labrum, who had already topped 1,000 passing yards with 15 touchdowns on the season, and Christian’s junior Kaleb Runkle, ranked third in the county in passing average at 277 yards per game.

Both defenses made sure it wouldn’t be easy.

Christian (1-3) struck first when Runkle capped the Patriots’ opening drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to give the hosts a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

That score stood into the second period, when the Eagles found their rhythm and rattled off three straight touchdowns behind Labrum’s steady passing and a balanced run game. By halftime, SFC had seized a 21-7 advantage.

The Patriots clawed back in the third quarter thanks to a spark from their special teams. Kai Rosier, the county’s leading receiver entering the night, showed his playmaking ability in the return game, bringing back a punt 30 yards to the SFC 4-yard line.

On the next snap, senior Hank Houston punched in the short touchdown, trimming the deficit to 21-14 and giving Christian new life.

Momentum shifted again in the fourth quarter when junior linebacker Gage Humora intercepted a Labrum pass and returned it 15 yards, setting up the Patriots near midfield with more than eight minutes to play. But the Eagles’ defense tightened, forcing a turnover of their own to halt the rally.

Labrum then guided SFC on a clinching drive capped by a short rushing score to make it 28-14.

Runkle finished the night 19-of-32 for 107 yards and one touchdown on the ground, while also leading the team in rushing with 59 yards on 10 carries.

Houston added 38 all-purpose yards with his rushing and receiving contributions.

Rosier, who entered as the county’s leading receiver at 124.7 yards per game, was limited to three catches for 31 yards by the SFC secondary.

For Santa Fe Christian (5-0), Labrum completed 19-of-27 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, though he was intercepted once.

Senior running back Joshua Husmann paced the ground game with 48 yards and added a 46-yard touchdown reception.

Despite the loss, the Patriots showed they can hang with one of the county’s hottest teams and forced the Eagles into several mistakes that kept the game within reach.

The victory gives Santa Fe Christian four wins in the last five meetings of the rivalry, though Christian’s 17-14 win in 2023 still looms as one of the tightest battles in the series, which is now tied all-time at 17-17-1.

The Patriots will look to bounce back next week as they host Madison.