By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor It’s long been said that regardless of sport, the best players raise their game when their team needs them most. For St. Francis senior and captain Greg Dulcich, that meant the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs. The 6-foot-4 receiver finished his final prep season with 50 catches for 1,168 yards and […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
It’s long been said that regardless of sport, the best players raise their game when their team needs them most.
For St. Francis senior and captain Greg Dulcich, that meant the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs.
The 6-foot-4 receiver finished his final prep season with 50 catches for 1,168 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.
Those numbers alone are impressive, but consider the fact that Dulcich had 500 of those yards and seven of those touchdowns in the playoffs.
The Golden Knights had the area’s deepest receiving core and yet Dulcich’s playoff stats were more than the 2017 season totals for any SF receiver other than Blake Howard’s 581 yards.
He was highly instrumental in St. Francis earning a spot in the CIF title game for the first time in 53 years.
Dulcich didn’t just make big, timely and difficult catches, his ability to use his long legs and that stride helped separate himself from almost every defender that tried to cover him.
When SF quarterback Darius Perrantes was out for the Buena Park game, Dulcich filled in and ran the show successfully.
As the Golden Knights QB in that game, Dulcich had three rushing touchdowns in the 39-14 road victory.
Aside from his monstrous receiving numbers, Dulcich had 252 yards rushing and those three TD’s, and he also threw for a pair of scores.
In playoff victories over La Serna, Citrus Hill and El Toro, Dulcich was the target of every defense, but he was able to make really good athletes that guarded him look bad in trying to go up for jump balls or trying to catch up to him after a catch and run scenario.
His coaches and teammates love him, because he was able to put the disappointment of not earning the starting quarterback job behind him, and made himself the area’s best big-game receiver, not to mention his postseason accomplishments that would rival any player in the entire southern section last season.
It’s for his size, intelligence, selflessness, versatility and leadership skills that made it possible for Dulcich to walk on to UCLA in September and work to earn a spot as the Bruins’ tight end.
The irony behind this opportunity and decision is that many in the Dulcich family are diehard USC fans.’
In fact, Dulcich has a brother that is currently a senior at USC.
He has now put his family in a situation where they’ll have to figure out a way to cope with this good-natured dilemma.
Long after his playing days are over and he’s telling his future wife and children about what their father/husband did back in his high school days, Dulcich, along with his fellow captains Matt Barriga and Elijah Washington, can rest easy in the knowledge that they have secured their permanent place in Golden Knights’ lore for leading the program to heights it hadn’t seen since 1964
And for a team with such high standards both on and off the field, that’s about as good as it gets.
Quotable:
St. Francis captain Greg Dulcich: “The UCLA staff has been so great to me and the opportunity to play for (coach) Chip Kelly’s program and to be able to go to one of the best schools in the nation was unbeatable. St. Francis prepared me for this by giving me a hard working foundation. My time playing at St. Francis is truly unforgettable and means so much in my life. I remember growing up around the program while my brother played and hoping that I could one day become a Golden Knight. My coaches and brothers on the team pushed me to be the best player and young man I could possibly be, and without their support, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today. I want to thank my parents, the coaching staff, all our alumni, the fans and especially my teammates for everything they have done for me.”
Greg Dulcich Stats:
2016:
Rushing: 8 carries for 102 yards, two TD’s
Receiving: 30 receptions for 406 yards, four TD’s
2017:
Passing: 20 for 37 for 249 yards, two TD’s
Rushing: 33 carries for 252 yards, three TD’s
Receiving: 50 receptions for 1,168 yards, 12 TD’s
