On September 26, the Saint Francis Lancers and the Riordan Crusaders were trading countless touchdowns in an electrifying WCAL showdown. Despite the 47-28 loss, the Lancers’ offense finally started to show its true potential as they scored 28 points—more than they had through the first three preseason games.
The Lancers’ offense employs a dual-quarterback system, with Andrew Franzino (’26) and Drew Cumby (’28) alternating as quarterback at the start of each drive. It might seem that it would be hard to build momentum with a new quarterback at the beginning of each drive, but that didn’t stop Franzino from racking up three passing touchdowns in the first three quarters of the game. Franzino exemplified great pocket awareness and improved his accuracy from previous games, finishing the game with a 56% completion rate. Cumby showed incredible composure as he took the Lancers down the field during a two-minute drill in the final moments of the first half. His leadership skills show promise for the future of the Lancers’ program.
With the increased production of the Lancers’ quarterbacks, some talented wide receivers came to life. Three-star Brigham Young University commit Sefanaia Alatini (’26) caught two touchdown passes in the second quarter, each by beating his defender off a slant and a corner route. Sean Walsh (’26) and Dom Oteiza (’26) were also able to get their first touchdowns of the season off of dimes from both quarterbacks.
The last time the Lancers started their season 0-4 was 25 years ago under head coach Mike Mitchell. However, this year, the Lancers have the potential to make a comeback. The Lancers’ defense boasts elite talent, including Stanford commit Chase Cahoon (’26), who has accumulated over forty total tackles. Another threat on the defensive end is Sean McCoy (’26), who has four total sacks on the season. These star players give hope that the Lancers’ defense can turn things around, especially since they’ve already been tested by some of the top teams in the country. If the Lancers can improve on their defense going into the rest of the season, they can make a push to be in the top three for WCAL.
In the end, the Lancers’ current record doesn’t reflect the amount of potential they hold heading into the rest of the WCAL season. With their matchup against Bellarmine on October 3, the Lancers can show more creativity on the offensive end, as Bellarmine conceded a record-setting 71 points in their matchup against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Bellarmine has demonstrated numerous defensive issues, and the Lancers have a chance to capitalize on those mistakes. Overall, the Lancers have shown bright spots and are starting to become more cohesive in their play, and their record can only improve from here.
