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It’s been both frustrating and promising that the St. Anthony football team’s winless start to the season has felt largely self-induced.
The Saints entered 2026 with a young roster and have been close to putting it all together if not for their self-inflicted wounds, and they looked to do so after an early bye week last week. St. Anthony came out of the break with a local matchup at Valley Christian on Friday but shot itself in the foot, falling behind early in a high-scoring 47-22 loss.
“We just have to clean it up,” said St. Anthony coach Jeff Magdaleno. “We talked about turnovers and we had two right off the bat. We talked about being disciplined with penalties and giving them up in crucial moments. We just have to clean it up. We have to execute and take advantage of our opportunities early on, and it’s on me as a coach to get this thing in the right direction.”
The Saints had a difficult time stopping dual-threat senior quarterback Graham Lunzer, who went 19-for-25 with 194 passing yards and six passing touchdowns. Lunzer also added 81 yards on the ground, while senior tight end Sam Melcher finished the game with eight catches for 113 receiving yards and three scores.
It didn’t help that St. Anthony allowed the Defenders to gain an early lead, as slow starts have haunted the Saints to start the season, and Friday was no different. The Saints lost a fumble on the opening kickoff and surrendered a touchdown shortly after before turning it over again in their own territory two drives later, contributing to a quick first-half deficit. St. Anthony also had seven penalties for 50 yards.
Lunzer helped make St. Anthony pay after the opening-kickoff fumble, driving the ball down the field with his legs before finding senior Liam Sweeney for a touchdown. To St. Anthony’s credit, the Saints immediately responded on their first offensive possession with a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aidan Jones to sophomore Juice Smith.
That early touchdown capped the Saints’ first-half scoring, as Valley Christian’s defense tightened up from there while its offense continued to find success pushing the ball down the field. The Defenders scored their second touchdown of the game to start the second quarter, as Lunzer found Melcher for a 51-yard score to regain the lead, 14-7.
Valley Christian added touchdowns on either side of the halftime break, as Lunzer drove the ball down the field before halftime and found Melcher for the pair’s second touchdown on a two-yard play-action connection. The Defenders then scored on their first drive of the second half on a seven-play drive, as Lunzer found Levi Dean for an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Valley Christian a 28-7 lead in the third quarter.
St. Anthony was able to put together a response on its next drive, going just three plays from its own 32-yard line in just over a minute. The big play came on another long connection between Jones and Smith, as the pair linked up on a 65-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-14.
The Defenders put together another scoring drive after that, leaning on Lunzer’s legs to drive down the field. He then found his fellow senior Melcher for the third time on an 11-yard touchdown pass. Valley Christian scored once more with its full starters in, as Lunzer threw his sixth touchdown pass of the game on a 12-yard strike to Sweeney.
The Defenders added a safety and field goal toward the end of the fourth quarter, while St. Anthony put together its best drive of the game on its final possession. That drive featured a long carry from Martinez, who finished with nearly 100 yards on 14 carries, before Jones found Juice on a 32-yard gain. Martinez then punched in an 18-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring.
The loss marks the Saints’ fourth straight to open the season, which isn’t necessarily something they’re unaccustomed to. St. Anthony similarly opened its first season under Magdaleno with four straight losses before eventually making it to the CIF-SS Division 10 championship. Last year, the Saints started the season with six straight losses and went on to finish third in the Del Rey League with another playoff appearance.
“Our goal is to just take it week by week,” Magdaleno said of his approach after tough starts to the season. “The idea is to get better every week, and tonight we took a step back. Hopefully we take this step back to take a leap forward this season. It’s on me as a coach to get it right and execute.”
The Saints will conclude non-league play next week when they host Rio Hondo Prep on Friday.
