CALABASAS — The score felt closer than the deficit showed. The Calabasas football team had outgained St. Francis through the first half of their CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoff game, but two unexpected bounces outweighed that production.
Except they weren’t all that predicated on luck, rather the product of St. Francis’s effective blitzes.
“We didn’t plan on blitzing that much,” Golden Knights linebacker Tim Murphy said. “We saw that early and took advantage.”
On one of those blitzes in the first quarter, Murphy tipped Dominick Hardy’s pass into the hands of Luke Cullen who returned the interception for a touchdown. A couple possessions later, Murphy was on the receiving end of another tipped pass, taking it to the house again. The pair of defensive touchdowns, created by St. Francis’ pass rush, flipped the game script and forced Calabasas to play desperate, ultimately leading to additional mistakes and a 50-22 loss as St. Francis advanced and will face Muir in the second round.
Statistically, the Coyotes (6-5, 2-3 Conejo Coast League) offense dominated the Golden Knights (4-8, 3-2 Angelus League). Quarterback Dominik Hardy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown and running back Kayne Miller rushed for 135 yards and two scores. The Coyotes moved the ball, that wasn’t the issue. They just committed too many big turnovers against the blitz.
“If you get a defensive touchdown — or a special teams touchdown — like, 90% you gonna win the game,” St. Francis head coach Dean Herrington said.
To his point, those turnovers turned touchdowns changed the game.
“It looked like it was going to be a shoot-out early on in the game and we made a lot of errors, a lot of mistakes,” Calabasas head coach Cary Harris said. “You know, we still had a chance in the second half.”
The Coyotes, though, conceded consecutive touchdown drives, split by a measly three-and-out, to start the second half, and suddenly, the score was 43-15. St. Francis quarterback John Sanders, who threw for 195 yards, found Julian Navarro to cap the first drive and connected with Deveon Blaylock for a 70-yard touchdown on the following possession.
Running back Isaac Fajaro ran for 110 yards and had touchdowns of 11 and 62 yards, the latter coming on the Golden Knights’ first offensive snap.
After trailing 15-8, St. Francis scored 42 unanswered points sparked by Murphy’s tip and Cullen’s return. As their lead grew, their blitzes became more effective because Hardy continued to push the ball downfield in hopes of erasing the deficit, rather than take what the defense was giving him.
While Calabasas’ final showing wasn’t pretty, the Coyotes left their 2024 campaign proud.
They won four more games than last year, appeared in a playoff game, and while Hardy wasn’t always right on Friday, the sophomore quarterback flashed arm talent and a connection with his brother, junior wide receiver Dezmyn Hardy, that will continue to grow and carry them into their next season.