Cash Herrera says he and number-one target Ian Browne have an unspoken language. “He’ll know, and I’ll know (that some magic is going to happen),” he said. “He’s really fast. We synch. We just have a really good connection,” Herrera, the Bishop’s quarterback, said of the senior pass catcher who had 14 touchdowns and 919 yards receiving last year.

Coach Shane Walton’s Knights started slowly last year behind Herrera when he was newly their QB as a young sophomore. But after losing their first three games, Bishop’s nearly ran the board with an 8-1 record the rest of the season, including winning the Coastal Conference title.

This fall, with a 1-1 start, the Knights are looking for more. Says Walton, “We want to take what the defense gives us, but we want Cash to be himself, and he’s pretty good when he does that.”

“Who is a target? The open man. We don’t do it that way” (when a reporter suggested the offense might try to capitalize on the play of one or two players). “(Cash) reads his progressions, but looks for the open man.

“Tom Brady (the NFL great) made a lot of money finding the open man,” the veteran Bishop’s mentor said.

Besides Browne, a 5 feet 11 inches tall, 190 pounder, and fellow targets Jack Pierce, a 5 feet 7 inches tall senior, junior Tom Lowe, and sophomores Nick Pfister and Jonah Garcia, the Herrera-driven passing game has a good counterbalance in the running game of Ruben Gutierrez III, a 5 feet 5 inches tall mini-back who grinds.

“He’s a good running back,” said Herrera. “He’s making guys miss. He’s making plays. It helps the offense be so much better.”

In week one, Herrera completed 13 of 25 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns against La Jolla. Bishop’s put a scare in the Vikings, especially in the first half, before going down, 38-21. In week two, the Knights scored on passing plays of 25 yards and 38 yards in a 24-13 win over Christian High on the road.

In the season opener at La Jolla, the Knights led 21-14 with 4:29 left in the second quarter after Herrera hit Browne on the left side of the end zone from one yard out for a scoring strike.

Earlier, Cash and gang took a 14-7 lead on a screen pass to Gutierrez, the play beginning at the La Jolla 30-yard line with 3:48 remaining in the initial period.

That followed the visitors’ quick three-play drive to score after the opening kickoff on a 12-yard completion to Ryan Landa in the middle. After each of the touchdowns, senior kicker Ezra Granet placed the PAT squarely between the uprights.

Sophomore tight end Jonah Garcia took a nice spiral from Herrera in the open field for 49 yards and a first down, leading to the second TD two plays later.

Contributing to the third TD, junior Jack Ryan took a Herrera completion 19 yards at midfield. Ethan “Sonson” Santiaguel, a junior running back, also was active during that drive.