Photos by Ryan Tomey

Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Who: Long Beach Poly (10-3) vs St. Francis (10-2)
What: CIF-SS Division 4 Championship Game
Where: St. Francis High School
When: Saturday at 7

For the second time in four years, St. Francis will host a CIF-SS title game.

And just like in 2017, the Golden Knights enter as the underdog.

You won’t find a single St. Francis player or coach that will question why top-seeded Long Beach Poly is in Division 4, but it had many SGV area football aficionados scratching their head when the playoff brackets were released four weeks ago.

Only Fork Union (Virginia) has sent more players (70) to the NFL than the Jackrabbits (57).

Poly is ranked 21st in the state by MaxPreps, and for the longest time, the Jackrabbits have been a Pac-5, Division 1 or D-2 program.

A debate on the CIF-SS playoff formula, however, will have to be saved for another time.

It’s all about Saturday’s showdown with the D-4 championship being decided at Friedman Field.

And despite what the game might look like on paper, the St. Francis football program has a storied history of competing with and beating teams that no one outside of the Golden Knights’ locker room thought possible.

So far, in the 2021 postseason, Poly has outscored Trabuco Hills, Upland and Cypress by a combined margin of 140-31.

In the past two games alone, the Jackrabbits have destroyed the Highlanders and Centurions, 84-3.

St. Francis has plenty to be proud of.

The Golden Knights have playoff victories over Irvine, Chaparral and La Serna by a margin of 95-34.

And in their two home games inside Jim Bonds Stadium, the St. Francis defense has surrendered just 20 total points, including last week’s shutout of La Serna in the D-4 semifinal round.

To beat the No. 1 program in D-4, one doesn’t have to be a Mensa member to say that SFHS will have to limit penalties and turnovers to as close to zero as they can.

The reason being, Poly quarterback Shea Kuykendall is as disciplined as they come.

Kuykendall has thrown for 2,375 yards, including 30 TD passes.

And he’s only been picked twice in 13 games.

Shea’s favorite target is Jason Robinson Jr., who has caught 54 passes for 911 yards and 11 TD’s.

The Jackrabbits’ running game is anchored by Devin Samples.

Samples has 41 carries for 1,092 yards and 15 TD’s.

Poly’s offense is about as balanced as it gets.

The Jackrabbits have attempted 261 passes and carried the ball 283 times.

And they’ve scored 31 TD’s through the air, and 25 on the ground.

The saying that ‘defense wins championships’ couldn’t be more fitting than it is for this matchup between Poly and St. Francis.

If the Golden Knights defense can limit big plays and extended Poly drives, and the SFHS offense can establish their ground game, two things will likely happen.

First, you’ll see Shea Kuykendall spending more time on the east sideline than on the field, and secondly, the boys in brown and gold will have earned a D-4 championship.

The St. Francis offense is, without question, led by their star senior, Max Garrison.

Through the first 12 games, Garrison leads the SGV in yards rushing (1,793) and TD’s (3o).

He averages 150 yards per game, and has 21 receptions for 247 yards and one TD.

But it’s Garrison’s ability to score from anywhere on the field, and in any situation that makes him so dangerous.

SFHS quarterback Jack Jacobs has really come into his own over the stretch of his junior season.

Jacobs has completed 167 passes in 256 attempts for 1,927 yards and 10 TD’s.

Jacobs has also upped his stock by becoming a dual-threat QB, rushing for 533 yards and 13 TD’s.

Myles Shannon (38 catches for 510 yards and three TD’s), Daniel Hara (32 catches for 309 yards) and Preston Jernegan (30 for 359 & 1 TD) are three of Jack Jacobs’ favorite targets.

In all, 10 separate Golden Knights’ receivers have caught passes this year, and five have at least one receiving TD or more.

Last but not least, if the underdogs are able to shock everyone but themselves, it will have meant they got contributions in all three phases of the game.

And that includes one of the SGV’s most reliable kickers, Clint Geryak.

There are two factors in St. Francis’ favor to keep in mind.

First, the Golden Knights play their best football at home, and secondly, it doesn’t hurt to have a coach with multiple CIF-SS and CIF State championships like Dean Herrington leading the way.

