Back-and-forth slugfest eventually leaves St. Francis football with loss
LA CAÑADA – For every punch landed by the St. Francis High football team in Friday evening’s CIF Southern Section Division III championship, visiting Moreno Valley Rancho Verde delivered an equally staggering counter-punch.
After 47 minutes, 58 seconds, the Golden Knights led by a point before the visiting Mustangs landed the final knockout blow with a 37-yard field goal from sophomore Luis Santiago that sealed a bitter 44-42 defeat for St. Francis at Friedman Field.
All season, St. Francis had found a way to climb back into games it had trailed and to put away teams once the Golden Knights surged ahead.
This time on the biggest stage, the Golden Knights (12-2) had to tip their cap to a squad that was just two points and a final possession better as St. Francis came oh so close to delivering the school its third CIF championship and first in 53 years.
“It seemed like we were always playing catch-up throughout the night and always tying rather than going for the win until they missed that extra point,” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said. “Then we finally took the one-point lead and it just didn’t prove to be enough.”
Though the point totals are near identical, the manner in which both teams went about scoring was very different.
The Golden Knights turned in a few big plays, but were methodical on most drives with touchdown runs of one, two, four and five yards and touchdown passes of 12 and 35 yards.
St. Francis was able to maintain longer drives because of its discipline as the Golden Knights were called for one penalty – a false start with 39 seconds left in the third quarter – for five yards.
Rancho Verde (12-2), on the other hand, committed 13 penalties for 94 yards.
The Mustangs overcame those gaffes with plenty of big plays as Rancho Verde hit on passing touchdowns of 30, 58, 64 and 94 yards.
Rancho Verde quarterback Brock White completed 22 of 39 passes for 504 yards with four touchdowns and no giveaways. Half of White’s completions were for 15 or more yards.
The big plays took their toll on St. Francis.
“It’s tough,” Bonds said. “That’s the quick-strike nature of their offense and it’s just getting the ball out to their athletes. One guy comes up and they put a shake on one guy and they’re gone for 70. They had the two big plays in the first half and then the late one down our sideline in the fourth quarter. That was a killer.
“It was tough because we’re trying to eat clock and drive down and get scores.”
St. Francis also only briefly took the lead.
Rancho Verde scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown from Xavier Ugorji to open the game and the Mustangs never trailed until the final 60-plus seconds of the contest.
“It’s a CIF championship, it’s punch and punch back,” said St. Francis quarterback Darius Perrantes, who finished 13 of 23 for 294 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. “I guess that’s what it was. They just came out with a couple of seconds left and did what they did.”
What could have very well been the play of the game for St. Francis became an actual rallying point for Rancho Verde.
The Mustangs took a 41-35 lead after a 64-yard touchdown pass from White to Kamryn Woodson with 2:10 left in the contest.
St. Francis deflected the ensuing extra-point, which was missed and threw momentum back on the Golden Knights.
From that point, St. Francis marched downfield and took its first lead, 42-41, on a touchdown run from Kevin Armstead and successful point-after try with 1:01 left.
Sixty-one seconds allowed just enough time for redemption and Rancho Verde took advantage, driving to the St. Francis 20 with 2.8 seconds left.
Santiago, who only two minutes earlier saw a chip-shot extra point miss, delivered a game-winning 37-yard field goal on the game’s final play.
“I had to make that kick,” Santiago said. “I had to make it for my team. They fought hard and we had one more play to make.”
