NorCal Football Notes: St. Francis holds off Sacred Heart Cathedral
Game Report: St. Francis controls second half to beat Sacred Heart Cathedral
St. Francis got three rushing touchdowns from junior Motu Keanaaina and held the ball for the final 4:51 to beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 21-20.
Sacred Heart Cathedral got on the board first with a 56 yard touchdown pass from Michael Sargent to Germaine Powell, but it followed with what turned out to be a key missed extra point. Then down 14-6, the Fightin’ Irish called a fake punt and Legend Williams took it 56 yards to make it 14-12 after a failed two point conversion. Before the end of the first half, Sargent had a touchdown run and found Legend Williams for the two point conversion to make it 20-14 at the break.
Coming out in the third quarter, St. Francis took control by forcing back-to-back three and outs and getting the third score from Motu Keanaaina to make it 21-20 Lancers. The Fightin’ Irish had a chance in the fourth quarter in getting the ball to the Lancers’ 11 yard line, but went for it on 4th and six and Sargent got sacked.
Key Takeaways: St. Francis was able to get a couple of big plays with his power running game and screen plays. The defense held up well for the most part, but especially in the second half. Defensive ends Miles Day and Sean McCoy created pressure on Sargent. Sacred Heart Cathedral has a good group of playmakers and they look to force the action down the field. The kicking game came up twice with the missed PAT and then not going for a 28 yard field goal.
Player to Watch: Chase Cahoon is a Tackling Machine
St. Francis-Mountain View 2026 linebacker Chase Cahoon mans the middle of the field for the Lancers and stopped nearly every play in his area. He was able to get over to the sideline in playing well against the speed of Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The Stanford commit had two carries out of a wildcat formation and was dynamic with his combination of power and speed around the edge.
JUCO Spotlight: Diablo Valley walks off Laney
Diablo Valley College improved to 8-1 (only loss is 30-24 against San Mateo) with a 23-20 win over Laney (2-7). The Vikings got a walk-off field goal for the Halloween win. Next week brings a shot for a share of the National – Bay 6 title against City College of San Francisco.
Video Evidence: Cardinal Newman adds INT touchdown
In Cardinal Newman’s 45-13 win over Marin Catholic, Jonah Bertoli returned an interception for a score in the first half. It is the third interception taken back for a score this year for the Cardinals.
Reading Recommendation: Folsom continues SFL Dominance
Folsom beat Granite Bay 42-14 for its 10th SFL title in 11 years and its 42nd straight win over SJS opponents, according to the Sacramento Bee.