Downed in the Valley Downed in the Valley (November 11, 2005)

Lancers must regroup for CCS after falling to nemesis Valley Christian

By Scott Campbell

St. Francis knew it could only win the West Catholic Athletic League championship by dethroning Valley Christian. Though the Lancers entered this showdown of CCS titans a pristine 8-0, they were victimized by two second-half turnovers and fell to the host Warriors, 20-7, in front of 6,000 on Nov. 4.

To beat its nemesis, St. Francis would have to solve the Warriors' defense. In the teams' most recent meeting, the Lancers suffered a 21-0 defeat in the 2004 CCS semifinals. And in winning its first five league contests this season, Valley Christian had allowed a measly 5 points per game.

Throughout the first half, St. Francis (8-1, 4-1 WCAL) looked to be up to the challenge. The Lancers marched 63 yards on 17 plays during their first possession to take the early lead on tailback Matt Taufoou's one-yard touchdown run.

"We came out strong ... and just ran our plays," Lancers quarterback Richie Scudellari said of the drive that lasted 9:51. "We put the ball in the end zone. That's what we wanted to do."

Though Valley Christian (9-1, 6-0 WCAL) rallied to knot the game at 7-7 after a 22-yard touchdown pass from Dante Perez to halfback Mike Ginther, St. Francis came within a missed 35-yard field goal by Scudellari of taking a halftime lead on the Warriors' field.

The second half was a different story.

Scudellari appeared to complete a pass to tailback Ryan Perry for a first down shortly after the second-half kickoff, but the hard throw bounced off Perry and directly into the hands of Valley Christian's Jake Walker.

Three plays after the interception, Perez connected with wideout Bryan North on a spectacular 32-yard touchdown that, following Ben Hansen's point-after, gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead.

The momentum continued to swing Valley Christian's way when St. Francis again coughed up the ball deep in its own territory.

Under heavy pressure by the Warriors' pass rush, Scudellari was intercepted by linebacker Mike Giancola at the Lancers' 10-yard line.

Though Taufoou tackled Giancola to prevent a sure touchdown and the fired-up St. Francis defense held strong, Valley Christian pushed its lead to 17-7 when Hansen converted a 22-yard field goal with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.

"You can't win too many games when you don't hold onto the football," said St. Francis coach Mike Mitchell. "You can't give them position, give them a chance to score like that."

Valley Christian, the defending WCAL and CCS champion, kept the pressure on by recording two fourth-quarter sacks and limiting the Lancers to just one first down in the second half. Taufoou, St. Francis' standout tailback who has two three-touchdown games this season, was held to 38 yards on 11 carries.

The Warriors' Hansen completed the scoring with a 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Asked the recipe for his team's success, Warriors coach Mike Machado said, "Being able to make plays when the opportunities were there and not giving up the big play. That's what tonight was all about."

Meanwhile, a despondent St. Francis was left to rue its mistakes.

"When you turn over the ball, you're going to lose the game," said Lancers offensive tackle Mark Boskovich. "That's what happens."

The loss left St. Francis with a second consecutive runner-up finish in the WCAL and will likely cost the Lancers the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CCS playoffs.

With only a visit to St. Ignatius on Nov. 12 remaining before the postseason begins, the Lancers know they need to rebound quickly.

"For the guys, this is kind of a wakeup call," said Scudellari, who finished 11-of-27 passing with 2 interceptions. "We're going to be ready, and we're going to come out and play the best game we've played yet this year."

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

E-mail a friend a link to this story.