The Trinity Classical Academy football team was tested for what seemed like the first time all season, but the Knights refused to let their perfect season end.  Trailing 19-14 at the half last week to the Santa Rosa Academy Rangers (5-2, 1-1), the Knights (7-0, 2-0) scored three times to begin the second half en route to a 36-33 road victory and a 2-0 start to Cottonwood League play.  “It’s the first time we’ve been down all season, first time we haven’t had a lead,” said Trinity head coach Mike Parrinello in a phone interview on Monday. “We had a good halftime talk, we had a good halftime conversation, and just super proud of the boys to come back out, get themselves back together, come out strong.”  The Knights now have the inside track to the league title after beating what Parrinello thought going into the game was the best team in the league. Trinity is also now set to make the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 2021.  “We’ve been out of the playoffs for two years, and weren’t even close,” Parrinello said. “But our goal has been to win the league. If we win league, we go to playoffs. So, that’s our primary focus.”  Crediting a balanced offense — the Knights passed for 273 yards and ran for 126 — for the comeback, Parrinello said he was impressed with how his players were able to move on and turn things around in the second half. The Knights went on a 23-0 run to start the half before allowing two scores late.  “You think and you believe we’re in that position, you know, watching them practice, seeing how they’ve been responding, but until you’re actually there, you just don’t know,” Parrinello said. “And they really proved, not only to the coaches, but proved to themselves, that we can come back out. We’ve always talked about that. We can be down two touchdowns, and we feel we’ve got an offense and defense that will get us back in the game, but to do it is then always a lot more valuable moving forward.”  Trinity ran out to a 14-0 lead before Santa Rosa rattled off three touchdowns unanswered before the first half ended. The Knights pulled off the same trick to start the second half and never looked back.  Leading the way for Trinity were two usual suspects in senior quarterback Noah Visconti and senior John Carlson, who plays multiple positions for the Knights. The former threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, while the latter ran for 47 yards and two touchdowns and caught seven passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.  Parrinello said Visconti “managed the offense” and stuck to the game plan, while Carlson showed why he’s arguably the top option to give the ball to any given play.  “There were definitely times when I said, ‘I’m going to put the ball in John’s hands and put the team on his back and we’re going to go do something good,’” Parrinello said, “and he didn’t disappoint … Noah, as usual, played a great game. Managed the offense. Noah’s really learned that we’re at our best when we move the ball quick, when we throw short quick run our (run-pass option) game, take advantage of our playmakers, get them the ball in their hands. Not everything needs to be a shot down the field. And then when you do that, then the shots down the field open up.”  Also stepping up to deliver a win for Trinity were senior Luke Backes with nine catches and 65 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Aiden Visconti, who picked up a big interception in the second half that led to a Knights touchdown.  Parrinello said the younger Visconti, a linebacker, took a back seat in the offensive scheme last week to allow him to star on defense, where he was needed to slow down a potent Santa Rosa offense that had averaged 48 points in its first six games.  “We really needed his help on defense this week,” Parrinello said, “so he saw a few fewer snaps on offense than normal, just because we needed him.”  The Knights will look to keep their perfect season going on Saturday when they host the Temecula Prep Patriots (6-1, 2-0), who shut out Silver Valley in league play last week, 46-0.  The post Trinity football fights back against Santa Rosa Academy to remain perfect  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.