LA CANADA — One play can make a season and end a season. For St. Francis, it could propel the Golden Knights toward their goal of a CIF championship. They stopped a 2-point conversion with just 25 seconds left in the game to hold on to a thrilling 28-27 win against Muir in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 quarterfinals.
With the win, St. Francis (5-7) will play the winner of Murrieta Mesa-Northwood next Friday in the semifinals.
This was the second time Muir (9-3) and St. Francis met this season. Muir won 28-18 back in September.
“What a game,” said St. Francis coach Dean Herrington. “John Sanders was unbelievable today. The pressure. Some of the throws. His fourth down conversion was unbelievable. It was just a great win.”
Muir quarterback Keyon Mills nearly delivered magic for Muir for the second week in a row. Last week, he scored the game-winning touchdown on a seven-yard run with 18 seconds remaining in a 22-19 win over Schurr. This week, Muir faced a 4th-and-6 at the St. Francis 25. Mills dropped back, scrambled to his right and raced to the end zone for a touchdown with 25 seconds left.
Muir coach Lance Mitchell said there was no hesitation to go for two to try to win the game. But the plan was to hand the ball off to running back Alijah Parker. But Parker slipped when the ball was snapped. Mills recognized it and ran to his left to try to get the ball into the end zone. However, he was stuffed by Mason Maddox, Julian Navarro and Tim Murphy.
Shawn Sanders recovered the onside kick for St. Francis to seal the win.
Mitchell praised Mills for his play.
“I can’t even put into words what he did tonight,” Mitchell said. “I’m super proud of him. He’s fun to watch and it’s sad to see him go as a senior.”
St. Francis was led by running back Isaac Fajardo. He scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner. That was a four-yard run with 3:53 remaining to give St. Francis a 28-21 lead.
That ended a 13-play, 65-yard drive that ate up a little more than seven minutes. The drive also included a fake punt. Shawn Sanders lined up as the punter but then threw to Murphy for a 20-yard gain to the Muir 40 on a 4th-and-5.
John Sanders completed a six-yard pass on 4th-and-3 to Brady Cofre later in the drive to give St. Francis a first down at the Muir 27.
Fajardo rushed for 76 yards on nine carries. His other touchdown runs were 15 yards and one-yard. They were both in the third quarter and gave St. Francis a 21-13 lead after trailing 13-7 at halftime.
Sanders completed 13 of 18 passes for 110 yards. He also rushed for 60 yards and had a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Muir’s leading rusher was Parker. He carried the ball 18 times for 158 yards.
Parker scored on a seven-yard run early in the fourth and ran the ball in on the subsequent 2-point conversion to tie the game 21-21.
The defenses for both teams asserted themselves early in the game. St. Francis and Muir exchanged punts in the first quarter with the Golden Knights’ defense swarming Mills, sacking him three times in the first quarter which ended in a scoreless tie.
The Golden Knights grabbed a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when Sanders kept the ball and sprinted to his right for a 12-yard touchdown. That ended an eight-play, 38-yard drive.
Muir though answered on its next drive thanks to dazzling play by Mills. After he was tackled for an 11-yard loss while scrambling at the St. Francis 29, Muir faced a 4th-and-16. The Mustangs went for it when Mills dropped back to pass. He couldn’t find anyone open so he took off to his right. Mills out-sprinted a couple of Golden Knights defenders and turned the corner. He saw daylight and raced to the end zone to tie the game at 7.
St. Francis put together a nice drive on its next possession, converting a 4th-and10 when Sanders found Murphy for a 14-yard completion in the middle of the field at the Muir 24. St. Francis later drove down to the Muir 11 where the drive stalled. Shawn Sanders went out and attempted a 28-yard field goal but it was wide.
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Muir took over at its 20 with 2:40 left before half. The Mustangs though were held and faced a 4th-and-6 at the St. Francis 49. Muir put its punt team on the field with 1:02 left. But Parker took a direct snap on the fake and ran 48 yards down the sideline to the St. Francis 1. Mills then plunged into the end zone with 24 seconds left before half. The 2-point conversion run failed and Muir took a 13-7 lead.
Muir relied on its ground attack throughout the first half. Mills only completed one of three passes for 15 yards. He did drop back another three times on the sacks.
St. Francis heads into the semifinals winning five of its past six games after starting 0-6. For Muir, the season ends with a Pacific League championship and a third consecutive year with at least one playoff win. Muir won the Division 10 title in 2022 and went to the Division 7 semifinals last year. Mitchell’s postseason record as Muir’s coach in three seasons is 9-3.