Saint Francis Catholic suffers tough loss in week two

Haley Wald and Nicholas Gonzalez

Saint Francis Catholic struggled through their second week of the season with a 43-8 loss to Santa Fe Catholic. They now move to 0-2 on the season. 

With a small roster and players having to run multiple positions, frequent injuries and stoppage of play were common themes in tonight’s game. Some players rotated between offense and defense, putting extensive minutes out on the field with little to no break to catch their breath. 

Saint Francis gains momentum in second half

That didn’t stop the player’s energy from building though. It was a dull and scoreless first half for the Wolves, but Saint Francis tight-end and linebacker Avi Steiner, sophomore, put Saint Francis on the board in the third quarter. Steiner had an 81-yard reception from junior quarterback Cooper Lieffers to make the score 31-6, claiming the first touchdown for Saint Francis this season.  

The Wolves score their first TD of the game. An 81 yard reception by Avi Steiner puts them on the board. They also converted the two-point chance to make it a 31-8 game.

— Matt Rothmann (@MatthewRothman6) September 3, 2022

Sophomore quarterback and linebacker Johnny O’Donnell, who rotated in cycles throughout the game with Leiffers, scored a two-point conversion to make the score 31-8. The Wolves crowd gained a second wind and a glimmer of hope, but Santa Fe came back harder and silenced the home fans with 12 unanswered points to close out the game.

New head coach looks to transform Saint Francis’ game

Saint Francis’ new head coach, James Langham spoke about his team and the growth he hopes to see under his coaching efforts in the future.  

“What I really want them to learn is just the basic fundamentals of football and learn to build confidence and have that confidence in themselves that they can do this because I think that’s what’s been lacking in them and in this program the last few years,” said Langham.  

Saint Francis hopes to pick up their first win of the season on the road next week against the 1-1 Aucilla Chrisitan Academy.