Just below the stats and records of both teams are video interviews with St. Francis coach Dean Herrington, who talks about the program’s success, the offensive line and more. And that’s followed by an interview with Golden Knights’ running back Max Garrison, and quarterback, Jack Jacobs.

For those that haven’t purchased tickets to Saturday night’s game, you CAN NOT buy them at the gate.

They are on sale at this link: St Francis High School Events and Tickets by GoFan

By The Numbers:
Points For: P (491); SF (382)
Points Allowed: P (221); SF (247)
Passing Yards:(per game): P (198); SF (161)
Rushing Yards (per game): P (135); SF (219)
Current Win Streak: P (9); SF (4)
Home Record: SF (6-2)
Road Record: P (3-2)
Most Points Scored in a Game: P (56 vs Lakewood & Trabuco Hills); SF (47 vs Irvine)
Most Points Allowed in a Game: P (52 vs Corona Centennial); SF (42 vs Damien)
League Finish: P (Moore champs); SF (Angelus co-champs)
MaxPreps State Ranking: P (21); SF (48)

Quarterbacks:
Jack Jacobs (SF): 167 of 256 for 1,927 yards, 161 per game, 10 TD’s & six interceptions
Shea Kuykendall (P): 140 of 197 for 2,375 yards, 198 per game, 30 TD’s & two interceptions

Running Backs:
Max Garrison (SF): 190 carries for 1,793 yards (150 per game), & 30 TD’s
Devin Samples (P): 41 carries for 1,092 yards (100 per game), & 15 TD’s
Jack Jacobs (SF): 152 carries for 533 yards (45 per game), & 13 TD’s
Shea Kuykendall (P): 41 carries for 207 yards (17 per game), & 2 TD’s

Receivers:
Myles Shannon (SF): 38 catches for 510 yards and three TD’s
Jason Robinson Jr. (P): 54 catches for 911 yards and 11 TD’s
Tyson Bordeaux (P): 36 catches for 754 yards and eight TD’s
Nicolas Kelly (P): 25 catches for 440 yards and five TD’s
Dylan Bell (SF): 12 catches for 190 yards and two TD’s
Max Garrison (SF): 21 catches for 247 and one TD
Daniel Hara (SF): 32 catches for 309 yards
Preston Jernegan (SF): 30 for 359 & 1 TD
Alejandro Ramirez (SF): 14 for 168 & two TD’s

2021 Long Beach Poly Schedule:
8/27: Serra 29, Poly 27
9/3: Mission Viejo 41, Poly 14
9/9: Poly 35, Leuzinger 21
9/17: Centennial Corona 52, Poly 7
9/24: Poly 42, Millikan 28
10/1: Poly 45, Wilson 6
10/8: Poly 41, Aquinas 14
10/15: Poly 42, Compton 0
10/22: Poly 42, Jordan 0
10/29: Poly 56, Lakewood 0
11/5: Poly 56, Trabuco Hills 28
11/12: Poly 49, Upland 3
11/19: Poly 35, Cypress 0
11/27: Poly at St. Francis

2021 Moore League Standings:
Poly (10-3, 5-0)
Millikan (6-5, 5-1)
Jordan (8-5, 3-3)
Compton (7-5, 3-3)
Lakewood (3-7, 3-3)
Wilson (1-8, 1-5)
Cabrillo (1-8, 0-5)

2021 St. Francis Schedule:
8/27: St. Francis 44, Mira Costa 35
9/3: Damien 42, St. Francis 17
9/17: St. Francis 42, Muir 6
9/24: St. Francis 45, Los Altos 20
10/1: St. Francis 32, Steele Canyon 25 (OT)
10/8: St. Francis 34, Granite Hills 25
10/14: St. Francis 26, St. Paul 20
10/22: Loyola 6, St. Francis 3
10/29: St. Francis 44, Crespi 32
11/5: St. Francis 47, Irvine 20
11/12: St. Francis 28, Chaparral 14
11/19: St. Francis 20, La Serna 0
11/27: Long Beach Poly at St. Francis

2021 Angelus League Standings:
St. Francis (10-2, 2-1)
St. Paul (8-3, 2-1)
Loyola (9-4, 2-1)
Crespi (2-7, 0-3)