St. Francis Comes up Short; Alta Loma Wins 21-7

dbarker on August 28, 2026 — 1 Comment
Alta Loma Lions Benjamin Dorsey (10) reacts after tackling St. Francis Golden Knights Vito Schiada (21) for a loss during a high school football game between the St. Francis Golden Knights and the visiting Alta Loma Lions in La Cañada, CA on August 28, 2026. (Photo by David Thomas)

By Rich Whittington

(La Canada) – The Alta Loma Lions took on the St Francis Golden Knights and came away with a 21-7 vicotry spoiling the Golden Knights season opener under the direction of new head coach Lance Mitchell.

Alta Loma Lions Nathaniel Alverado (6) tackles St. Francis Golden Knights Will O’Connor (3) during a high school football game between the St. Francis Golden Knights and the visiting Alta Loma Lions in La Cañada, CA on August 28, 2026. (Photo by David Thomas)
Alta Loma Lions Izaih Brown (4) is upended by St. Francis Golden Knights Anthony Matthews (8) during a high school football game between the St. Francis Golden Knights and the visiting Alta Loma Lions in La Cañada, CA on August 28, 2026. (Photo by David Thomas)
Alta Loma Lions Nathaniel Alverado (6) tackles St. Francis Golden Knights Mason Maddox (9) during a high school football game between the St. Francis Golden Knights and the visiting Alta Loma Lions in La Cañada, CA on August 28, 2026. (Photo by David Thomas)
Alta Loma Lions Bryant Avila (2) is tackled by St. Francis Golden Knights Keilyn Mills (2) during a high school football game between the St. Francis Golden Knights and the visiting Alta Loma Lions in La Cañada, CA on August 28, 2026. (Photo by David Thomas)

St. Francis had a rough beginning to the 2026 Football season, losing to visiting Alta Loma Friday evening at Jim Bonds Stadium.

The game featured most of the elements that one would expect to see in an early season contest…penalties, mistakes, and miscues. All elements that will be corrected as the season progresses.

The Golden Knights scored the first points of the evening, when Nikolas Mansourian converted a successful 26-yard field goal. This made the score 3-0, with 4:55 remaining in the opening quarter.

The score increased to 5-0 early in the second period, when an errant snap by Alta Loma center Jordan Umana went past quarterback Maximus Fierro and through the endzone, resulting in a safety.

Alta Loma got on the board a short time later, when Fierro scored on a 1-yard touchdown blast. The PAT was unsuccessful, making the score 6-5 at the intermission.


The third quarter featured a second errant snap by the Lions, which resulted in their second safety of the evening. This made the score 7-6, St. Francis, as the third quarter ended.

Alta Loma got on track in the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns. The first score saw Fierro connect with Santiago Vasquez for a 25-yard score. The two-Point PAT was added, making the score 14-7, with 10:07 remaining in the game.

The second score came when Fierro tossed to running back Iziah Brown for a 23-yard touchdown. The extra point was added by Calton Riley, making the score 21-7 as the game came to an end. In addition to this PAT Riley was also responsible for four touchbacks during the contest.

St. Francis will attempt to even their record next Friday when they travel to Crespi to meet the 1-1 Celts. Alta Loma, 2-0, will return home to face 1-1 Etiwanda.

Posted in High School Football

1 Comment to "St. Francis Comes up Short; Alta Loma Wins 21-7"

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  1. Long first year…'s Gravatar Long first year…
    August 30, 2026 - 12:14 pm | Permalink

    Defense looks decent. Offense is real bad. RB is mid, OL mid. QB bad. One good receiver but can’t get him the ball. Over here running wing t junk.

    Probably better get the QB from Muir next year. LOL!!

    Probably only beat La Canada, Bishop Montgomery, and St. Paul. Nothing guaranteed.

    3-7 enough to keep the job? Might be 1-9.

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