LOS ALTOS, CA – After last year’s loss to the Palma Chieftains, St. Francis (2-0) strong-armed Palma (0-2) with a 26-0 victory in its home opener, providing a brilliant start to its season. The Lancers have shut out both of their opponents so far in 2013.
However, that shutout was jeopardized when Palma picked up a fumble in the third quarter. The Lancers’ defense braced itself. On fourth-and-2, St. Francis’ sidelines roared, “Nothing deep, nothing cheap.”
Something must have resonated because Palma quarterback Mitchell Kidd was brought down by one Lancer, and as Kidd threw the ball away, a second Lancer blocked the pass. This impenetrable defense from the likes of 6-foot-6 Alessandro Lenarduzzi and 6-foot-8 Ryan Popolizio kept Palma’s passing-oriented offense in check.
"It's an 'all-team' thing. They're rushing the passer, guys are covering him pretty good, and the back guys are flying around," said first-year St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno. "The defense has done a fine job, and the kids are playing fantastic. They're believing in what we're doing."
The game opened slowly for St. Francis with only a field goal in the first quarter and another in the second. Lancer kicker Patrick Fordham’s abilities were seriously put to the test when he attempted a 54-yard field goal at the close of the first half. A controversial call ruled that it was no good, leaving the Lancers with a 6-0 lead at the half.
Senior Alex Andrighetto, who totaled 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns, took this minor setback in stride as he led the Lancers to a late first touchdown in the second half.
“We knew a bunch of people would be here for opening night. We wanted to put on a show. That's what I told them,” explained Andrighetto. "We came out like we did against Oak Grove, and we showed it."
St. Francis opened the season with a 28-0 win at Oak Grove a week ago and followed it up by avenging last year's 20-15 defeat to the Chieftains.
In a single drive, Andrighetto and senior Landon Baty carried the ball for 57 and 23 yards, respectively, and since the Lancers missed their two-point conversion, the scoreboard read 12-0 Lancers at the end of the third quarter.
“I thought we did a better job [than last week] coming out of halftime, putting some points on the board, and really trying to take the wind of their sails," Calcagno added.
The game ended with a bang with critical plays on offense and defense. Baty nimbly slipped through the Palma defense and did much of the legwork for Andrighetto, who finished the drive for a touchdown run from one yard out to increase the lead to 19-0.
"[Our running backs] each have a couple of things they do well, and it's nice to be able to alternate them and have success," Calcagno said.
On the following play, junior Riley Quinn intercepted Kidd’s pass, delivering a serious blow to the Chieftains’ morale. Junior Devin Hurtado rushed the ball for a third touchdown to effectively seal the victory for the Lancers, 26-0.
"We've had five shutouts in the last six games that we've played as a team, including last year. We come out strong every week, and no one can run on us," Andrighetto said. "I think we have a chance to go as far as we did last year and even farther. We want to go to the Open Division championships, and we'll see if we can do it."
The Lancers’ next opponent is Skyline (0-2), which has yet to score any points. Saint Francis will look to extend its shutout streak at home, while Palma will try to pick up its first win of the season when it travels to Saint Joseph September 20 (7:30 pm).
