St. Francis denies upset-minded Menlo-Atherton

For the first time during an unbeaten season, St. Francis trailed at halftime.

Yet, the top-seeded Lancers hustled into the locker room Friday night filled with confidence during the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs after upset-minded Menlo-Atherton went for the jugular — and missed.

Two plays after forcing a turnover on downs just shy of the goal line, the No. 5 seed Bears attempted to extend a two-touchdown lead with under two minutes left in the first half.

But an interception by St. Francis safety Nicolas Andrighetto turned the fortunes for both teams, helping the Lancers to cut the deficit in half with 11.1 seconds left before intermission.

St. Francis established its punishing ground game in the second half and pulled away for a 49-28 victory to qualify for next week’s championship game against either No. 2 seed Serra.

Division II

NO. 4 MENLO SCHOOL 45, NO. 1 SAN BENITO 35 >> In a backand-forth thriller in Hollister, Menlo remained undefeated when record-setting Sergio Beltran connected with Sam Scola from 30 yards out with 3:12 left to give the Knights a 38-35 lead. Menlo stopped San Benito on downs and added one more touchdown when Beltran scored on a 1-yard run as the Knights moved into the championship game next weekend against third-seeded Wilcox. Beltran finished 35 of 43 passing for 368 yards and three touchdowns, which gives him 51 TD passes for the season. He set the Central Coast Section regular-season record for touchdown passes with 44. He now has the CCS season record, too. The 51 TD passes eclipses the previous record of 49, set by Terra Nova’s Anthony Gordon in 2013. Friday, Bel- tran also ran for three TDs. San Benito finished 9-2. NO. 3 WILCOX 20, NO. 7 ST. IGNATIUS 13 >> Andrew Palacios’ 74-yard run in the fourth quarter broke a 13-13 tie and propelled the Chargers into the championship game against Menlo.

Division III

NO. 4 CHRISTOPHER 36, NO. 1 LELAND 11 >> Christopher scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to grab a 27-3 lead at halftime in an upset of top-seeded Leland. Turnovers and mistakes plagued the Chargers (9-3). Any hope of a comeback diminished when quarterback Nathan Wright was injured early in the second half. Mark Eby scored Leland’s only touchdown in the third quarter on a 5-yard run.

Division IV

NO. 1 HOMESTEAD 36, NO. 4 SANTA TERESA 18 >> Derek Sheerer rushed for three touchdowns in the first half as host Homestead (7- 5) advanced to a CCS championship game for the first time since 2010. The Mustangs took a 21-6 first-quarter lead. Sheerer had touchdowns of 1 yard and 80 yards in that quarter and added a 76-yard run for a score in the second quarter. NO. 3 SACRED HEART PREP 42, NO. 2 HILLSDALE 14 >> SHP avenged a Week 4 loss to the Knights in resounding fashion, never attempting a pass after jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The Gators ran only six plays in the first half, yet led 28-7. SHP senior Zach Freire took the first handoff 82 yards to the house.

Division V

NO. 1 ARAGON 48, NO. 5 NORTH SALINAS 27 >> The Dons advanced to a CCS final for the first time since 1998 and for the fifth time in school history. Aragon (8-4) led 28-7 at intermission, then traded scores for much of the second half before securing the victory. Junior quarterback Dylan Daniel threw for roughly 200 yards and a pair of TDs.

NO. 7 ST. FRANCIS-WATSONVILLE

56, NO. 6 LOS ALTOS 35 >> St. Francis used a 28-point third-quarter to take command against the host Eagles (8-4). Los Altos led 14-6 in the second quarter on scoring runs by Min Park and Greg Schumann, and 28-21 at halftime after a 95yard kickoff return for a TD by Zach Fagin and a 17-yard scoring pass from sophomore Jimmy Flynn to Fagin right before the half. But St. Francis (93) produced three unanswered touchdowns to start the third quarter. A 29-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to Cole Rafferty brought Los Altos to within a touchdown at 42-35, but the Eagles were unable to get closer. Flynn threw for 243 yards, and Rafferty accounted for 127 of them on seven catches.

North Coast Section Open/Division I

NO. 1 DE LA SALLE 42, NO. 2 PITTSBURG 14 >> De La Salle, playing on its home field in Concord, won its 29th consecutive NCS championship behind two touchdown plays from Charles Greer. De La Salle is the section’s Open Division champion. NO. 3 CLAYTON VALLEY 24, NO. 5 CALIFORNIA 21>> There was no miracle finish for California as Clayton Valley, playing on its home field in Concord, held off the Grizzlies in the closing seconds to advance to the Division I championship game.

Division II

NO. 4 CAMPOLINDO 17, NO.

1 SAN RAMON VALLEY 14>> Campolindo, playing on the road in Danville, continued its comeback from earlyseason struggles, stunning top-seeded San Ramon Valley to advance to the Division II final.

Division III

NO. 3 BENICIA 14, NO. 2 LAS LOMAS 10>> Sophomore linebacker Guardian Harper scooped up a fumble and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown with 3:03 left in a stunning turn of events. Fifty seconds earlier, Las Lomas (8-4) had taken a 10-7 lead on an 80-yard punt return by Emmanuel Karnley. Benicia (9-3) followed with a three-andout, and Las Lomas had its opportunity to run out the clock and advance to the finals. Instead, the Knights put the ball on the ground, and Harper picked it up and was off to the races.

NO. 1 WINDSOR 33, NO. 4 EL CERRITO 32 >> The Gauchos nearly climbed all the way back from a 33-7 deficit midway through the third quarter. El Cerrito scored on four straight possessions, three on touchdowns by Aaron Miles. El Cerrito finished the season 8-3.

Windsor (10-1) will host Benicia on Friday at 7 p.m. for the D-III title.

Division IV

NO. 2 CARDINAL NEWMAN 44, NO. 3 TENNYSON 22>> The dream of a perfect season for the Lancers came to an end on a cold and wet night in Santa Rosa. Cardinals QB Lucas Knechtle tossed a 60-yard TD to Zachary Kelly and also scrambled for a 12-yard score, while Santino Acevedo crossed the goal line from 8 and 3 yards out.

Division V

NO. 2 DEL NORTE 42, NO. 6 MIRAMONTE 13>> Miramonte quarterback Luke Duncan threw touchdown passes to Ben Murphy and Tyler Dutto in the first half. Del Norte improved to 10-1 and will visit top seed San Marin on Friday in the championship game.

Oakland Section

NO. 1 MCCLYMONDS 54, NO. 4 OAKLAND TECH 0>> McClymonds (9-1) advanced to the Silver Bowl for the 13th straight season by beating Oakland Tech (5-5) in the Oakland Section semifinals. Quarterback Dreyan Paul threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more, and Michael Dansby caught five passes for 116 yards, He also took a 47-yard interception to the house. Dwayne McDougle had five receptions for 136 yards and a score, and Jay’Vion Cole scored a TD on a 65-yard punt return. NO. 2 SKYLINE 38, NO. 3 CASTLEMONT 6 >> Skyline kicker Jose Perez had a perfect night, going 5-for-5 on extra points and nailing a second-quarter field goal. Skyline (6-4) is going to the Silver Bowl for the third straight season. The Titans scored four of their five touchdowns on the ground, the one exception being a blocked punt for six.