SAN FRANCISCO - Both Riordan and St. Francis saved their best for last in this thriller from start to finish.
In an exciting matchup between two of the best teams in the WCAL, St. Francis defeated Riordan 36-27. With the win, the Lancers claimed a share of the WCAL title - its first league championship since 2003. The Crusaders, one of the most improved teams in CCS, finished 7-3 (4-3 WCAL) and in a three-way tie for third place.
As a team St. Francis rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns but quarterback Kamali'i Akina also went to the air and completed five of 10 passes for 108 yards and three TDs with two going to wide receiver Darius Thomas.
Senior running back Lutoviko Ahoia led the rushing attack with 160 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown on a four-yard run that opened the scoring and gave St. Francis a 7-0 lead.
Tre'Sean Bishop had a blocked punt he recovered for a touchdown and also recovered a fumble, and kicker Courtney Ogren connected on a 36-yard field goal after Calcagno stuck with her after two five-yard procedure penalties. Ogren's successful kick with 2:18 left in the third quarter gave St. Francis a two-score lead and closed out the scoring.
The game's momentum swayed like a pendulum throughout, as both teams refused to lose any edge until the final buzzer sounded.
Tensions rose especially during Riordan's attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback. The Crusaders managed to force a turnover on downs and stop the Lancers deep in Riordan territory. Riordan then drove all the way to St. Francis' 25-yard line with less than five minutes to go, but defensive back Bennett Williams brilliantly intercepted quarterback Jacky Luavasa's touchdown pass attempt in the end zone and effectively seal the win for St. Francis.
"It was a team effort," remarked St. Francis head coach Greg Calcagno, whose team had four different players take it into the end zone. "We're big on tradition and this was a big win for us."
This high scoring affair was exciting from the very beginning, as Ahoia scored the Lancers first touchdown just four minutes into the game.
Riordan responded with a touchdown of its own as running back Jason Greene rushed in for a one-yard touchdown. Riordan was then able to get the ball back on an onside kick and score on Jacky Luavasa's four-yard rushing touchdown just 27 seconds later and give the Crusaders a 14-7 edge heading into the second quarter.
St. Francis tied the game at 14-14 with a 12-yard pass to Thomas from Akina. Riordan responded late in the second quarter when Jason Greene ran in his second touchdown of the game on a day two-yard run.
Though there was only two minutes left after Riordan scored, that didn't stop St. Francis, as Akina threw another touchdown pass to Thomas from 22 yards out, as it took St. Francis less than a minute to score. The game was tied 21-21 entering the second half.
"Riordan has a really good defense, but we were prepared," said Akina.
St. Francis scored quickly again in the third quarter as Akina threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio, giving St. Francis a 27-21 lead.
St. Francis scored again less than a minute later when defensive back Bishop blocked Dylan Ennis' punt attempt and recovered it in the end zone.
Riordan responded when Luavasa threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jason Boone to trim the lead to 33-27. St. Francis made it a two possession game again when Ogren connected on her field goal that barely got over the iron to give the Lancers a 36-27 advantage. St. Francis' defense didn't let Riordan score the rest of the game to seal the win.
"We came out flat and didn't execute," adds Riordan head coach Kevin Fordon. "We didn't get the stops we needed and made too many mistakes. All we can do now is get back into the zone tomorrow and get ready for CCS playoffs".
