All-Area Football Player of the Year: Perrantes was calm in storm of championship run
Winning seasons and CIF Southern Section playoff victories have long been a standard for the St. Francis High football.
Alas, for St. Francis, finding its way to a CIF Southern Section championship game had long eluded it – for more than half a century, in fact.
Ultra-talented teams had been upset; bands of underdogs had fallen short.
Indeed, it is often noted that everything must go right to make it to the championship: talent, chemistry, a lack of injuries, a little luck and good old-fashioned timing.
“A lot of things have to go right,” says St. Francis coach Jim Bonds, who reached a pair of CIF title games as a player with Newhall Hart but had fallen short in five semifinal games coaching the Golden Knights ahead of 2017.
So it goes that St. Francis had a cavalcade of standouts in its journey to the CIF Southern Section Division III final this past season.
However, it’s difficult to fathom that the Golden Knights would have made their historic march had Darius Perrantes not transferred to St. Francis following his sophomore season.
“It would’ve been hard to replace what he did for us,” Golden Knights All-Area senior receiver Andrew Monarrez says.
What Perrantes did for the Golden Knights was quarterback them to their first CIF championship game since 1964, lead them to a 12-2 record and turn in 39 total touchdowns.
For those achievements and more, Perrantes was voted the 2017 All-Area Football Player of the Year by the sports staff of the Glendale News-Press, La Cañada Valley Sun and Burbank Leader.
“I think his calmness under pressure is what stood out for me,” Bonds says. “Nothing rattled him.
“It was unlike probably anybody I’ve ever coached at that position. He was always calm and cool and there was never a situation too big.”
Indeed, it was Perrantes’ play, his phenomenal play, under the brightest of Friday night lights in the Division III postseason that truly set him apart and likely wrote tales that will long be remembered in St. Francis lore.
“I think his calmness under pressure is what stood out for me. Nothing rattled him.”
— St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said of Darius Perrantes
The junior ended his season with 2,917 yards passing in 12-plus games, completing 155 of 260 attempts (59%) for 28 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. A dual threat who was a strong runner unafraid of contact, Perrantes added 324 yards and 11 touchdowns in 75 carries.
Thirty-nine total touchdowns is impressive, but as aforementioned, it was his performances in the postseason that truly drew acclaim.
In a quartet of playoff contests, Perrantes had a mind-spinning 15 total touchdowns to just one turnover, having thrown 10 touchdown passes with one interception and adding five touchdowns on the ground with no fumbles.
“This being his first playoff experience, he just played like he usually does,” All-Area sophomore Kevin Armstead says. “He was the main reason we got to the championship game.
“He’ll take on any challenge.”
Following a nailbiting 31-27 win over La Serna to open the playoffs and a quarterfinal upset of No. 2 seed Citrus Hill, 30-20, St. Francis faced another upstart semifinalist in pass-happy El Toro. It was then that Perrantes put forth a performance for the ages.
“The coaches just prepared us all week,” Perrantes says. “I feel like we just clicked.”
St. Francis clobbered El Toro to the tune of a 52-17 victory and Perrantes left his mark with seven total touchdowns. Perrantes was just amazing, completing 21 of 24 passes for 294 yards and an astounding five touchdown passes with a pair of scores on the ground and nine carries for 47 yards.
“Cool, calm and collected; he’s amazing,” Monarrez says. “He didn’t make it feel like he was under any pressure.”
It was all the more amazing considering Perrantes had been at St. Francis for less than a calendar year, having transferred from Crespi after a sophomore season in which he split time under center.
Much of Perrantes’ poise comes as a byproduct of his quiet and calm nature as you’ll rarely see him yelling or cheering, even if many at his position are traditionally the most vocal on the team. Perrantes says the bright lights and the magnitude of the situation do play on his mind, but he just does not show it.
“I’m definitely nervous, but I just have to keep everything to myself,” Perrantes says. “I’m a very low-key person.”
Despite his subdued nature, Perrantes acclimated himself to his Golden Knights teammates rather quickly as the title game push truly began in the offseason.
“Through the summer, once he won the starting job, you could see the chemistry just improving on the team, on the offense,” Bonds says.
Perrantes’ debut was a dazzling one, as he carried the ball eight times for 60 yards and threw for what would be a season-high 322 yards and six touchdowns on 14 of 26 passing in a 48-21 victory against Mira Costa.
“The start he had against Mira Costa was as good as it could be as far as first starts go,” Bonds says.
In a 49-20 win at Saugus in the fourth week of the season, Perrantes was injured. He missed the nonleague finale, but the injury seemed to mark a turning point going forward.
“I think after his injury, when he didn’t play for those two weeks, I think he came back with a sense of urgency,” All-Area senior Gabriel Grbavac says. “Everything just started to click.”
Over the last nine games of the season, Perrantes totaled 28 touchdowns, charging hard on the ground and letting it fly through the air no matter the situation.
“No moment was too big for him,” Bonds says. “He’s just out there slinging it.”
Amid the storm of St. Francis’ most successful season in decades, Perrantes’ play wrote headlines while his demeanor never altered no matter the magnitude.
“He was quiet at first,” Monarrez says. “But his actions and his ability on the field, that spoke for itself.”
Ultimately, St. Francis’ march to its first title game since 1964 did not end with its first championship since that same year.
In an all-time classic, the Golden Knights lost in the last second of their season to Rancho Verde, 44-42, in the Southern Section Division III final.
Even in defeat, though, Perrantes shined. He had 292 yards passing and two touchdowns and two more touchdowns rushing. He orchestrated a riveting fourth-quarter go-ahead touchdown drive that likely would have lived on in area chronicle, but is now oft overlooked due to the final outcome.
But the statistics do not lie and Perrantes sparkled time and again during the Golden Knights’ most golden of seasons in ages, calm and cool through it all and outstanding just the same.
“He’s proved to a lot of people he can live up to the expectations,” Armstead says. “I can’t wait to see what he does next year.”
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
