Lancers fall in a thriller on Pacers’ late field goal

GRANT-SACRAMENTO 32, ST. FRANCIS 30

St. Francis quarterback Aaron Knapp, right, congratulates Grant-Sacramento for winning Friday night’s CIF NorCal Division 2-AA regional championship game 32-30 in comeback fashion. KARL MONDON — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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By Christian Babcock

cbabcock@bayareanewsgroup.com

MOUNTAIN VIEW >> St. Francis left it all on the field. The Lancers simply came up a little short.

The Lancers welcomed in Grant-Sacramento for the NorCal 2-AA regional championship game on Friday night in Mountain View, and afterward, no fan in attendance could say they weren’t entertained.

The teams traded the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter alone, fighting until the bitter end. But when St. Francis’ last-ditch lateral play fell to the ground, it was the visitors that emerged with a 32-30 win.

Jose Romero’s game-winning 25-yard field goal with 5.7 seconds remaining sealed the win for Grant. But if you came late to the party, you missed a lot.

“That was a heck of a game, huh?” St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno said. “I don’t know how much people paid to get in, but it was probably worth it.”

So where should we start? How about the end.

Grant, trailing 30-29 with 1:23 to go, drove 72 yards down the field in seven plays, setting up Romero’s field-goal opportunity. Before that, St. Francis took the lead on a 2-point conversion run by Motu Keanaaina.

Aaron Knapp, who played with a fractured ring finger on his throwing hand, had spun a perfect 17-yard spiral to Grant Righellis to bring the Lancers to 29-28. Then, as Calcagno rolled the dice, Keanaaina gave St. Francis the lead with a 3-yard scamper through the right side.

“Last Friday against Los Gatos, second drive of the game, got stepped on,” Knapp said. “Went to a lot of acupuncture. My neighbor, Lily Cosgrove, she really helped me get my finger right for this game. I wasn’t able to throw a spiral in the warm-up. So shoutout the adrenaline for kicking in. That’s really what made it possible.”

St. Francis had to mount its dramatic comeback after another potential game-winning drive got snuffed out with a shocking defensive play. As Kingston Keanaaina, who fought through a shoulder injury to play, ran to the left side, he was stood up around the Grant 40-yard line.

Pacers defenders surrounded him and ripped the ball out, then Ezekiel Castex snagged it and raced 60 yards down the field for a touchdown. Suddenly, Grant led 29-22.

“It’s what we expected,” Kingston said of the back-and-forth nature. “We don’t love the outcome, but Grant is a great program.

Trailing 16-14 at the half, St. Francis (10-4) made a splash early in the third quarter. Roman Steciw returned the opening kickoff to the Lancers’ 42-yard line, then a personal foul penalty set St. Francis up at Grant’s 43. The Lancers took advantage, as Kingston ran 43 yards around the left side to put the Lancers on top.