SAN FRANCISCO - As senior kicker Damon Lewis drilled an extra point with 1:15 remaining in regulation during Saturday’s contest between St. Ignatius and Serra, the Padres had appeared to finally pull even with the Wildcats, tying the game at 14 following an improbable 97-yard drive. And then bedlam ensued.
At the end of the extra point attempt, SI senior Jafer Snipes ran into the leg of Lewis, drawing a roughing the kicker call. Serra coach Patrick Walsh decided to go for the win, electing to go for two from a yard and a half away. With a perfect season and an outright WCAL title hanging in the balance, Serra quarterback Dominique Lampkin handed the ball off to Nate Sanchez, who was brought down by Snipes just inches short of the goal line. After the failed attempt, St. Ignatius senior Mike Harrison scooped up the ensuing onside kick, sealing a 14-13 St. Ignatius victory. This win not only snapped SI’s 14-year long losing streak against Serra, but gave the Wildcats their third-ever WCAL title, and their first since 2006.
This hectic finish was set up by a chaotic set of sequences to begin the fourth quarter. The Wildcats began the fourth quarter up seven, and in the midst of a nine-minute drive which led deep into Serra territory. However, after a set of key penalties and losses, the Wildcats settled for a 35-yard field goal attempt from Kealan O’Connor. The Padres blocked the attempt, giving the Padres the ball on their own three-yard line with 5:15 remaining. Lampkin led the Padres down the field, completing nine of his ten passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, as well as scrambling for 12 yards on a fourth-and-11 to keep the Serra drive alive. Yet, even with these efforts, the Padres came up inches short of the first perfect regular season for the school in the Walsh era, as the Wildcats stood tall on a two point attempt.
"There are times where it seems like games come down to just one drive," Walsh stated. "But we need to go into the film room and ask ourselves what we did on those other nine drives."
The theme of physicality was apparent from early on during Saturday’s contest. St. Ignatius junior Jahsai Shannon fumbled the opening kickoff, setting the Padres up deep inside Wildcat territory. Yet, facing a fourth-and-one on the St. Ignatius six-yard line during that first possession, the Wildcats came up with the ball following another fumble. The Wildcats used this physicality in their run game, as Joe Celentano and Shannon combined for 87 yards from scrimmage, while quarterback Teddye Buchanan added 56 yards on the ground on 14 rushes. The Padres rushing attack came out strong to start the second half, as the Padres totaled 27 rushing yards and a one yard touchdown rush by Jackson Lataimua on their opening drive of the third quarter. Lataimua would finish the day with 15 yards on four rushing attempts, while also intercepting Buchanan on the defensive side of the ball.
The Wildcats continued to shine in the passing game, as Buchanan connected to fellow senior Danny Ryan early and often. After connecting with Ryan to cap of SI’s first drive, Buchanan dialed Ryan’s number on third and long for a 22 yard fade in the corner of the end zone with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. The two added impressive numbers to their already gaudy 2019 season totals, as Buchanan threw for 150 total yards, hitting Ryan nine times for 123 yards and two touchdowns. With this performance, Ryan formally set the single season WCAL reception record, passing Mitch Hanninger’s (Archbishop Mitty) single season record with 56 catches during the conference season.
"We're gonna take it one week at a time," Ryan said regarding his mindset going into CCS play. "We're gonna come back to practice on Monday with momentum on our side".
Overall, the Wildcats looked sharp on both sides of the ball on Saturday, as they were the second WCAL team this season to hold the Padres to under 14 points. Juniors Siaki Gallegos-Hunkin and Duke Reeder both had key third down tackles to end Padre drives, while defensive backs Devin Enos and Reade Hanson provided tight coverage all day long, limiting Lampkin's options deep.
"I am really just proud of these guys," coach John Regalia said following the victory. "It just summed up to taking everything one day at a time, and that is what these coaches and players did this season, and that is what took us to this place".
The Serra offensive attack got better as the game went on, as the sophomore signal-caller Lampkin continued to grow his confidence. Filling in for the injured Daylin Mclemore, Lampkin got better as the game went on, leading the Padres to touchdowns on two of their three drives in the second half while showing off his mobility, extending plays and evading tackles, including an impressive throw to Terence Loville for a six-yard score on third-and-goal with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Lampkin finished the day completing 17 of his 22 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.
The two schools finished WCAL play at a record of 6-1 and, along with Valley Christian who also finished 6-1, share the WCAL title. Both squads expect to be contenders in the CCS Division One bracket, leaving a potential rematch as a possibility. Both teams will know their ultimate fate after the CCS seeding meeting is over on Sunday.
