On a night in which wind and rain conditions made it difficult to move the football, St. Francis did what it does best: stopped the other team from scoring. The Lancers posted their fifth shutout of the season Saturday night at Westmont High, defeating Los Gatos, 17-0, for the CCS Division II championship. It was the 15th CCS title for St. Francis and denied the Wildcats their bid to become repeat D-II champions.
After a scoreless first half, the Lancers (8-5) controlled the second half as quarterback Mike Lauck hit Charlie Clarke with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:06 left in the third quarter to make it 7-0. St. Francis extended its lead to 14-0 on a 10-yard run by Alex Andrighetto (10 carries, 93 yards) with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter. A 30-yard field goal by Patrick Fordham with 2:11 left in the game sealed it for the Lancers.
The Wildcats (8-5) had a few chances to open the scoring in the first half, but a turnover deep in St. Francis territory and a missed field goal kept them off the board. Joey Wood led the way for Los Gatos with 108 yards rushing on 26 carries.
Lauck passed for 112 yards and added 88 yards rushing for the Lancers, but it was the WCAL's top-rated defense, which allowed just under 12 points per game all season, that ultimately proved to be too much for the Wildcats.
