By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor Ask anyone on the St. Francis sidelines and they’ll tell you Friday night’s 39-14 victory at Buena Park was not a thing of beauty. They got off to a slow start offensively and turned the ball over a couple of times. But despite that, the Golden Knights do so many […]
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
Ask anyone on the St. Francis sidelines and they’ll tell you Friday night’s 39-14 victory at Buena Park was not a thing of beauty.
They got off to a slow start offensively and turned the ball over a couple of times.
But despite that, the Golden Knights do so many things well and get contributions from every player that steps on the field for them.
And at the end of the day, they’re 5-0, and that’s all that matters.
Greg Dulcich moved in from wide receiver to quarterback to fill in for an ailing Darius Perrantes.
The 6-foot-4 senior did throw two interceptions, but he led the offense competently, and he scored three TD’s with his feet.
Dulcich scored on runs of 7, 1 and 5 yards, respectively, and he was able to extend drives with his arm as well.
Blake Howard, Isaac Cordova, Andrew Monarrez and Elijah Washington all had catches to keep the chains moving, and helped set up scores for the Golden Knights.
One of the game’s turning points was a blocked punt midway through the second quarter.
Leading just 7-0, St. Francis defensive end Gabriel Grbavac, blocked a Buena Park punt and Max Mota picked it up and brought it back 46 yards for the score and the 14-0 lead.
Buena Park did get a 15-yard TD in the second quarter when Jordan Simpson hit Alijah Allen to cut the lead to 14-7.
The Coyotes, though, would get no closer the rest of the evening.
Their only other score came on a Michael Macias Pick-6 in the third quarter off of Dulcich.
Elijah Washington had a 1-yard TD in the first quarter and Nico Boschetti converted a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Grbavac created two Buena Park turnovers for the Golden Knights on Friday.
St. Francis will host St. Paul next Friday at 7, as the Golden Knights kick off Angelus League action.
The Golden Knights expect to get Perrantes back in time for St. Paul and they should be firing on all cylinders.
Quotable:
SF coach Jim Bonds: “Our defense made a short field for us almost all night. We came out flat. When you move Greg to quarterback, you’re down two spots on offense. Isaac is one of our smartest football players. He’s always at the right spot at the right time.”
SF senior Greg Dulcich: “Our defense did a good job setting the tone for us. Right away, I had a few jitters going in, but once we got into the second drive, I was ready to go. We’re looking pretty good.”
SF senior Elijah Washington: “Offensively, it was a slow start, but we executed with the running game. We can’t keep doing that (slow starts offensively). Greg’s a great quarterback and a good athlete.”
SF senior Gabriel Grbavac: “I think we had a slow start coming out on defense, but we made some adjustments. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. Greg did a good job. It’s tough to step up at that position.”
SF senior Blake Howard: “Our quarterback (Darius Perrantes) was hurt and Greg (Dulcich) stepped in and did well. Well, 5-0 is always a good thing and we’re ready to go (for league play next week).”
SF senior Isaac Cordova: “My role is to block for the running backs, and when I get the ball it feels really good, because all my blocking paid off.
Scoring:
SF: Elijah Washington 1 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Max Mota 46 punt block return (Nico Boschetti kick)
BP: Alijah Allen 15 pass from Jordan Simpson (Anthony Cazales kick)
SF: Greg Dulcich 7 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
SF: Greg Dulcich 1 run (Isaac Cordova pass to Conor McGrory)
BP: Michael Macias 9 interception return (Anthony Cazales kick)
SF: Nico Boschetti 27 field goal
SF: Greg Dulcich 5 run (Nico Boschetti kick)
Box Score:
SF: 7-14-8-10-(39)
BP: 0-7-7-0-(14)
Records:
St. Francis (5-0); Buena Park (1-4)
Angelus League Standings:
St. Francis (5-0)
Harvard-Westlake (5-0)
Cathedral (4-1)
La Salle (2-3)
St. Paul (2-3)
Salesian (1-4)
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