Bruins get home win in season opener
St. Pat’s seniors McNeal-Franklin, Brooks combine for 331 rushing yards, 3 TDs
This week was the start of “March Madness,” the annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament that has the country in a frenzy.
The St. Patrick-St. Vincent High football team created plenty of madness for College Park on Friday — namely running backs Noah McNeal-Franklin and Bobby Brooks.
The two seniors combined for 331 yards on the ground and three touchdowns as the Bruins beat the visiting Falcons 28-7 in the long-awaited Diablo Athletic League opener at Dante Magnani Field.
“Bobby and I were just out there running and finding the holes, cutting back, just being athletic,” said McNeal-Franklin.
Added Brooks: “We were really looking for the cutback and trying to get outside. We were doing our best to read our linemen and just doing our best to make a play.”
The Bruins’ last football game
“Bobby and I were just out there running and finding the holes, cutting back, just being athletic.”
– Noah McNeal-Franklin, St. Pat’s running back, who combined to rush for 331 yards with Bobby Brooks.
was in November of 2019 as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the fall 2020 campaign. A compromise with the State of California on contact sports came on Feb. 19 and St. Pat’s was able to cobble together a five-game schedule.
The performance was hardly perfect as St. Pat’s was plagued by penalties that stalled drives and left the Bruins up just 14-7 going into the fourth quarter.
“It was sloppy but it was still a football game,” Bruins head coach Lane Hawkins said. “We broadcasted it on YouTube, we had everyone (else) watching on YouTube. If you would have asked me a year ago or even nine months ago whether we would have been here, I probably wouldn’t have known. But here we are .. March 19 playing our first game in a year-plus and guys are healthy, our fans enjoyed it and it was a great night for our seniors.”
“Senior Night” is traditionally not the first game of the season but the Bruins rewarded their upperclassmen with an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
On their second possession of the night, St. Pat’s drove 79 yards on seven plays, culminating with a Brooks’ 17-yard touchdown through the right side. McNeal-Franklin had an 18yard burst on the drive and Brooks had a 14-yard scamper. Alyas Vigil added the PAT for the 7-0 lead with 5:48 left in the period.
Vigil had one of his two fumble recoveries on the Falcons’ next possession to set up the Bruins’ next touchdown — a 2-yard touchdown from McNealFranklin. Quarterback Ja’vione Shepherd had a 36yard pass play to McNealFranklin and also had a 14yard scamper to help set up the touchdown. Vigil again added the extra point for the 14-0 lead with 3:19 left.
The Bruins continued to dominate the ground and the air in the second quarter but could not find the end zone. Finally with 1:13 left, College Park’s Jeremiah Jack picked up his teammate’s fumble in the air and raced 50 yards to the end zone to help cut the lead to 14-7.
“I’d have to watch the film but it looked like a fumble and their guy just scooped and scored,” Hawkins said. “I mean, great play. That’s the balance of football.”
St. Pat’s finally iced the game on the first play of the fourth quarter on Shepherd’s 10-yard touchdown run and McNeal-Franklin’s 10-yard TD with 7:47 left. The Bruins recovered a fumble to set up the first score and Zion Booker’s interception set up the second.
Overall, the Bruins forced five turnovers — three fumbles and two interceptions. Jomar Connors also had an interception for the Bruins.
Shepherd finished with 55 yards rushing and 158 yards in the air on 13 of 17 passing with two interceptions.
Hawkins said he was surprised by the amount of penalties.
“Part of it is at practice we don’t see the same speed, and we can’t match that,” he said. “I think the referees are still working out the bugs themselves. … But we definitely shot ourselves in the foot.”
Coaches stressed to the players that they can do much better but overall, just playing an actual game was a win in itself.
“It felt good to hit someone else rather than my teammates in a real game that actually mattered,” McNeal-Franklin said. “It was fun. I loved it.”
NOTES >> Before the game, St. Pat’s honored former Yankees, Indians and Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia as the Vallejo High grad helped the football program purchase new uniforms. … The game was the first for the Bruins in the DAL. They moved to the DAL after the Tri-County Athletic League fractured earlier this year. St. Pat’s is expected to move back to the TCAL next school year. … College Park is coached by ex-Bruins defensive coordinator Mark Spinelli.