The St. Joseph Knights punched their ticket to the CIF-CS playoffs with a 42-0 win over Lompoc on Friday at Huyck Stadium, shutting out the Braves in a one-sided Mountain League matchup.
The Knights (8-2, 3-1 Mountain League) scored three times in the second quarter and never looked back.
Sophomore running back Grayson Gaines added two touchdowns, and the defense stayed sturdy with pressure from sophomore linebacker Jachin Hanjiv and the secondary.
“You know, it isn’t all the coaches. A lot of the kids have been holding each other accountable as this year went on, through victories and defeats,” St. Joseph head coach Pepe Villasenor said.
“That’s something that I’m proud of and excited about moving forward, going into the postseason.”
St. Joseph opened the game by driving into Lompoc territory, but senior Noah Kinard intercepted a pass near the end zone to give the Braves a brief spark.
Lompoc couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, losing yardage on its next series and punting the ball back after a quick three-and-out.
The Knights responded by leaning on Gaines, who used a series of interior runs to move the offense into Braves territory, where the quarter ended with the score still locked at 0-0.
St. Joseph kept the run game going to start the second. A holding penalty erased a long run from Gaines, but a third-down pass from Jack Heaslet to Dominick Rucobo kept the drive alive.
“We need to eliminate the penalties that will obviously hurt us and put us in adverse positions as we go into the playoffs,” Villasenor said.
Heaslet then found senior Bronson Williams in stride for the game’s first touchdown. The extra point was missed wide, but the Knights took a 6-0 lead with 8:46 left in the half.
Lompoc picked up a first down on the next series but was soon forced backward by a sack and more defensive pressure. A punt gave St. Joseph the ball back with just over five minutes left.
The Knights were initially stuffed at the line before Heaslet connected with Gaines down the left sideline for a first down deep in Lompoc territory. On the next play, Gaines took a direct snap and darted up the edge for a touchdown. A two-point conversion pass to senior Dylan Crisp made it 14-0.
Lompoc tried to respond, but Williams jumped a short route, picked off the pass and weaved through defenders for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 21-0 with 2:10 left in the half.
The Braves drove into Knights territory before the break after a pair of penalties extended the drive, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call.
“We need to have a greater deal of discipline and probably most importantly get healthy,” Villasenor said.
With the ball near the 30-yard line, Lompoc went for it on fourth down, but Hanjiv broke up the pass to end the half with the shutout intact.
Lompoc attempted an onside kick to open the second half, but St. Joseph recovered and quickly moved into the red zone. Gaines and Nicky Romero led the charge, with Romero eventually forcing his way into the end zone to make it 28-0 with 9:27 left in the third.
Lompoc’s next series went backward with two losses and an incomplete third-down pass broken up by Romero. The Knights took over near midfield.
Despite more penalties, including a holding call that negated a long touchdown run by Heaslet, St. Joseph kept pushing. Gaines eventually scored his second TD of the night on a clean run up the middle, extending the lead to 35-0 with 5:26 left in the third.
The Knights continued to roll throughout the fourth quarter, holding the Lompoc offense in check and adding on another score on a touchdown pass from Heasley to senior Preston Motta to make it 42-0 with just over four minutes remaining.
Lompoc picked up a few late first downs on carries by Parker House and sophomore Reece Luna, but the clock ran to zero as the Knights completed the definitive shutout.
Villasenor outlined the team’s focus heading into the postseason after the dominant win.
“Clock management, situational football and trying to break some of our negative tendencies defensively and offensively,” he said.
The Braves (6-3, 1-2 Mountain League) will look to bounce back to .500 in Mountain League play when they host Paso Robles next Friday, Oct. 31, at 4 p.m. at Huyck Stadium.
The Knights will have a chance to rest their banged-up roster during next week’s bye before heading into the postseason.
