By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Damien started Friday night’s showdown with visiting St. Francis in fine form.
But it was the way they finished the contest that allowed the Spartans to outlast the Golden Knights, 23-19.
After taking a 10-0 lead in the first 16 minutes or so, St. Francis rebounded and led 19-10, thanks to three combined touchdowns by their guy, Bryson Reeves.
It almost looked like the Golden Knights had worn down the Spartans defense.
In the fourth and deciding quarter, however, Damien finished on a 13-0 run, which included a pair of TD runs from Steven Munoz.
Munoz scored on a 14-yard run to get the Spartans to within 19-17 of St. Francis.
And his 3-yard score with just over three minutes to play ended up being the game winner.
St. Francis quarterback Jack Jacobs had the Golden Knights driving in the waning moments, but after a deep pass bounced off a receiver’s chest, Daymon Burns would go on to pick Jacobs in the end zone to seal the victory.
As mentioned, the University of Utah commit, Bryson Reeves, is the real deal.
Reeves got St. Francis on the board, when he scored on an 18-yard strike from Jacobs at the end of the first half.
In the third period, he ran the ball around the end from eight yards out to give the Golden Knights its first lead of the game (13-10) and then, on a fourth-and-five play, Reeves took a Jacobs pass 23 yards and St. Francis extended its lead to 19-10.
But give Damien credit, its offense, especially the O-line, showed grit and character late, and the Spartans defense bent but didn’t break.
In all, Reeves caught eight passes for just under 150 yards.
Jacobs finished 19 of 32 for 253 yards, with two TD’s and the late pick.
Evan Jernegan had a big game for the Golden Knights, catching seven balls for 70 yards
Damien played three different quarterbacks, and it was a 4-yard pass from Dylan Gutierrez to Thomas Carroll that gave Damien a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Spartans would then take a 10-0 advantage when Drake Gonzales connected on a 30-yard, second-quarter field goal.
St. Francis’ 27-mile bus ride back to La Canada must have been a time of quiet reflection after bad snaps on point-after attempts cost them two points, not to mention a red-zone fumble and a blocked field goal attempt.
The following four clips were significant plays in Friday’s back-and-forth slugfest between two great programs and schools.
Box Score:
SF: 0-6-13-0-(19)
D: 7-3-0-13-(23)
Records: St. Francis (1-1); Damien (1-1)
** A big thank you to Ryan Tomey for the photos.
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