St. Francis Secures Playoff Berth With 17-7 Win

The Del Rey League’s worst offensive team met the league’s worst defensive team Thursday night in Bellflower.

Bad offense prevailed as St. Francis, the league’s lowest-scoring team, defeated St. John Bosco, the Del Rey’s most generous defensive unit, 17-7, at St. John Bosco.

The win secured the league’s final playoff berth for St. Francis (4-6, 2-2).

The Golden Knights’ reward for making the playoffs?

Probably a date with Fontana, which whipped them, 32-7, in the first round of the playoffs last season. The pairings will be announced Sunday.

“Fontana is my guess,” St. Francis Coach Terry Terrazone said. “We’re going to try not to get our butts kicked. You never know. They said the Dodgers couldn’t do it, either.”

St. Francis, which averaged just 10 points a game this season, beat St. John Bosco for the first time since 1982. The Golden Knights won despite being stopped on 4 drives inside the Braves’ 10-yard line.

St. Francis held a precarious 3-0 lead when quarterback Erik Hagge hit Mike Torres with a 20-yard touchdown pass late in the third period. St. John Bosco’s Ron Garcia fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Manny Moreno recovered for the Golden Knights at the Braves’ 21.

Hagge found Dave Woolard on a fade pattern on the next play for a 21-yard touchdown and Martin Boskovich’s kick put St. Francis ahead, 17-0, with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Braves (1-9, 0-4) scored a meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter when reserve quarterback Jeff Arboit threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Martin Meza.

Hagge completed 8 of 11 passes for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. He threw 1 interception.

St. Francis tailback Luis Patino, filling in for injured starter Francisco Diaz, led all rushers with 124 yards in 20 carries.

St. Francis finished with 323 yards--twice its average. St. John Bosco had 236 yards.