Late in the fourth quarter and needing to grind out the clock after a back-and-forth game, the St. Francis Lancers returned to its famed running game.
Up 30-27 with just under6 minutesleft, St. Francis (4-1) started on its 15-yard line and ran nine times to drive into Archbishop Mitty (2-3) territory and preserve the win. Lancers running back Kingston Keanaaina ran for 65 of his 313 yards on the final drive, and quarterback Aaron Knapp had a sneak on fourth-and-1 on the Archbishop Mitty 15-yard line to convert the first down to keep the ball away from Mitty to seal the win.
“Just grinding clock, 4-minute offense, get up slow, use the clock, continue to get first downs,” St. Francis head coach Greg Calcagno said of the last drive. “I’m very happy with how we performed at the end.”
Like most of the year, the Lancers relied heavily on its running game to move the chains. Despite having 30 carries in the game, Keanaaina had the strength to continue picking up first downs, carrying the ball five straight times on the game’s final drive, including a 20-yard run where the senior broke at least seven tackle attempts. It was his second career game with over 300 yards rushing.
“It’s hard not to keep handing him the ball because he does get strong as the game goes on,” Calcagno said. “Guys get tired, and he just gets better. I’m super proud of him. He made smart decisions. He just did all the things you want to do, especially in that scenario.”
Keanaaina credited the St. Francis offensive line for opening lanes so he could get the yards.
“I may be the one getting all the props, but it’s really my o-line,” Keanaaina said of his success in the fourth quarter. “The way they constantly work every single play, every single down just motivates me. I have to be the one that keeps going because of how they are blocking.”
Keanaaina scored the game’s opening touchdown and took the second play from scrimmage in the second half 75 yards for a touchdown, which started an offensive run for both teams. St. Francis entered the second half trailing 14-9, with Keanaaina providing the spark for the St. Francis offense.
“Coming out of the locker room, our coach said it’s just us; it’s always been just us so that just set the momentum goingfor the rest of the half,” Keanaaina said.
After St. Francis took a 15-14 lead on the Keanaaina touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter, Mitty responded with a nine-play touchdown drive, with Monarchs quarterback Jonah Kroenung finding tight end Owen Harrington for a touchdown on third-and-goal at the seven to make it 20-15 Mitty after the 2-point attempt failed. After St. Francis punted and Mitty with the ball on its own 27-yard line, momentum swung the Lancers way with a fumble recovered by senior outside linebacker Kevin Keanaaina with 2:54 left in the third quarter. St. Francis quarterback Aaron Knapp ran it in for a touchdown a minute later to take a 23-20 lead.
“It was a huge play,” Calcagno said of the fumble. “They didn’t hold serve, so now we had the chance to go ahead… Good play by Kevin [Keanaaina], for sure.”
After a three and out from Mitty, St. Francis receiver Perrion Williams capped off a five-play drive with a touchdown catch to give the Lancers a 30-20 advantage. Mitty had an 11-play touchdown drive with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter to make it 30-27, setting up the final Lancers drive to end the game.
The first half saw both teams start sloppy, with 10 penalties in the first quarter between both teams. After St. Francis took the lead, Mitty answered with a touchdown pass from Kroenung to Marquis Marshall on third-and-12 to take the lead at the end of the first quarter, followed by a 14-yard touchdown run by Lazaro Faraj-Washington with 7 minutes left in the second quarter. St. Francis’ Andrew Makris made a field goal at the end of the first half to make it 14-9. While happy with the result, Calcagno noted the team needed to cut down on penalties moving forward, with three personal fouls by the Lancers in the game.
“We have a lot to clean up, no doubt about it,” Calcagno said. “Not happy with our composure. We will work very hard to fix that because we cannot continue to win games if we have unforced penalties.”
