MOUNTAIN VIEW >> The formula St. Francis followed facing Serra on Friday night was nearly identical to the one employed by the Lancers three years ago in its last victory against the Padres.

The Mountain View school fed a talented running back — Juju Teu then, Kingston Keanaaina now — who rushed for more than 300 yards against its San Mateo opponent.

But unlike 2021’s blowout victory when Teu ran for 344 yards, Keanaaina’s 319 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries powered the St. Francis attack in a thrilling 27-21 triumph.

The BYU commit surpassed Charles Tharp for the most career rushing yards in team history (3,541) and tied the 1996 graduate for career touchdowns with 46, according to team statistician Pat Segurson.

“Man, at this point I just feel like it is the expectation,” Keanaaina declared after his third 300-yard game of the season. “And I want to give credit to the O-line, because I am nothing without my O-line.”

After Serra stopped St. Francis on fourth-and-1 with 1:47 left and no timeouts in coach Patrick Walsh’s pocket, the Padres marched downfield as quarterback Andrew Heneghan connected with Clay Hinsdale and Luke Dowd to get the ball to the 33-yard line.

St. Francis’ defense stiffened and forced four consecutive incomplete passes to seal the win and preserve the program’s perfect record (3-0) in West Catholic Athletic League play.

More importantly, it gave St. Francis’ seniors their first victory over their San Mateo rivals since they were freshmen.

“For me and the rest of the seniors, this really means something to us,” Diego Arreola said as several teammates around him took photos with family and friends to commemorate the moment.

As he so often does, Keanaaina set the tone early.

The senior star went on a personal six-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to open the game, knifing through holes created by a mammoth offensive line that wanted nothing more than to impose its will on a Padres squad that had won three straight against the Lancers.

“I think we showed that we can do it, and that we’re a force to be reckoned with in the WCAL,” senior Ata Matau said.

Serra then showed that despite graduating the vast majority of its championship core from a season ago, it is still a force to be reckoned with. Running back Nano Latu rushed for 130 yards on the night, and scored the Padres’ first touchdown midway through the first quarter.

Charlie Willey then found himself 20 yards-plus clear of the nearest defender on the first play of Serra’s next drive, every Lancer fooled by Heneghan’s play-action fake. The 6-foot-5 receiver jogged into the end zone on a one-play, 74-yard strike down the right sideline.

“I was so proud of our effort, and it just didn’t go our way tonight on the scoreboard,” Walsh said.

“You know, St. Francis is a championship ballclub, and this is WCAL football and they made a few more plays than we did.”

St. Francis responded with a seven-play drive that featured a nifty 30-yard run by Keanaaina on which he reversed field to get away from the Padres. He punched in his second touchdown with 30 seconds to go in the half to cut Serra’s lead to 14-13.