Bellarmine's offense struggled as Saint Francis took control of the game. | Matthew Asuncion |
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - A 48-yard touchdown pass to Bellarmine fullback Brandon Bumanlag on third-and-eight put the Bells up 6-3 with 5:01 remaining in the second quarter. Following a blocked extra-point, however, the Bells were shut out for the remainder of the game as the Lancers notched a key 31-6 victory over their WCAL rivals on Homecoming night.
This is the second year in a row that St. Francis has taken down rival Bellarmine, who had won the 11 contests prior spanning back to 2005. However, whereas the previous five were decided by 10 or fewer points, the 25-point margin of victory is the largest for either team since 2008.
“With this being a rivalry game, we knew there were going to be lots of ups and downs,” said St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno. “We just wanted to make sure that we kept our focus and that we executed the game plan that we put in place.”
The first quarter was largely a defensive battle, as neither team could fully penetrate the others’ defense. Bellarmine started the game with a three-and-out, and a shanked punt gave the Lancers possession at the BCP 28-yard line. A catch for tight end Junior Fehoko on third-and-9 gave St. Francis a fresh set of downs, but a stingy defensive line led by defensive tackles Cade Hall and Hayden Laccabue prevented the Lancers from advancing further.
A missed field goal kick gave the Bells a fresh start, but their offense was once again unable to earn a first down. Pass coverage from defensive backs Justin Sinclair and Christopher Senteno stymied the efforts of Bellarmine quarterback Jack Devine, and the Lancers would regain possession at the SF 33.
“We Just took away the inside routes,” said Sinclair, “Evan had it covered in the back, so we were all confident that we could shut them down [on passing].”
The Lancers’ ground game remained relatively stagnant in the ensuing drive, and a sack on third down would force them to settle for a punt to the BCP 2 at 3:11. Bellarmine running back Austin Ajiake would make a crucial run on third-and-8 from the BCP 3-yard line with 1:44 remaining in the quarter, and the gears seemed to be going for the Bellarmine offense.
However, a defensive line led by Army All-American Tyler Manoa would bring the Bells to a halt at their own 20, and another stray punt would allow the Lancers to start the second quarter at the BCP 40. A run for running back Darrell Page and an additional penalty against the Bells would bring the Lancers deep into Bells territory, and a kick from Alessandro Maiuolo would put the Lancers ahead 3-0 with 8:14 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bells fought back on the following possession, as Bellarmine fullback Brandon Bumanlag weaved through the Lancer defense and put the Bells ahead with 5:01 remaining in the half. However, Justin Sinclair would block the Bellarmine PAT, and kept the score at 6-3. The Lancers found themselves in trouble in the next series, as a Bumanlag sack forced the Lancers into a second-and-18 situation from their own 9. A deep 41-yard lob to Darrell Page on third-and-11 brought the Lancers to the BCP 40 with 2:57 remaining in the half.
Reed Vettel would complete the drive with a 29-yard pass to wide receiver Maurice “Momo” Wilmer, and the Lancers regained the lead with 1:44 remaining in the half. Bellarmine attempted to push their offense downfield in the final two minutes but gave up an interception to defensive back Evan Williams at 1:22. A 34-yard run for Page brought the Lancers to the BCP 4, and a pass to Williams stamped a 62-yard, 1:01 drive for St. Francis and gave them the 17-6 lead heading into the half. Vettel (8-11, 135yd, 2 TD through the half) passed to five different receivers in the first half, with neither receiver catching more than two receptions.
“It’s always great when you can have different threats,” said Williams. “It helps us get easy runs and easy passes down the middle, and it opens up lanes for our offense to work.”
“It’s just free movement,” added wide receiver Malik Johnson. “Just like coach taught us, keep your legs moving, and you’ll find a way through.”
The Bells posted a combined 116 yards in the first half, with 49 through the air (the bulk coming from the 48-yard TD pass to Bumenlag) and 67 by ground (Ajiake 5-27, Devine 5-29).
The Lancers began to, quite literally, run away with the game during the second half, as Page (22-152) tacked on 96 yards on 6 carries. A 60-yard run for Page at 5:02 of the third quarter set up Williams’s second TD catch of the night and put the Lancers ahead 24-6. A 32-yard run for running back Nick Robinson and a 20-yard gain for Lucas Andrighetto set up an 8-yard TD run for Andrighetto with 11:52 remaining in the contest. The score would hold at 31-6 until the end of the game.
The Bells gained only 44 yards in the second half, as Devine (4-17 for 55 yards passing, 8 carries for 36 yards rushing) was able to complete only one pass for the entirety of the half. Running back Ajiake (13-46) posted no runs greater than 10 yards throughout the game. The Bells found no sustained offense throughout the game, and it cost them in the end.
“The guys were prepared on defense, and there were no surprises coming out from there,” said Coach Calcagno.
Saint Francis (7-2, 5-1 WCAL) will face Serra in a WCAL-deciding match at home on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 P.M. Bellarmine (4-5, 2-4) will return home to face Saint Ignatius at San Jose City College on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 P.M.
To visit GameCenter for this game, please click
here
