St. Mary's staged an epic comeback victory on Friday. How did the Rams do it?
STOCKTON — The hundreds of fans, coaches and players who watched St. Mary’s execute their improbable comeback victory at intracity rival Lincoln on Friday may still be trying to figure out just exactly how the Rams did it.
After all, the Trojans had a two-score lead, 27-17, with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. The consensus was that even if the Rams scored a touchdown, they would still have to prevent the Trojans from getting a first down and run out the clock.
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The Rams did score on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line as a scrambling Cruz Herrera found Jason Calvin in the corner of the endzone just as Cruz Herrera was running out of real estate. That made for a 27-24 deficit. Then, a timely interception by St. Mary’s senior Andrew Andrade on Lincoln’s next possession put St. Mary’s at Lincoln’s 25-yard line.
One play later, a touchdown pass from Herrera to Naseri Danielson suddenly had Rams leading 31-27. It was a stunning turn of events, only to be capped by an essentially game-ending interception by Rams sophomore Joshua Watkins.
“Our young players make big plays,” UCLA-bound Jayden Marshall said. “We battled through adversity, and I love this team with all my heart. I can barely walk right now (cramping legs), but just to see that score right there, I’ll do this every day of the week.”
In visiting with the postgame media, with bright television cameras in his eyes, Herrera called it one of the biggest wins in St. Mary’s history.
He may be right.
GUILT TRIP
St. Mary’s coach Tony Franks spent most of the fourth quarter mulling over a bad decision to not attempt a 22-yard field goal. That would have tied the game at 20-20, but on fourth-and-1 at the 5-yard line, a cramping Jadyn Marshall couldn’t get a yard.
The Trojans responded with an eight-play, 95-yard scoring drive ending with a 2-yard run by Arizona-commit Jonah Coleman. Suddenly, the Rams were in trouble and just 6:12 remaining in the game.
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“Most of the fourth quarter I was disappointed that I’d lost our chance at a victory,” Franks said. “I think I made a poor decision of not kicking a field goal. I was overwhelmed by that, but so thankful to our players for getting us out of a bad decision by me.”
St. Mary’s drove 72-yards over a time-consuming 14-play drive that ended with Calvin’s sliding catch and 1:55 left on the clock. The Rams did so after converting on a fourth-and-15 at their own 44-yard line when Herrera scrambled down the Rams’ sideline for a 48-yard gain. An earlier 50-yard pass play had also been negated by an illegal lineman downfield call.
TCAL STREAK CONTINUES
Lincoln not only was minutes away from snapping its own 16-game losing streak to the Rams, but it also would have ended one of the longest current winning streaks in any league in the state. St. Mary’s has now registered 37 consecutive league wins, last losing on Nov. 1, 2013, during a home contest against Stagg.
Going back even further, the Rams have won a whopping 97% of its league games since 2004. Over that span, it has posted an 86-3 league record. The other two losses? Those both came against West in 2005 and 2006.
THE BEST OF PLANS
Lincoln coach Natello Howard told me before the game his primary goal was to make Herrera uncomfortable, dispatching an extra lineman at times to put pressure on the signal-caller.
“All quarterbacks hate pressure,” Howard said. “We need coverage and pressure to try to make their best athletes as uncomfortable as possible. I want to make them earn everything, and then play a clean game defensively.”
The plan worked to perfection, until his own quarterback made a desperate throw while trying to avoid a sack. That pass just happened to find Andrade, just a few yards away, and was the turning point of the game.
ONE-NIGHT RULE
Christina Franks is a former tennis player at UC Davis who remembers first turning down a dinner date with her future husband, Tony, when Tony Franks was a coach with the Aggies’ freshman team. She had a conflict, but he persisted, and her life quickly pivoted into being a coach’s wife.
It’s been 20 years since Franks took over the St. Mary’s position, and she sees the highs and lows after games.
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“We have a one-night rule, where you can be happy or sad for one day,” Christina Franks said. “He’s driven to better himself. He’s on a quest to be the best coach he can be. I’m proud of his successes.”
And with that, the former kindergarten teacher of 38 years in Lodi Unified excuses herself from the interview and joins her husband’s side as they lead the Rams on the football field at the southeast gate.
VOICE OF THE TROJANS
One of my favorite things about covering sports at Lincoln is I always get to hear the soothing voice of longtime public address announcer John Bradbury, a living treasure who just turned 75 years old. During his three-decade span of being a guidance counselor at Lincoln, which ended in 2008, Bradbury began announcing games regularly.
He does it without compensation — until playoff games — because he feels a strong need to give back to the student-athletes who put on a show whether on the gridiron or on the hardcourt. His favorite sport is basketball, immediately recalling the favorite game he ever called. In 1999, St. Mary’s eked out a four-overtime victory.
“I try to be objective, and not be a homer,” said Bradbury, who has a minor in speech. “People appreciate it and it’s nice to receive compliments. I sound good here (at the games), but when I listen to a recording, I don’t like the sound as much. Your voice isn’t the same as you hear it.”
Note to John Bradbury: Don’t change a thing.
This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary's staged a comeback victory over Lincoln. How did they do it?
