All Knights. All Night.
Recapping Holy Cross’ 33-17 Holy Bowl Win
by Jacob Bermudez ('25) on September 14, 2025
On Friday night, Holy Cross walked into the Holy Bowl with a 0-2 record and plenty of doubters. They walked out with bragging rights, again. For the sixth straight meeting, the Knights took down Central Catholic, proving once more that the rivalry has shifted and the small school from the West Side is no longer an underdog, but a force.
From the opening whistle, it was all Knights, all night. Holy Cross controlled the tempo on both sides of the ball, leaning on their punishing ground game and steady play from sophomore QB Rocky Orozco. Senior RB Taylor Flores powered through the Buttons’ defense with 28 carries for 181 rushing yards, while Orozco added 85 rushing yards for 2 rushing touchdowns and 172 yards passing and 3 passing touchdowns. Senior ATH Julian “J.R.” Salas also gave the Buttons’ secondary issues all night, posting 152 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns.
The Knights struck early to kick off the Holy Bowl. They got the first score of the game when Rocky Orozco kept the ball on the ground and, with the help of his offensive line, was able to power in to give Holy Cross an early 6-0 lead. The Knights' defense also made some plays early, including a sack by ‘28 ATH Michael Gonzales, and held the Buttons to an early field goal, to make it 6-3 for Holy Cross early in the second quarter. But just as quickly as Central Catholic was trying to establish their offense early, Holy Cross was one step ahead, and they would respond the following drive when Rocky Orozco hit Julian Salas for a 56-yard touchdown pass to push their lead to 12-3. The Buttons would get the last score of the first half when junior QB Tristan Soto hit Matthew McClennan for a 14-yard touchdown to make the halftime score 12-10 in favor of the Knights.
Central Catholic would start off the second half with a big opening drive that led to Tristan Soto going 12 yards on a QB run, but it would be an attempt to push the ball over the goal line and a last-second effort by senior ATH John “JJ” Acosta that would cause Soto to fumble out of the back of the endzone, forcing a touchback. Holy Cross would feed off of this huge turnover and quickly score when Rocky Orozco found Julian Salas for their second touchdown connection on the night, this time for 81 yards, to give the Knights a 19-10 lead.
The Buttons put together another strong drive at the end of the third quarter, and Tristan Soto would successfully get a rushing touchdown to bring the score to 19-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
However, this is where Holy Cross would grab the momentum one final time to close out the Holy Bowl. First, it started with Rocky and Julian connecting for a third touchdown to push the lead to 26-17. The Knights' defense would show up big again, first with a big hit from senior ATH Landon Tijerina that led to junior ATH Andrew Ybarra getting an interception to give their offense a short field.
Holy Cross put together one last scoring drive when Rocky Orozco ran in his second rushing touchdown on the night, giving him 5 total touchdowns in his third varsity start as QB. Senior Aiden Olivarez put the final nail in the coffin when he intercepted Soto to secure a 33-17 win in the Holy Bowl.
After the game, HC Mike Harrison had this to say about what kind of momentum this win gives his guys heading into next week and district within the coming weeks.
“Moving forward, it gives us some momentum. It gives us a good feeling. We were close in those losses, but it was our own mistakes. Penalties at key moments. Just small errors really, really, really hurt us. But I am super proud of what these kids did tonight to fight and to keep fighting and just keep going. What a credit to them. What an incredible credit to them and the coaching staff.”
With this victory, Holy Cross not only secured its sixth straight Holy Bowl win but also reignited belief in what this team can accomplish as district play begins soon. What began in 1963 as a battle between two of San Antonio’s few private schools has once again proven to be one of the city’s most storied rivalries, and on Friday night, the Knights showed they are more than ready to carry that tradition forward. For the players, coaches, and the West Side community, it was more than just a win; it was a statement.
