75-yard bomb enables Palma to beat St. Francis in CCS final

By Vincent Liu, Town Crier Correspondent

A dejected Kyle Spraker, St. Francis quarterback, sits on the bench at the end of the title game. Spraker rushed for 103 yards.

“One play away; just one play away.” That was the lament uttered over and over by St. Francis High football fans following their team’s bitterly disappointing 17-13 loss to Palma last Saturday night at San Jose City College.

The Lancers were one play away from capturing the Central Coast Section’s most-coveted prize: the Division I championship. They were one play away from returning to CCS preeminence after a five-year absence at the top rung. They had the game - and championship - seemingly tucked away after taking a 13-10 lead on a field goal with a little over two minutes to go.

Pinned back at their 21-yard line, the Chieftains faced the grim task of going the length of the field against a defense that had held them to zero first downs and 31 yards in the second half. Then came the play that turned dreams of glory into nightmares for top-seeded St. Francis.

On a square-out pattern that lured the Lancers’ cornerback forward, the Palma wide receiver turned and sprinted down the left sideline and was some 15 yards in the clear. He caught the ball near midfield and was downed at the 4. Two plays later, the Chieftains quarterback ran it in for the game-winner. A roughing-the-kicker penalty allowed Palma to boot the ensuing kickoff into the end zone, precluding any chance of a lengthy runback by the Lancers. With 1:02 left in the game and 80 yards to go, St. Francis simply ran out of time and comeback magic.

Down 10-0 with its offense completely shut down in the first half, St. Francis mounted its comeback with some magical clock-management just before halftime. As the third-seeded Chieftains were running down the clock with 42 seconds left, the Lancers coaching staff called timeout after three consecutive plays and got the ball back on their 34 with 18 seconds to go. Completions to Dan Descalso and Andrew Smythe, followed by time-stopping spikes, allowed Ryan Lee to drill a 29-yard field goal, and St. Francis stole three points to head into intermission with momentum on its side.

Kyle Spraker started the second half with a brilliant 37-yard quarterback scamper, and the Lancers appeared headed for a tying score. But the drive died three plays later when Spraker, who had difficulty with the wet ball all game under a steady downpour, threw the first of his two interceptions.

It didn’t matter, as the St. Francis defense took center stage and forced Palma into its first of four consecutive three-plays-and-out drives. After taking possession off a 9-yard punt on the Chieftains’ 31, the Lancers capitalized on the break to square the match. After two quarterback keepers by Spraker netted 23 yards, Justin Sieber covered the final 10 on three straight carries to tie the game at 10.

As its defense continued to dominate, St. Francis got its final break when Palma’s punter failed to handle a bouncing snap and was tackled at his 15. With 5:26 left in the game, the stage appeared set for a time-killing, game-winning drive, a feat the Lancers were well suited for. On third and 16, Spraker crossed up the defense with another quarterback draw, this time up the middle