Editor’s Note: I apologize for the delay. I wanted to wait for the pictures before I posted. Congrats to Etiwanda on a D-5 championship, and to St. Francis on back-t0-back title-game appearances.
Photos by Ryan Tomey
Football:
It wasn’t St. Francis’ 45-42 setback at Etiwanda in Saturday’s CIF-SS Division 5 title game that will sting for a while.
It was the way in which they lost.
With just over 20 minutes of game time remaining, St. Francis took a comfortable 35-9 lead, as Jack Jacobs rumbled into the south end zone from a couple yards out.
And while the Golden Knights and Eagles were trading punches offensively, SFHS had to feel confident as they headed into the fourth quarter with an 18-point (42-24) advantage.
But give credit to Etiwanda, as they outscored St. Francis, 21-0, in the fourth, and claimed a 45-42 victory.
During what would have to be called a collapse for SFHS or winning time for EHS, all of this happened to complete an epic rally:
St. Francis got picked, the Eagles converted on a late 4th-and-3 play to set up a score, they would then recover an onside kick, and Michael Harrison blocked a potential game-tying 43-yard field goal attempt with six seconds to play.
In the fourth period, Jaiden Moss got the Eagles started, as he scored on a 2-yard TD run to pull within 12 points of the Golden Knights.
After a Chauncey Davis pick of Jacobs, Jaymiere McDowell caught a 7-and-22 yard TD passes for Demaricus Davis.
The first closed the gap to 42-37 with just under four minutes to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Etiwanda recovered its onside kick, and McDowell’s second TD over a two-minute stretch gave EHS its first lead of the night.
Worse yet, the Eagles left Jacobs and the St. Francis offense just 1:16 to work with.
The Golden Knights drove to the Etiwanda 25-yard line, but as mentioned, Clint Geryak’s 42-yard attempt to send the game to overtime was blocked, and an EHS celebration would ensue.
After Davis took one knee to run the final seconds off the clock, the EHS student body leapt the fence and joined the Eagles’ players on the field.
Davis finished with 461 yards passing, with nearly 300 of those coming in the final 24 minutes to stage the massive comeback.
Devyn Turner deserves so much credit for St. Francis being in a position to win a championship.
The Golden Knights running back rushed for 195 yards and five TD’s.
Zivan Ardines and Jaden Landrum combined for nearly 400 receiving yards.
Etiwanda also got a field goal from Justin Ludovico, an Ardines rushing TD, and Davis connected with Landrum on a scoring strike.
To view a photo gallery by Ryan Tomey, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Up next: EHS will travel to El Cajon on Saturday at 6 to battle Granite Hills in the CIF-State Division 2A So Cal Regional.
Box Score:
SF: 14-14-14-0-(42)
E: 9-0-15-21-(45)
Records: St. Francis (10-4); Etiwanda (9-5)
Boys Basketball: Damien has earned itself a spot in the Sunny Hills Basketball Tournament. After victories over Troy (80-41), Ontario Christian (68-39), Villa Park (70-42), the Spartans faced La Habra in a semifinal round contest. The writing was on the wall early, as DHS outscored LHHS, 17-0, in the first quarter, and they would cruise […]
Girls Athlete of the Week: What a week it was for the West Covina High School girls water polo program. The Bulldogs played four games in five days. WCHS defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) before falling on Friday, 14-6, at the hands of St. Lucy’s. Over that stretch, WCHS junior Deneli […]
Pictured L-R: Nate Penunuri & Nate Curtis Boys Athletes of the Week: Noah Penunuri and Nate Curtis, the 2023 Football Players of the Year for this site, are up to their old tricks in 2024. During much of the regular season, the Kares blew opponents out, and that meant Penunuri and Curtis saw limited touches, […]
Photos and game info from Ryan Tomey Football: St. Francis’ quest for a CIF-SS Division 6 championship was thwarted by their visitors from Murrieta Mesa. The Rams found themselves in an 11-point hole in the first quarter at Jim Bonds Stadium. However, MMHS was able to edge SFHS, 31-28, after outscoring the Golden Knights, 28-14, […]
Thanks to Harry Joe for the game info and stats Football: It might sound like a broken record. However, to borrow lyrics from the great Canadian rock band, Rush, “a fact’s a fact from Nome to Rome.” And the fact is that Rio Hondo Prep used their recipe for success in yet another CIF-SS playoff […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Football: After the past two wins, you couldn’t blame Glendora or their fans if they believe in destiny. The Tartans opened with a 31-7 blowout victory at Agoura in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs. However, over the past two weeks, the Tartans have dug […]
Football: CIF-SS Semifinal Round Scores: Division 1: Mater Dei 36, Centennial Corona 7 St. John Bosco 20, Orange Lutheran 17 Division 2: Murrieta Valley 55, Oaks Christian 52 Newbury Park 20, Yorba Linda 14 Division 3: Edison 42, Vista Murrieta 14 Simi Valley 28, Loyola 25 Division 4: St. Bonaventure 20, Apple Valley 13 Pacifica […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina is one victory away today from having a four-win week. The Bulldogs have defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Deneli Salazar continued her dominant week with eight goals. Meagan Harris chipped in with three goals. Marisa Lemus had quite the game […]
Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 2-0 after its 52-26 victory at Keppel. The Lancers pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Aztecs, 15-0. Aislin Tamez Torres had a game-high 18 points. Casey Higgins chipped in with 14 points. Kaden Cortes and Julianne Tan provided six points apiece in Thursday’s win. Alyssa Canizal […]
