St. Francis stretches win streak over Bellarmine to 10 as Lancers break record they set last season for most points scored in Holy War series history.
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SAN JOSE — With a five-yard charge up the middle, Kaimani Keanaaina scored the final touchdown, triggering a running clock that wound down St. Francis’ 56-17 victory over Bellarmine in the 79th renewal of the rivalry that has become known as The Holy War.
St. Francis scored the most points in series history on Friday night – the previous record (48) stood for only a year – while pillaging the Bells’ defense with 321 rushing yards and 10.7 yards per carry.
The Lancers (1-4 overall, 1-1 West Catholic Athletic League) extended their dominance over Bellarmine to 10 consecutive victories, while Bellarmine (2-3, 0-2) dropped its 10th consecutive league game.
In the longest uninterrupted rivalry in the Santa Clara County, and the most storied, there hasn’t been a one-possession final score since 2015, when a 28-26 result continues to stand as Bellarmine’s most recent victory. Crowds that used to crack five figures were down to an estimated 1,500 at San Jose City College.
“Our young men deserve better and we have all the intentions and plans to make sure we bring this rivalry back,” Bellarmine coach David Diaz-Infante said. “And we’re headed that direction.”
In 1981, Diaz-Infante was among four future NFL players on a Bells team that beat St. Francis twice and finished 12-0 and No. 1 in the state.
A year later, with both teams undefeated, 13,000 crowded into Buck Shaw Stadium to watch St. Francis pull out a 17-3 victory behind the quarterbacking of current St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno.
Over the years, St. Francis and Bellarmine have met 11 times in the playoffs, including five Central Coast Section championship games. And the regular-season winner has won at least a share of the WCAL title 46 times in the 67 years of the series, including every season from 1975-1999.
As former Bellarmine star Usua Amanam, the 2008 Mercury News Player of the year and 2013 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP for Stanford, watched Friday’s game online, he recalled the “energy” around playing in the 50th game of the rivalry in 2006, a 26-21 Bellarmine victory.
“That was my introduction,” he said. “All we ever wanted to do as a team was leave a mark, and we did that in that game. Football rivalry games occupy a special place in culture. They offer a safe congregating place for us to all bond emotionally, and Bellarmine-St. Francis is no different.”
Diaz-Infante and Calcagno are reminders of the stature the rivalry once held and each coach hopes it can raise to that level again.
“We kicked their butts the whole time,” said Diaz-Infante, who was 4-0 against St. Francis from his sophomore to senior seasons. “He knows it. I know it. That’s all I really remember.”
But right now …
“We haven’t won the league title since 2015,” Diaz-Infante said. “That’s on us as a program. Those are things we’re trying to fix here. We’ll continue to build. We’ll keep fighting hard. I don’t know anything else.”
On Friday, Bellarmine unveiled two transfers in their first game, junior quarterback Kaden Hill and junior receiver/cornerback Jaeden Harris, and each provided a boost. Hill completed 21 of 37 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. And Harris caught five passes for 104 yards, nearly matching teammate Miles Crooks’ seven catches for 112.
The Lancers countered with a rushing attack sparked by Motu Keanaaina, who gained 86 yards on seven carries before leaving early in the second quarter with an injury. Backup Loa Tuiileila gained 125 on 11 carries and Kaimani Keanaaina closed it out with 90 yards on six.
It was the first substantial rushing attack for St. Francis after opening with 219 rushing yards total in its first four games and a mere 2.1 yards per carry.
St. Francis built a big first-quarter lead with the help of a 69-yard scoring pass from Drew Cumby to Sean Walsh and a punt block by Uate Pifeleti that was returned 20 yards for a score by Sefania Alatini for a 21-3 lead.
“I used to go to the games when I was younger and the Holy War was crazy,” St. Francis linebacker Chase Cahoon said. “The stands were packed, the games were always super close. The whole week, we’re always preparing for it like it’s the hardest game of the season, because it is a rivalry. No matter how good the team is, we’re going to go out and execute as much as we can and play at a high level.”
Even Calcagno looks forward to a Bellarmine rebound: “When Bellarmine’s good, it makes the league better. We all want that.”
As one-sided as recent history has been, here’s some perspective. Before the Lancers embarked on their current streak, Bellarmine won 11 straight. The Bells still hold a 42-37 all-time lead. History shows results are cyclical, though the scores never have been so one-sided.
“It will come back,” Amanam said. “All rivalries go through spells. It helps you appreciate it that much more when it becomes competitive again and relevant for titles.”
