Redell’s Favorite Gadget Play Sends St. Francis On Its Way

Attention all offensive linemen: If you want your one minute of fame and glory, Coach Bill Redell of St. Francis High is your man.

With his team clinging to a seven-point halftime lead Saturday night against Canyon, Redell ordered his favorite trick play to start the second half--the fumblerooski.

Offensive guard Ken Bowman picked up the ball resting on the ground under the legs of center Larry Cimmarusti and ran 44 yards for a touchdown that started a 27-point onslaught and inspired the Golden Knights to a 41-7 victory in a Southern Section Division III quarterfinal game.

“You rock, Bowman!” one of his teammates shouted.

“That was fun,” said the 6-foot-2, 226-pound senior who plays fullback in soccer.

The Knights prevented an all-Foothill League semifinal and set up a game between St. Francis (11-1) and top-seeded Hart (12-0) Friday night. The site will be determined by a coin flip.

The championship game is expected to be moved to Thursday, Dec. 9, so it can be televised by Fox Sports West 2. The other semifinal features Valencia against Saugus.

Tailback Matthew Milton pounded his way for 147 yards rushing in 21 carries and scored three touchdowns.

John Sciarra completed 11 of 20 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Canyon (4-8) tied the game, 7-7, on quarterback Julio DeLeon’s 44-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

Milton’s six-yard run at the outset of the second quarter gave the Golden Knights a 14-7 halftime advantage.

Canyon was able to stay close thanks to a sack by sophomore defensive end Jon Sanden and an interception by linebacker Andrew Rees that halted potential St. Francis drives.

But Brett Mitchell returned the second-half kickoff 53 yards and Redell called the fumblerooski, a play his team has run repeatedly for success through the years. Bowman even juked to escape the only Canyon defender not fooled by the play.

St. Francis’ defense, which has struggled against running teams, came through with its best effort of the season against Canyon’s double wing offense.

“What I was concerned about is [Canyon] can control the clock with that offense and we’ve had trouble stopping the run, but with the exception of one play, [we] really bottled them up,” Redell said.