SAN JOSE — The wait is over.
St. Francis, the most storied football program in the history of the Central Coast Section, is again its champion. And it only took 10 more years.
The Lancers, steered to greatness decades ago by legendary coach Ron Calcagno, entered Friday’s game against Los Gatos with 16 CCS championships, tied with the Wildcats for most all time.
They’re alone at the top now thanks to Ron’s son, Greg Calcagno, who led his St. Francis team to a 27-7 win over the Cats in the CCS Division I championship game.
It is the Lancers’ 17th section title in school history and their first since 2014, when Greg won his first in the CCS Division II championship game.
St. Francis’s Sean McCoy #7 and Chase Cahoon #5 celebrate a 27-7 victory over Los Gatos in the CCS Division I championship game, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, at San Jose City College. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
“Been a while. It feels good,” Calcagno said. “But more importantly, it feels good for our kids. They know our history, and that was a big one for everybody, for sure.”
St. Francis (10-3) had to get up off the mat after conceding the CCS Open Division championship game to St. Ignatius just a week ago, when Jarious Hogan snatched the title from the Lancers with a late rushing touchdown.
There would be no ambiguity this time. St. Francis led by 20 after three quarters, and the fourth quarter was merely a coda to another crowning moment for the Lancers’ program.
“We really opened it up tonight, and I think it worked, as the scoreboard showed,” said senior quarterback Aaron Knapp, who threw one touchdown pass and ran for another. “We were blessed to have some better conditions this week than we did last week. We got the passing game going early and often, first, second, third down.”
St. Francis’ Perrion Williams #3 slips between Los Gatos’ Gavin Jordan #12 and Kayden Bakhtiari for a touchdown in the CCS Division I championship game, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, at San Jose City College. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos (10-3) got the ball first, but a fourth-down stop in plus territory gave the Lancers a short field. They quickly capitalized, as Kingston Keanaaina’s 22-yard run set up a 1-yard sneak by Knapp that put St. Francis up 7-0.
“Our defense played phenomenal,” Calcagno said. “That football team scored a lot of points last week up in the city, and they’ve been on a roll. Great program. They were believing, and that’s a tough opponent. It was not easy. They had a plan, and defensively, we played phenomenal.”
It was the Lancers’ offense that got on a roll on Friday. Though Los Gatos countered with an 8-yard TD run by Grayson Doslak, Knapp quickly put the Lancers back on top.
He found Perrion Williams over the middle for a 36-yard score, showcasing the aerial excellence that a driving rainstorm grounded last week against SI.
St. Francis celebrates a 27-7 victory over Los Gatos in …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
