On a frigid Friday night at Keith Ritchie Field, the Calabasas Coyotes were unable to overcome an assortment of errors as the St. Francis Golden Knights ran off with a 50-22 victory. The Coyotes finished their regular season strong with consecutive wins against Rio Mesa and Westlake, but couldn’t match the offensive firepower displayed by the Golden Knights as their 50 points marked their highest all season.
It was Calabasas’ first CIF playoff appearance since their remarkable 2022-2023 season when they defeated La Habra and Ramona before narrowly falling 15-14 to San Jacinto in the Division 6 semifinals. Meanwhile, despite finishing their regular season with a disappointing 3-7 record, St. Francis secured a playoff spot by impressively going 3-2 in the competitive Angelus League. The Golden Knights are no strangers to success, having reached the Division 5 Championship in 2022 and capturing an Angelus League Championship with a Division 3 playoff berth in 2023.
With both teams looking to make a statement early, Coyotes running back Kayne Miller opened the scoring via a 17-yard rushing touchdown. The Golden Knights then responded with a 62-yard touchdown of their own on the first play of the drive. After St. Francis converted a two-point conversion, Calabasas continued to showcase their explosive run game with a 41-yard rush from Kayne Miller capped off by another Miller rush touchdown to take a 15-8 lead.
The Golden Knights answered back with a series of big plays, but junior Daniel Charlier gave the Coyotes a crucial boost with an interception. Just two plays later, however, Calabasas QB Dom Hardy was blindsided by an unblocked rusher, resulting in a pick-six that knotted the game at 15. St. Francis continued their ambush with a surprise onside kick, which was muffed and recovered in Coyotes territory. Though the Golden Knights turned the ball over on downs, they scored on their next possession, ending the first quarter with a 22-15 lead.
The second quarter proved demoralizing for Calabasas, as a 14-play drive, kept alive by a roughing-the-kicker penalty, ended with another pick-six by St. Francis, extending their lead to 14 with five minutes left in the half. Another lengthy drive for the Coyotes yielded no points, leaving them with a steep climb in the second half.
The Golden Knights came out strong after halftime, marching down the field and extending their lead to 21 points with a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Sanders. Calabasas nearly answered with a huge touchdown pass, but sophomore Kingston Celifie couldn’t secure a deflected pass from Hardy, forcing the Coyotes to punt once again. Just two plays later, Golden Knights’ sophomore Deveon Blaylock broke free from a tackle and ran 70 yards to the end zone, widening the lead to 28 points. St. Francis put the finishing touches on with a 12-yard rushing touchdown, and Calabasas’ Kingston Celifie scored the final points of the season with a 63-yard receiving touchdown.
St. Francis will face Muir High School next Friday in the quarter-final. With the loss, Calabasas will bid farewell to their departing seniors and turn their attention to next season as they look to build around their young nucleus of the Hardy brothers, Kayne Miller, Kingston Celifie, and Stephen Ouvaroff.
