In Thursday night’s season finale, the Trinity Knights made history by beating Riverside Prep to finish the season 10-0 and become the Cottonwood League Champions.

Trinity dominated the game, shutting out Riverside Prep 54-0, with quarterback Noah Visconti leading the charge to an undefeated season.

“This is the first time in Trinity history that we go 10-0, which is pretty amazing, especially since it’s my senior year,” said Visconti. “It feels amazing, but our job is not finished. We have a few more games to go, and we’re going to take it all the way.”

For Visconti, it is extra special because he gets to do it with his brother, Aiden, a freshman on the team.

“I love my brother, and these guys are all my brothers, but it’s truly amazing,” said Visconti. “To live it out with my brother is a dream.”

Head Coach Mike Parrinello stated that from the beginning of the season, it was never about going undefeated but about taking every week one step at a time and meeting their goals to win the Cottonwood League and make the playoffs.

“Undefeated is phenomenal, and I’m so proud of them, but it boils down to winning every week,” said Parrinello. “But it feels good. It’s good for the program, and it feels good for the seniors too to get a win against Riverside Prep for the first time, so that was an extra special way to cap all of this off.”

With all the team victories this season, Visconti has had plenty of personal success to go with it by breaking the school’s all-time passing yards record earlier in the season and leading the league in passing yards.

Noah Visconti looks for an open receiver.

Even with all his individual accomplishments, he credits his coaching staff and teammates for all the success.

Noah Visconti and Head Coach Mike Parrinello hug each other following going 10-1

“It starts from the top of the chain. Our coaches are phenomenal men, and they push us to be better, and it starts with them,” said Visconti. “Then, on the way down, each of us pushes our brothers to be better. It makes us so much better when we work as one unit. These guys are unstoppable.”

The team’s dominance was on full display Thursday with rushing touchdowns from Hudson Sweitzer and Jordan Lovelace. 

Hudson Sweitzer pounds the ball into the endzone for a Trinity touchdown!

Trinity 7, Riverside 0 pic.twitter.com/cPrgJPzP97

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) November 1, 2024

: 400;”>

Through the air, Visconti had five passing touchdowns, with two going to Adam Hirsch, Luke Backes, freshman Cade Herta, and John Carlson, who had another touchdown off an onside kick attempt by Riverside Prep to start the second half.

Visconti drops a dime to freshman Cade Herta for his first touchdown of the night.

Trinity 54, Riverside Prep 0 pic.twitter.com/l1bHQAMrui

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) November 1, 2024

: 400;”>

While Trinity held Riverside Prep to 0 points, the Knights had their fair share of challenges when their backs were against the wall defensively.

The first test came on the game’s opening kickoff when Riverside Prep returned it near the 50-yard line and followed it up with a big run.

The defense, on its heels early, followed it up with two tackles for a loss and a sack to force a fourth down. 

On fourth down, Riverside Prep kept its offense on the field, but Trinity’s defense was locked in and prevented them from converting.

Before the game, Parrinello told his team that Riverside Prep has good athletes who will make big plays, but how they respond will determine the game.

“We’ve been teaching the boys that you can’t go back and change the last play but have the mentality that you’re going to affect the next play and do a good job,” said Parrinello. “Our defensive philosophy is bend, don’t break, and they did it twice in huge drives for us.”

The second big test for the defense came in the last seconds of the first half. Riverside Prep was driving the ball down the field and got the ball down near the goal line with a big pass.

With no timeouts left, Riverside Prep was scrambling to the line of scrimmage to get off a play before the clock expired, and they did. But Trinity’s defense stood tall and prevented them from getting into the endzone before halftime.

Parrinello tipped his hat to the defensive unit of defensive coordinator Eric Stoner for being well-prepared.

“[Stoner] has done a great job with the defense,” said Parrinello. “He prepares his film study. He gets these guys starting on film at the beginning of the week to be prepared. So hats off to him.”

The special teams unit also made splash plays with a blocked punt and an onside kick returned for a touchdown, which was described by Parrinello as a “high IQ play” by Carlson.

“We have a lot of very smart athletes, and we’re able to use that to our advantage. They know how to play football, and they know what to do out there,” said Parrinello. “Then John Carlson is just a special player. He’s a guy you’d love to have 11 of on the field. It’s great to see, but it doesn’t surprise me because that’s who John is.”

Trinity’s playoff opponent is set to be released by the CIF on Sunday Nov.3.

Final: Trinity 54, Riverside Prep 0.
With the win, Trinity advances to 10-0.@TrinityKnights pic.twitter.com/V67zi8ReF5

— KHTS Sports (@KHTSSports) November 1, 2024

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.