SAN FRANCISCO – Mike Mitchell Jr. is committed to Vanderbilt because of his accurate right arm, one that threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday afternoon in San Francisco.
But facing fourth-and-1 on the 15-yard line and trailing by three with nine minutes left in the game, Riordan’s junior quarterback flashed that he has some SEC-caliber athleticism on a 15-yard run up the middle.
Then he finished that display of speed by showcasing obvious toughness when the 5-foot-9 Mitchell absorbed a crunching hit from St. Francis linebacker Sefanaia Alatini at the goal line and still powered into the end zone.
The host Crusaders took a lead that it would not relinquish on senior day, defeating league-leading St. Francis 34-24 in front of a packed crowd on Frida Kahlo Way and denying the Lancers the outright West Catholic Athletic League title.
“This win makes it so that we’ve beat every team in the WCAL since I’ve been here,” said Mitchell, who ran for a team-high 67 yards on five carries. “It’s cool, because that’s a really good team. We don’t want to take anything for granted. This is a special win, but now its on to the playoffs.”
Riordan quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. #9 scores the go-ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter despite a ferocious goal line hit by St. Francis’ Sefanaia Alatini #32, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
St. Francis, which led 24-21 entering the fourth quarter, fell to 8-2 and will now share the WCAL crown with St. Ignatius with a 6-1 league record.
“We have to be better than we were today to win a game against a good opponent and program like Riordan,” Lancers coach Greg Calcagno said. “We had to make plays when the time came, and they were the ones who did. We made some plays, but we didn’t make enough of them and they made more.”
Riordan improves to 6-4, 5-2 and has won four in a row.
Chris Lawson caught four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, and also had one interception. Fellow wideout Cynai Thomas caught a touchdown and had an absurd one-handed interception while falling out of bounds in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve seen him do that one before,” Lawson said of Thomas. “That’s regular for him. He’s a dog.”
Archbishop Riordan celebrates their fourth quarter comeback win against St. Francis, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
St. Francis running back Kingston Keanaaina ran for 97 yards and returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and quarterback Aaron Knapp threw for 121 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for another.
But it was the underrated Riordan offensive line, led by senior tackle Peter Langi, that imposed its will on the game. Jeremiah Jones and Adonyae Brown combined for 103 yards and a touchdown, seemingly always getting the tough yard or two the Crusaders needed in key spots.
After Thomas’ interception, Brown gave Riordan a 10-point lead on a 10-yard touchdown right up the gut with 3:51 left in the game.
“This feels good because last year they beat us, so it feels good to get them back,” Brown said.
Riordan’ Adonyae Brown #32 dives into the end zone for a 4th quarter touchdown while tackled by St. Francis’ Quentin Robinson, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The Lancers started the scoring in the first quarter when Knapp finished off a five-play drive with a nine-yard keeper up the middle.
Riordan answered a few minutes later when the Crusaders went on an 18-play, 81-yard drive that concluded with Mitchell scrambling to his right and floating a looping pass to Wesley Winn for a four-yard score.
Keanaaina put St. Francis back on top by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but the Crusaders responded when Mitchell connected with Thomas for a five-yard touchdown on a fade route to cap a 10-play drive with 5:28 left in the first half.
Lawson gave Riordan the lead with 56 seconds to go in the first half on a 25-yard touchdown reception, but St. Francis quickly moved the ball downfield on its next drive and went into halftime tied at 21 when Joey Paulson caught an 18-yard touchdown on a crossing route.
Defense dominated the third quarter, the only points coming when Aaron Wong kicked in a short field goal with 0:32 left in the period.
Riordan dominated the fourth quarter though, running 21 plays to St. Francis’ six and closing out the game.
Both teams will make the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs, which will be unveiled on Sunday.
“We’re starting to turn the corner, and I like our momentum going into the playoffs,” Riordan coach Adhir Ravipati said.
Riordan head coach Adhir Ravipati celebrates the final seconds of the Crusaders’ fourth quarter comeback against St. Francis, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
St. Francis’ Kingston Keanaaina #2 rushes against Archbishop Riordan in the fourth quarter, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
St. Francis’ Perrion Williams #3 catches a pass between the defense of Archbishop Riordan’s Skylar Tiatia #10 and Jeremiah Jones #2, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Riordan quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. #9 breaks free for a 16-yard rush against St. Francis , Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)