Stopped in the semis Stopped in the semis (December 02, 2005)

St. Francis football falls to Palma in battle of CCS titans

By Scott Campbell

In a flash, St. Francis saw all of its momentum evaporate.

Seconds after rallying to tie Palma at 10-10 midway through the fourth quarter in this CCS Open Division semifinal, the Lancers surrendered a 60-yard kickoff return that gave the Chieftains prime field position.

Palma's Jordan Casas fielded the kick at the 18-yard line, eluded St. Francis tacklers up the left side of the field, and then burst across the field and down the right sideline. The return and a St. Francis personal foul following the play set up the Chieftains' game-winning touchdown, a two-yard dive by quarterback Casas four plays later.

Though the No. 7 Lancers had two more possessions, they couldn't break through the inspired Palma defense, and saw their season end in a 16-10 defeat at San Jose City College on Nov. 26.

"We didn't want to kick it to him, and we kicked it to him," said Lancers coach Mike Mitchell of Casas' dramatic return. "It was like the ball was just attracted to him. Not only that ... but we get a penalty and they tack that on and we've gone from having the momentum to them on our 9-yard line."

"It was 'return left' and they kicked it to the left," said Casas, "so it set up perfectly. I just saw a big hole and I cut back all the way to the right ... and just tried to go all the way."

After stumbling to a fumble-induced, 10-0 deficit in the first half, St. Francis showed the might that spurred the team to a season-opening, eight-game winning streak.

The Lancers held No. 6 Palma to a three-and-out to start the second half before setting out on a methodical drive that spanned 69 yards over 11 plays. Junior Michael Calcagno kicked a 25-yard field goal to bring St. Francis within 10-3 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.

A 10-yard sack by Lancers defensive lineman Je' Marcus Williams helped shut down the Chieftains' offense on its next possession. Then St. Francis again moved the ball with purpose.

Using its full array of playmakers, the Lancers (9-3) ate up 6:22 on their bruising 14-play, 85-yard drive. Senior Desmond Howard got the call at the 9-yard line and, with fellow back Matt Taufoou clearing out the left flat, ran untouched for the touchdown.

Calcagno's point-after completed St. Francis' stirring comeback with 7:01 remaining, but Casas turned the game right back in Palma's favor.

"He almost single-handedly took the game into his own hands," said Chieftains coach Jeff Carnazzo of his star senior, who rushed 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Though Chieftains kicker Kyle Harrigan's missed point-after left the door open for a St. Francis victory with a touchdown and conversion, Palma held the Lancers to two yards on their ensuing possession and then marched all the way to the St. Francis 14-yard line once it got the ball back.

Running back Matt Perkins, who totaled 100 yards on 19 carries, attempted to give the Chieftains a first down and the ability to run out the clock on a fourth-and-one rush, but St. Francis co-captain Ryan Perry burst through the line to stop him for a two-yard loss.

After the turnover on downs, St. Francis took possession with just 27.3 seconds remaining. A reception by Rhett Ellison moved the ball to the St. Francis 35-yard line, but quarterback Richie Scudellari's desperation heave was intercepted by Palma's Michael Willrodt as the clock ran out on the game and the Lancers' season.

"We bounced back and we had a chance to win the game, but you know, we just didn't come through," said Scudellari, who completed 8-of-16 passes for 93 yards. "We just didn't have enough time left on the clock at the end of the game."

The Lancers stumbled out of the gate when junior Ryan Van Amburg lost track of a soaring punt by Willrodt after the Lancers appeared to force an early three-and-out. The Chieftains recovered the fumble at the St. Francis 9-yard line.

Though the Lancers' defense held strong, Harrigan booted a 23-yard field goal to give his team a quick 3-0 lead.

The Chieftains (10-2) pushed their advantage to 10-0 following Brendan Bartley's 3-yard touchdown run with 6:01 left in the second quarter.

St. Francis appeared to be rolling on the ensuing possession once Scudellari connected with Ellison over the middle for a 25-yard gain to Palma's 28-yard line, but the junior tight end lost the ball while being crunched by Chieftains' tacklers.

"We turned the ball over and you can't do that against a good team like Palma," said Howard, the St. Francis tailback who netted 46 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. "If you want to be the best, you've got to beat some of the best and we weren't able to do that today."

The loss marked the second time in three years that St. Francis was eliminated by Palma. The Chieftains upended the Lancers, 17-13, in the Division I championship game in 2003.

"We've had two great contests with them," said Mitchell of the teams that have won a combined 23 CCS titles. "Unfortunately in both, we've come up short. Hopefully, we'll get another chance at them next year."

St. Francis also fell short in its bid for a re-match with Valley Christian, the WCAL champion, which defeated the Lancers 20-7 on Nov. 4. The No. 1 Warriors eliminated St. Francis in the 2004 semifinals and play Palma in this year's championship game on Dec. 2.

For a program with such an illustrious history, one player's reaction to missing out on the chance for title No. 15 showed how high the Lancers' standards are.

"Good year? It was a good year," said Taufoou, a St. Francis co-captain, "but we didn't win a championship. It doesn't mean anything."

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