Paraclete Spirits Away With 27-26 Victory

Steve Hagerty, football coach at Paraclete High, surveyed his players as they prepared to face St. Bonaventure.

Hagerty turned back with a smile.

“We lost a lot of people from last year,” he said. “Maybe if we get this group to .500, I should be coach of the year again.”

Hagerty, The Times’ 1997 Valley coach of the year after guiding the Spirits to the Southern Section Division XI title, began his bid for consecutive honors Thursday night when Paraclete upset St. Bonaventure, 27-26, in a nonleague season opener at Ventura High.

Paraclete forged its victory by scoring 24 consecutive points and taking a 27-20 lead with 3:13 to play.

The Spirits surrendered an 87-yard kickoff return by St. Bonaventure’s Josh Ford that brought the score to 27-26 with three minutes left.

The Seraphs, who did not try to kick an extra point in the game, went for the two-point conversion but Chris Lombardo was sacked by Tommy Breech.

St. Bonaventure attempted an on-side kick, but Paraclete recovered.

The Seraphs got the ball back with 1:04 left but could not advance past midfield.

Paraclete rode the skills of quarterback Rob Fockaert, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 16 times for 16 yards and two touchdowns.

The 6-foot-1, 177-pound junior emerged late last season to spark the team’s title run.

St. Bonaventure, which enjoyed a noticeable size advantage and was believed to have an edge in talent, was hurt by more than 50 yards in penalties and by Lombardo having two passes intercepted.

Lombardo completed 11 of 22 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

St. Bonaventure was victimized when Paraclete’s second interception, on the Seraphs’ 15-yard line with 12 minutes to play, led to Fockaert’s nine-yard touchdown run and a 20-20 tie.

With seven minutes to play, Adam Gray-Hayward of St. Bonaventure got off a punt of minus-13 yards after the snap went over his head.

Paraclete took over at the Seraph 28 and eight plays later scored the winning touchdown on Fockaert’s one-yard run.

Paraclete trailed, 20-3, with 11 minutes to play in the first half after giving up a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown by Seraph freshman Gordo Pinedo.

Paraclete refused to let the game get away by constructing an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Fockaert to Breech.

John McMurtry’s 31-yard field goal with 1:30 remaining in the half pulled the Spirits to within 20-13.

Freshman Curtis Brown rushed for 59 yards in 15 carries for Paraclete. Michael Washington caught nine passes for 80 yards and Breech caught five for 84 yards.