St. Francis Captures 1st in Academic Decathlon

St. Francis High School of La Canada Flintridge broke out of a seven-year second-place rut, topping perennial favorite Bishop Alemany of Mission Hills to capture first place in the Southern California Private School Academic Decathlon, officials announced Sunday at an awards banquet.

St. Francis, led by senior twins Patrick and Jackson Musker, was the top scorer out of 18 competing teams. The squad will travel to Modesto on March 7, where it will compete in the state championship.

Alemany, which had placed first seven years in a row, finished second. The third-place team award went to Mater Dei High of Santa Ana.

“Alemany is expected to win every year, and I think that puts a lot of pressure on them,” said Jackson Musker. “It was like David and Goliath. I’m glad it came true for us.”

Patrick Musker said he and his brother kept competitive by constantly quizzing each other. He said his parents have asked the two to try to relax more.

“They’re self-motivated and disciplined,” Coach Rudy Trujillo said. “As a result, they’ve been able to help each other and give leadership to the rest of the team.”

Unlike most teams, which have nine members, St. Francis fields a squad of seven.

The other five decathletes are juniors Alex Davis, Justin Gopiao, Tom Edwards and Eddie Sapetto, and senior Yuta Nakanish.