By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor Don’t let the 49-20 score fool you. St. Francis dominated and decimated La Serna Friday night in a nonleague contest. It was a showdown between two football powers and teams that have punched it out for the last several years that featured games that came down to the final minute. […]
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
Don’t let the 49-20 score fool you.
St. Francis dominated and decimated La Serna Friday night in a nonleague contest.
It was a showdown between two football powers and teams that have punched it out for the last several years that featured games that came down to the final minute.
The Lancers scored one touchdown with one second to play in the first half when St. Francis already led, 42-0.
And La Serna (2-2) called a timeout with 7 seconds to play in the game to stop a running clock that is enacted when a team leads by 35 points or more in the fourth quarter, and scored on the game’s final play.
St. Francis is now 3-0 and the Golden Knights have outscored their opponents by a margin of 139-41, and all this when their starters have played about 7 quarters of football over those three games, because of early and insurmountable leads.
Bobby Gazmarian continues to be huge and he set the tone early.
The senior picked off La Serna quarterback Ben Orona on the game’s first drive and brought it back 25 yards for a Pick-6 and a 7-0 lead.
Gazmarian would later pick Orona off for a second time.
After another defensive stop, Blake Howard took a Darius Perrantes pass 45 yards to the La Serna 1-yard line, and Kevin Armstead followed with a 1-yard TD run.
The efficiency for the St. Francis offense kept rolling as Darius Perrantes converted two third-and-long situations.
Elijah Washington, on 3rd-and-8, took a Perrantes pass 33 yards and then Isaac Cordova had a 15-yard reception on another third down scenario on the same drive.
Washington then rumbled in from 15 yards out after spinning away from a defender, and not long thereafter, E-Dub gave St. Francis a 28-0 lead when he scored on a 7-yard run.
The Golden Knights’ captain had 9 carries for 45 yards and the two TD’s.in only two quarters of work for the second consecutive week.
Perrantes put the game away with a 1-yard sneak and a 16-yard pass to the deceivingly quick and athletic Blake Howard.
The two scores gave St. Francis a 42-0, first-half cushion and the rest is history.
Armstead would go on to score the final SF points of the night on a short pitch from Greg Dulcich, who filled in for Perrantes at quarterback in the third quarter.
Before that, Dulcich did plenty.
The 6-foot-4 senior had four catches for 109 yards in just two quarters.
Dulcich set up two scores at receiver, and another at quarterback, and returned punts.
Senior defensive ends Gabriel Grbavac and Matt Barriga continued to harass offensive lineman and backfields with their speed and strength.
And the Golden Knights’ offensive line has given Perrantes time to throw and Washington and Armstead holes to walk through in the running game.
One guy several seniors agreed has given more than maybe they first anticipated is sophomore linebacker-tight end, Tanner Tomko.
Bobby Gazmarian, Andrew Monarrez, Sean Barkley and Elijah Washington all singled Tomko out as an ‘X-factor’ to why St. Francis has decimated Mira Costa, Pasadena and now La Serna to start the 2017 season.
Blake Howard had two catches for 61 yards.
Darius Perrantes finished 9 of 13 for 244 yards, and had a passing and rushing TD.
Isaac Cordova has also been huge in the SF success in 2017 with key catches and then runs after the reception.
St. Francis won’t be home for three weeks.
They travel to Saugus on Friday and Buena Park the following week.
Quotable:
SF coach Jim Bonds: “We were pretty pumped up to play this game. They knocked us out of the playoffs in 2014 and 2015 and our guys bought in to the game plan, then executed really well. I think we had an advantage up front on both sides of the ball, which allowed us to pretty much do what we wanted.”
SF receiver Greg Dulcich: “We were firing on all cylinders, and everything we did seemed to work out real nice. When everything is working, it’s pretty easy to be successful.”
SF quarterback Darius Perrantes: “We’re definitely more sound than the last couple of weeks. Other teams are capable of beating us, but we’re fighting. I feel I could do more scrambling and making plays.”
SF running back & captain Elijah Washington: “I expected to come out here and do what I did, play my best. All week I said I wanted to blow them out. Our defense carried the game.”
SF defensive end & captain Matt Barriga: “Our team executed the game plan and every year (against La Serna) we got a little smarter. I am real happy the way the team is coming together. We knew we had a smaller unit, so we had to come together.”
SF receiver Blake Howard: “We’re playing well in every facet of the game and kids are working really hard. We had some really close games with La Serna, so we worked hard and the game wasn’t as close as many thought it might be. I enjoy being overlooked (by opponents) and will continue to work hard and do everything I can to help this team win games.”
SF running back Kevin Armstead: “I go in whenever Elijah is tired and I just play my part, and my O-line is one of the best in the division. Darius is a playmaker. He is a really good quarterback. I knew he would be really good. He just needed his turn.”
SF defensive back Bobby Gazmarian: “We just stay disciplined and stayed in our gaps. We played as a unit. When someone made a mistake, we’d pick him up and tell him not to worry about it. We’re meshing together so much as a team and have great chemistry.”
SF defensive end Gabriel Grbavac: “This is the fourth year we’ve played this team and we were ready. Coach put in a good game plan and we executed it. We expected to win by the preparation we put in.”
Box Score:
La Serna: 0-7-0-13-(20)
St. Francia: 21-21-7-0-(49)
Scoring:
SF: Bobby Gazmarian 20 interception return (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Kevin Armstead 21 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Elijah Washington run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Elijah Washington 7 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Darius Perrantes 1 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Blake Howard 21 pass from Darius Perrantes (Tomas Quiroz kick)
LS: Alfonso Ibanez 21 pass from Ben Orona (James Salmons kick)
SF: Kevin Armstead 1 run (Tomas Quiroz kick)
LS: Ben Orona 5 run (James Salmons kick)
LS Calvin Salcido 10 pass from Ben Orona (No kick attempted)
Angelus League Standings:
Harvard-Westlake (4-0)
St. Francis (3-0)
Cathedral (3-1)
La Salle (2-2)
St. Paul (2-2)
Salesian (1-3)
Angelus League Scores Friday:
St. Francis 49, La Serna 20
La Salle 21, Muir 20
Loyola 17, Cathedral 7
Harvard-Westlake 62, El Camino Real 29
Salesian 34, St. Anthony 6
Huntington Park 62, Salesian 14
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