St. Francis football readies for long-awaited CIF finals return against Rancho Verde
In many ways, Friday night at St. Francis High’s Friedman Field will feature a football game 53 years in the making.
It was in 1964 that the St. Francis football team last played — and won — a CIF championship game.
Under coach Jack Friedman, whose name adorns the field in which further history is set to play out, St. Francis defeated Claremont, 14-0, for a CIF Southern Section Division AAA title. It was a repeat performance after a 7-0 championship win against La Mirada the season prior.
After more than five decades and numerous semifinal bids that fell short, St. Francis has returned for its shot at championship glory as it will host No. 4 seed Rancho Verde at 7 p.m. Friday upon Friedman Field in front of what is likely to be a jampacked crowd. The game will also be televised on tape delay at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports West.
“Fifty-three years is a long wait,” St. Francis running back/linebacker Elijah Washington said.
The history and the magnitude of the game are well known by the Golden Knights (12-1) as they prepare for Rancho Verde (11-2), which has won nine straight games including a 5-0 run in the Inland Valley League.
Since taking over at St. Francis in 2000, head coach Jim Bonds had led the Golden Knights to five semifinal appearances but fallen short of a title game until a semifinal 52-17 triumph over El Toro. With the victory, Bonds, who has a program-record 18 postseason coaching wins, will now return to a CIF final for the first time since 1986, when he quarterbacked Newhall Hart to a victory over Temple City in the Northwest Division and was named the division player of the year.
“Seeing coach Bonds get back here finally is amazing,” receiver Greg Dulcich said. “We definitely think about [the history]. It’s just incredible being at this point, so we just want to finish.”
Finally getting back to the title game was a combination of terrific team play and balance, camaraderie and some good fortune for the Golden Knights, who rebounded from a loss in their regular season finale to Cathedral to notch playoff wins over La Serna (31-27), No. 2 seed Citrus Hill (30-20) and El Toro. In the wins over Citrus Hill and El Toro, St. Francis played arguably its best and most complete games of the season.
“I think it always takes a little bit of luck and we’ve been on the other end of that a few years,” said Bonds, whose team lost to Palos Verdes, 38-37, in the Division III first round last season. “And also, I think, a great work ethic and team chemistry. I think those things improved over the year.
“It just started to click.”
Rancho Verde has triumphed over Oak Hills (28-8), Hart (55-27) and No. 1 seed Charter Oak (41-22).
“I think you get this far and you do what you do on both ends of the ball. There’s no exotic game plan now,” said Mustangs coach Jeff Steinberg, whose team advanced to the Division III semifinals a season ago. “As simple as it sounds, we’ve got to take care of the football. We’re playing a real disciplined team and they don’t give you many opportunities. Especially with the way their quarterback is playing.”
St. Francis junior quarterback Darius Perrantes is turning in a postseason for the storybooks as he had seven total touchdowns against El Toro. In three playoff games, Perrantes has thrown eight touchdowns with no interceptions and run for three more. Dulcich has six touchdown receptions and 363 yards receiving in the postseason.
Perrantes (2,928 yards passing, 29 touchdown passes, nine rushing touchdowns), Dulcich (46 catches for 1,042 yards and 11 scores), Washington (1,002 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns) and running back Kevin Armstead (566 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns) have highlighted an offense that has been balanced and successful in all aspects.
“The balance does definitely help a lot,” St. Francis senior offensive and defensive lineman Matt Barriga said.
St. Francis finds itself looking to curb an offense very much like its own in its balance.
Rancho Verde quarterback Brock White, just a sophomore, has thrown for 2,734 yards and 35 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The team has run for 2,540 yards with three running backs having gained better than 500 yards, led by Xavier Ugorji (1,195 yards, 14 touchdowns).
“Our defense is key,” Washington said. “Coach [Mark] Gibbons, with his schemes, just prepares us so well.”
Defense is where Steinberg believes his team has truly stepped up to get to this point, though, as it’s allowed more than 30 points just once, which came against Ridgecrest Burroughs in a 33-19 defeat. Its other loss was against Citrus Hill, the only common opponent for the teams.
“Our defense down the stretch, in particular, has been phenomenal,” Steinberg said.
Jaxon Turner (80 tackles, six interceptions), Kenya Dorsey (79 tackles, 15 tackles for loss) and D’lawrence Green (76 tackles, 20 tackles for loss) are among the catalysts for a defense that has 24 takeaways and 12 players with multiple sacks.
“Our defense, if they can get some stops, like they have been, and keep our offense on the field and make some plays, I think that’s key,” Dulcich said.
Defensively for St. Francis, Gabriel Grbavac (60 tackles, four sacks, 28 hurries) has drawn double teams all year at defensive end, linebacker Blake Howard (65 tackles, four sacks) is the leading tackler on a squad full of contributors and Bobby Gazmarian (51 tackles, three interceptions) has been a lockdown cornerback and phenomenal special teams player.
“I woke up this morning,” Barriga said Monday at the CIF’s annual football championship luncheon, “and I realized, we’re here.”
Right where St. Francis has strived to reach for so many seasons and now it’s one triumph away from realizing its ultimate goal of championship glory.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
