Ehrlich, Harvard-Westlake, Buzz Past St. Francis : Prep football: Golden Knights are stung by penalties and two touchdowns by Wolverine quarterback in 20-12 Mission League loss.

The Harvard-Westlake High band repeatedly broke into a snappy rendition of “Flight of the Bumblebee” on Saturday when Wolverine quarterback Justin Ehrlich scrambled for key gains.

Catchy tune.

Ehrlich rushed 17 times for a team-high 79 yards, including a pair of second-half touchdown runs, as Harvard upset St. Francis, 20-12, in a Mission League game at Harvard.

Ehrlich darted eight yards for a touchdown on a broken play late in the third quarter, then put the game away with a one-yard plunge with four minutes to play.

“I’m about to collapse,” said an exhausted Ehrlich. “This game goes to our offensive line. They really picked us up.”

Ehrlich’s performance offset a statistical advantage by St. Francis. Harvard (3-4, 1-1 in league play) had only 160 yards in offense compared to 356 for St. Francis. Ehrlich, who completed two of eight passes for 33 yards, accounted for 112 yards.

St. Francis was stung even more by penalties than by Ehrlich heroics. St. Francis (3-3, 1-1) was penalized 18 times for 165 yards, and had two touchdowns called back.

“We’ve been having trouble with penalties this season, but not to this extent,” St. Francis Coach Andy Boynton said. “We gave this one away. The bottom line is: We should have beaten Harvard-Westlake. I think we’re a better team.”

Harvard ignited an overflow homecoming crowd on the game’s opening possession. Linebacker Christopher Anderson blocked a St. Francis punt on the Golden Knights’ 20-yard line and sent the ball skidding into the end zone. Linebacker Gold Lee fell on the ball to give the Wolverines a 7-0 lead.

St. Francis failed on its first four possessions before tailback Chris McAlister ran 51 yards on a counter play for a touchdown early in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt failed and Harvard led, 7-6.

Yellow flags and sloppy play dominated until Ehrlich’s touchdown with 1 minute 9 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The eight-yard run capped a 52-yard drive and gave Harvard a 13-6 lead. The drive was sustained when St. Francis, after blocking a punt at midfield, was penalized for having 12 players on the field.

“It was a really sloppy game,” Harvard Coach Gary Thran said.

St. Francis scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when wide receiver Ryan Conway took a swing pass from quarterback James Free and broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion pass failed and St. Francis trailed, 13-12.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Ehrlich led Harvard 38 yards in six plays for the final touchdown. Ehrlich carried four times for 34 yards on the drive.