SAN JOSE — St. Francis is known for physical running backs, huge offensive lines and a nonpareil ability to grind out yards.
But that was not the case on Friday when the Lancers were all about being explosive.
They scored four first-half touchdowns in the following fashion:
Wide receiver Perrion Williams took a wildcat snap and streaked 45 yards for the first score. Aaron Knapp hit Grant Righellis for a 94-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline.
Kingston Keanaaina returned a kickoff 98 yards for a third touchdown and then took a screen pass 75 yards for another score.
“Really our identity is the run game, but we had chances to make some big plays out there and for the most part we did,” Knapp said.
St. Francis ran only eight plays from scrimmage in the first half for 249 yards while Valley Christian ran 36 plays for 177 yards. The Lancers had an 18-point lead at halftime and that lead stood up at the end of the game, a 35-17 victory in a matchup between two of the top teams in the West Catholic Athletic League.
“Pretty mind-blowing, actually,” said Knapp, who also threw another TD pass to Righellis in the second half. “We felt good in that first half. Obviously we scored fast and that’s a shout out to the offensive line. They did a great job up front giving me time when we needed to throw it and creating open gaps when we were running the ball. I feel real good about our chances going ahead.”
With the win, St. Francis (8-1, 6-0) clinched no worse than a share of the WCAL title. The Lancers conclude the regular season at Riordan next Saturday. Second-place St. Ignatius (7-2, 5-1) plays Mitty at Foothill College on Friday.
Keanaaina’s two touchdowns gives him 20 for the season — 15 rushing, four on kick returns and one receiving.
“He’s pretty special, no doubt about it,” St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno said. “It was one of those nights. We’ve been working hard on special teams. The guys believe in each other. All our wide receivers hustled down field and made blocks for Kingston. It was great to see that.”
There are four Keanaainas on the St. Francis roster. Kevin Keanaaina, a cousin who joined the team after moving from Oregon, made a couple big hits playing linebacker on defense.
“He’s been a great addition to the team,” Calcagno said.
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Valley Christian (5-4, 4-2) scored first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 80 yards in 13 plays with freshman Rome Leota-Pritchard connecting with sophomore Lasavion Carr on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Williams’ run brought St. Francis even and Knapp’s bomb to Righellis put the Lancers ahead to stay. After a 37-yard field goal by Aaron Vanderveen brought Valley within 14-10, Keanaaina’s two long TDs in the final four minutes of the second quarter made it 28-10 at the half.
Marcel Leggett, despite taking some hits that kept him on the sideline more than he would’ve liked, led the Warriors with 104 yards rushing on 19 carries.