Falcons Find Victory Over St. Francis Is Worth 25-Year Wait

So much for a budding rivalry.

In the first meeting between these regional rivals in 25 years, the Crescenta Valley football team treated St. Francis as if it were a run-of-the-mill opponent.

The Falcons defeated St. Francis, 28-14, Friday night at Glendale High in a nonleague game that had special meaning, at least to everyone at Crescenta Valley.

The Falcons waited 25 years to face the Golden Knights, having tried to add St. Francis to its schedule several times.

“It was a special game and there was some added pressure,” Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart said, “But I like the added pressure. We want these kinds of games.”

If there was any added pressure, St. Francis appeared to be affected the most.

The Golden Knights (1-1) committed the only two turnovers of the game and 88 yards in penalties, including five holding penalties that stalled drives.

“We had some mental breakdowns,” St. Francis coach Bill Redell said, “But you can’t take anything away from Crescenta Valley. They would have beaten us anyway.”

St. Francis took its only lead of the game late in the first half when quarterback John Sciarra connected with wide receiver Kenny Garcia on a 46-yard touchdown pass play. Murice Law added a two-point conversion run to give the Golden Knights an 8-7 lead with two minutes remaining.

But Crescenta Valley (2-0) responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive to go ahead for good with 12 seconds remaining in the first half. The Falcons scored on a two-yard run by Bryan Henry and added a two-point conversion on a pass from Seth Santoro to wide receiver Tim Crowder for a 15-8 lead.

Crescenta Valley, which won its 14th consecutive regular-season game--a streak that now spans three seasons--was never threatened in the second half.