Fresh off last year’s San Francisco Section championship and an appearance in the CIF 6-AA play-in game, Lincoln shows no signs of slowing things down in 2017, evidenced by a 2-0 start, with wins over Irvington and Santa Cruz.
Last week, in Santa Cruz, the Mustangs shook off a slow start and erased a 10-0 halftime deficit to down the Cardinals, 21-10. The Lincoln defense held Santa Cruz to 174 total yards, while the Mustangs’ own run game got untracked in the second half and finished the game with 236 yards on the ground. Junior Desean Crawford carried the ball 19 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
“We played really well down there (in Santa Cruz),” said Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno, who has led the program since 2002. “Our defense has been ahead of the offense at this point, but we are also just focusing on getting ready for league right now, and putting stress on as many kids as possible.”
Ferrigno may be focused on the upcoming Academic Athletic Association schedule, as non-league games have no bearing on playoff seeding for San Francisco public schools, but his team is making its mark outside the city as well.
In the season opener against Irvington, Lincoln trailed early when the Vikings’ Sam Carpio returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but the Mustangs simply responded with 21 unanswered points, including scoring runs from Crawford and Josiah Calvo-Martinez. Meanwhile, Jackson Walker, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for the AAA, had two interceptions in the win over Irvington and then returned a pick 80 yards for a touchdown in the win over Santa Cruz.
The win over Irvington looks even better two weeks later, as the Vikings are now 2-1, with wins over Lindhurst and Arroyo, the latter coming in the form of a 55-6 blowout. The success is coming with a simple formula for the Mustangs.
“We play hard, and that’s a great thing for us,” Ferrigno said. “Even if we don’t play our best, we bring a great effort.”
It certainly helps to have a cast of talented players to get the job done. Junior Jovan Baker anchors the secondary at his safety position, while also splitting time at quarterback. Six-foot senior Ming Hung Lee and six-foot junior Albert Moore hold down the defensive line, while junior Julian Aguirre is free to roam at linebacker. Then there is the playmaker Walker at cornerback, with Crawford playing all over the field, but making his biggest impact in the offensive backfield.
“Desean is a smart football player, and he runs hard,” Ferrigno said. “We’ve had some great running backs during my time at Lincoln, and he can be up there.”
Lincoln faces a significantly larger challenge this Friday night, traveling to Carlmont to face the undefeated Scots, before returning home against El Camino-South San Francisco the following week. League play opens on September 29 against Balboa.
Galileo comeback not enough in loss to Hercules
Sophomore Yarvell Smith ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns, but Galileo could not overcome a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to Hercules, falling 20-14 last Friday.
Likewise, Skyline got 224 passing yards and 79 yards on the ground from Naseme Colvin, but could not slow down Sequoia, falling 28-12 against the Cherokee.
Transbay Rankings
1. McClymonds
2. Fremont
3. Lincoln
4. Oakland Tech
5. Mission
6. Skyline
7. Galileo
8. Washington
Rankings include the top eight teams between the two sections. Four teams in each section qualify for the playoffs, hence the top eight designation. In past years, the champion from each section played in what was called the Transbay Championship.
