Heartbreaking Loss for Saint Francis on Homecoming Night

By Nick Gonzalez-Abreu, Haley Wald and Bryan Bromfield

The excitement of crowning homecoming king and queen was almost complimented by what looked like Saint Francis’ second win of the season. Instead, they lost 14-13 to Melbourne Central Catholic to bring their record to 1-6. 

Saint Francis had a 7-0 lead in the first half. Their run game was on point in comparison to recent weeks, and Melbourne couldn’t seem to get past the Saint Francis defense to start. 

Avi Steiner scooped up a fumble for the first touchdown of the game before he went down late in the second quarter with a knee injury. 

Coach Langham confirmed after the game that no bones were broken, but trainers are taking a close look at his current situation. There should be more updates in the next few days. 

Despite a crushing loss, Saint Francis completed more passes than recorded all year, and their run game made them look like a whole new team. Devin Rollins once again stood out as a key player with one touchdown and an almost jaw-dropping run performance.

Touchdown Saint Francis! Devon Rollins with a fantastic 10 yard touchdown run for the #Wolves. PAT is no good | Score: Saint Francis 13 – 0 Melbourne Christian

— Bryan Bromfield (@BromfieldBryan) October 15, 2022

Hope for the Future

The momentum that was lost in the second half not only came from missing Steiner, but Coach Langham said the team needs to work on not expecting victories to come even when up by two touchdowns at one point in the game. 

“I think there were times where we missed it. We should’ve made a play…. What it really takes to win is the small things.”

This would have been the second win for Saint Francis in over two and a half years, and the thought of that showed when players walked off the field emotionally. Coach Langham’s plan to instill a passionate winning culture into this program seems to be rubbing off on many of the players. Although they couldn’t get the win, it is clear they are heading in the right direction. The team will head to Oak Hall next week in hopes of at least continuing the momentum they had during last night’s game.