It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to understand just how valuable the return of a healthy Devyn Turner has been for the St. Francis football program.
The Allen, Texas transfer missed several games and perhaps he’s just now finding his stride.
And it couldn’t have come a better time for the Golden Knights offense, and his quarterback, Jack Jacobs.
Turner ran for 215 yards, and had TD runs of 23 and 17 yards.
His first score came on a 4th-and-3 play.
The latter would give St. Francis a 35-21 lead with 7:23 to play.
SFHS would hold off top-seeded Villa Park, 35-28, in the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinal round.
A Preston Jernegan pick on defense with under six minutes to play made the Spartans comeback even less likely.
St. Francis would take a 14-0 first-quarter lead and they would not trail on Friday.
And they got to Villa Park early, as Jacobs hit Hank Foley on a 65-yard scoring strike just 15 seconds in.
Things would get fun for Jacobs, who said he’s always wanted to be a tight end.
Turner got the hand off, reversed it to Jett McCullough, who found Jacobs for a 14-yard TD pass with 2:38 remaining in the first period.
Jacobs would pay McCullough back.
With 6:29 to go in the third, Jacobs found McCullough on a 16-yard score, and it doubled the Golden Knights lead to 28-14.
Jacobs finished with eight completions on 15 attempts for 150 yards, and he rushed for another 55.
Up next: The Golden Knights will host Aquinas next Friday.
The Falcons (10-2) edged visiting Alemany, 15-13, in their quarterfinal round contest.
I asked Jack Jacobs to comment on how the competitive schedule helped St. Francis for this moment, why the defense is playing so much better, how his offensive line blocked, how fun it was to catch a TD pass and how much more lethal the offense is with Devyn Turner back and healthy in the Golden Knights lineup.
Said Jack Jacobs: “Our schedule prepared us well for the run we’re on. Early in the season, our defense wasn’t on the same page and they were working things out. And it was a matter of getting reps and getting comfortable. They’re playing really well right now. It was so fun to catch that TD pass from Jett. We ran that play last year against Loyola at home and it was thrown over my head. I actually would have loved to play tight end. My offensive line was phenomenal for both the run and passing game. I thought I played satisfactory. I am always aiming for perfection. Having Devyn in the lineup and healthy has been such a big help. He’s an explosive back, and he’s a great blocker too.”
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Box Score:
VP: 0-7-7-14-(28)
SF: 14-7-7-7-(35)
Scoring:
SF: Hank Foley 65 pass from Jack Jacobs (Clint Geryak kick)
SF: Jack Jacobs 14 pass from Jett McCullough (Clint Geryak kick)
VP: Carson Ridge 2 run (Emiliano Salazar kick)
SF: Devyn Turner 23 run (Clint Geryak kick)
VP: Nate Lewis 1 run (Emiliano Salazar kick)
SF: Jett McCullough 21 pass from Jack Jacobs (Clint Geryak kick)
VP: Carson Ridge 2 run (Emiliano Salazar kick)
SF: Devyn Turner 17 run (Clint Geryak kick)
VP: Jeremiah Leftwich 5 pass from Nate Lewis (Emiliano Salazar kick)
Records: Villa Park (6-6); St. Francis (9-3)