With the Redwood Empire League Adobe championship on the line, the Marin Catholic High football team’s defense put the burden on its back and carried the day as the Wildcats tamed Cardinal Newman 13-3 Saturday in Larkspur.

The Cardinals, who behind freshman quarterback Tino Retamoza, had been scoring buckets of points in running up an 8-0 record, turned into an empty vessel against a tenacious Marin Catholic defense.

The Wildcats limited Cardinal Newman’s explosive offense to 139 yards, and most importantly, kept the Cardinals out of the end zone.

“What a great job by defensive coordinator Greg Joseph and his staff,” MC coach Mazi Moayed said. “It was an amazing, amazing, amazing defensive effort.”

Spearheading the defensive masterpiece — both early and late — was cornerback Chase Merrick, who set up MC’s first touchdown with an interception and a 36-yard return on the first offensive series of the game.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Merrick said. “I had a feeling something big was going to happen on the first drive. And on the return, my teammates made some great blocks for me.”

Seven plays later, the Wildcats (7-2, 4-0 Adobe) scored the only points they would need when quarterback Caedon Afsharipour found Branden Johnson for seven yards and a touchdown.

Merrick’s early interception hinted at things to come, namely Retamoza’s inability to secure enough time to find any rhythm in the passing game as he spent most of the afternoon trying to escape a relentless MC pass rush.A key turning point in the game came on Cardinal Newman’s opening offensive sequence of the second quarter.

Retamoza was sacked on back-to-back plays — first by David Anderson, who had two sacks in the game, and then by Colin Lovette.

The Wildcats kept the young quarterback on the run with five total sacks for negative 37 yards.

“The pressure got to (Retamoza) a few times,” Moayed said. “That definitely had an impact on the game. The energy changed a little bit after that.”

Retamoza threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 31-3 victory against San Marin last week.

Merrick had a man-to-man coverage assignment most of the game against Cardinal Newman’s top receiver Jonah Bertoli (seven catches, 169 yards and 2 TDs last week). Merrick limited Bertoli to three catches for 24 yards.

“Chase has been an unbelievable player for us, starting last year,” Moayed said. “And this year he has elevated his game to another level.”

Merrick, however, shifted all props to the defensive coaching staff and the fierce pass rush by his teammates up front.

Marin Catholic extended its lead to 13-0 on the fourth play of the second half.

Afsharipour escaped heavy heat by the Cardinal Newman pass rush and bought enough time to find receiver Jude Baker wide open downfield for a 59-yard touchdown.

Cardinal Newman (8-1, 3-1) found some offensive flow on its next possession relying on the legs of running back Jamari Gentry (17 carries, 100 yards), who ripped off runs of 17 and 11 yards.

The drive, however, stalled inside the MC 10-yard line and the Cardinals settled for a 26-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 13-3.

Both offenses struggled on the next several possessions before Merrick put an end to the low-scoring drama when he picked off his second pass, this one inside the MC 30-yard line to thwart CN’s last legitimate chance to climb back into the game with five minutes remaining.

MC’s victory was its fourth consecutive against the Cardinals with the Wildcats ending Cardinal Newman’s season in the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

The Wildcats seek to wrap up an undefeated league season when they visit Windsor on Friday night in their final regular season contest.