On Friday, November 11, the second-seed Saint Francis Lancers (7-4) hosted the sixth-seed Wilcox Chargers (8-3) in a CCS Open Division I round one matchup. The underdog Chargers shocked the Lancers, defeating them 52-28 to advance to round two against the Junipero Serra Padres (10-0, 7-0).
Running back Elijah Walker’s performance emphasized the effectiveness of the Chargers’ running game. The third-year varsity player elevated for five rushing touchdowns on the night, totaling 220 yards. Walker had spectators in awe when he ran 97 yards into the end zone coming off of a punt return for his fourth touchdown. The other two Charger touchdowns were rushed into the end zone by quarterback Tyson Bonilla. Walker elaborated on how the team’s running game has consistently overwhelmed their opponents over the course of the season: “We communicate. In this game, we weren’t talking in the first half. We started talking more in the second half and that’s how we came out with the win.”
The matchup was neck-and-neck at halftime with the Lancers up 21-17. The Chargers were able to shift the momentum of the game five minutes into the second half with a touchdown from Walker coming off a fourth-down conversion attempt. Their defensive unit was able to recognize that the Lancers’ offensive action was heavily centered around running back Kingston Keanaaina and focused their defensive tactic around stopping him. A fumble recovery by the Chargers in the end zone greatly boosted their drive. The ability of the Chargers to read their opponents’ offense allowed them to shut the Lancers down, making way for the offensive unit to build their lead. The Chargers went on a 35-7 run in the second half to close off the game with a victory. “We started to believe in ourselves a little bit more in the second half,” expressed Chargers head coach Paul Rosa. “We just needed to hang in there on defense.”
Kicker Isias Lopez, who is in his first year with the Chargers, completed a perfect 6/6 extra point attempts and his one field goal attempt. Lopez stands at the second spot in the highest PAT (point after touchdown) percentage in the Peninsula Bay League, making 41/47 on the season.
The Chargers head up the Peninsula on Friday, November 17, to face the undefeated Junipero Serra Padres in the second round of the 2023 CCS Open Division I playoffs. The Black & Gold hope to replicate their round-one performance against their challenging opponent.
