SAN FRANCISCO >> St. Francis wouldn’t have had a chance if California high school football was played for only 24 minutes a game.

The Lancers sure are pleased they got 24 more minutes than that on Friday night. Trailing by 13 points to St. Ignatius at halftime in San Francisco, the Lancers overcame minus-9 first-half rushing yards to roar back in the second half and beat the host Wildcats 27-13.

So what did St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno say to his team at halftime?

“We talked about how we had shot ourselves in the foot,” Calcagno said. “They had punched us in the mouth pretty good. We needed to relax and go do what we do. We got into a heavier set, three tight-end set, and Kingston busted it like he does, and now we’re back in the game.”

Lancers star running back Kingston Keanaaina, he of three 300-yard rushing games this season, ran for minus-1 yard on 12 carries in the first half. On the first play of the second half, he ran 80 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.

That play transformed the tenor of a game that had been an offensive slog in the first half. Though a fumble gave SI (5-2, 3-1 WCAL) its second touchdown late in the second quarter, neither team was putting forth an offensive masterclass.

But in the second half, St. Francis delivered a gritty tour de force on the ground. Keanaaina rushed for 218 yards by himself to turn the contest in favor of the Lancers.

“As a team, coming into that second half, we had to believe in ourselves,” Keanaaina said. “And I feel like we did what we had to. It’s a mindset we have in every practice, every play can be the play, so keep going.

“Also, my team motivates me every single time. Seeing the defense go on and get three-and-outs, that really motivated me, gives me no reason to give up.”

St. Ignatius was in control early after Jarious Hogan’s 3-yard touchdown run capped a 35-yard drive that put the Wildcats up 7-0.

St. Francis finished the first half with 20 total yards. The Lancers had twice as many penalty yards (40) and fumbled inside the 5-yard line to set up Hogan’s second score of the game, another 3-yard run right before the half.

St. Francis (6-1, 4-0 WCAL) made just about all the big plays in the second half. Keanaaina’s long TD run was the flashy spark that ignited the Lancers offense.

Keanaaina added another rushing score on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter, tying the score at 13-13. That was a bad omen for the Wildcats.

In the fourth quarter, St. Francis grasped full control. Aaron Knapp hit a wide-open Grant Righellis down the seam for a 63-yard TD and later snuck in a score after Keanaaina set the Lancers up at the 1-yard line with a 60-yard run.

Keanaaina found his groove in the second half, finishing with 217 yards rushing on 35 carries.

“That’s what my team needed out of me as a leader,” Keanaaina said of his 80-yard TD to open the third quarter. “I need to be able to step up in times where we may be down. Being able to do that really set the tone for the second half.”