Instead of making long, graceful strides down field with the ball on offense or weaving his way back up the field with an interception on defense, St. Augustine star senior receiver/defensive back Frank Buncom IV found himself leaning on crutches with a knee brace and ice pack for much of last Friday’s exciting San Diego Section Division I championship game at Southwestern College.
And by the scowl he wore on his face, one could immediately tell that the sideline was definitely where he didn’t want to be.
The grandson of former American Football League Chargers Ring of Honor inductee Frank Buncom Jr. and perhaps the highest profile member of the Saints’ many South County players, Buncom helped set up St. Augustine’s first touchdown with a 45-yard reception that placed the ball inside the Madison five-yard line.
Teammate Elijah Preston would then score on a three-yard run to give the third-seeded Saints a 7-0 lead over the fourth-seeded Warhawks in the division finale.
But Buncom, who has been selected to play in January’s Semper Fidelis All-American Game at the StubHub Center in Carson, only played a few plays after that while being injured on defense.
Without Buncom in the lineup, St. Augustine’s defensive scheme was disrupted until coaches could make adjustments to ward off a streaking Madison team that had won nine straight games.
The Warhawks led 21-14 at halftime and promptly upped that to 28-14 by scoring on their opening drive of the second half.
But the game was far from over. Buncom’s emotional halftime plea to his teammates likely had something to do with that.
The Saints faced three two-touchdown deficits in the second half, only to overcome them with a miraculous last-second 49-42 victory. Was it a sign from above for the Catholic boys school? A holy bowl win?
It had to come from the heart.
Buncom addressed his team in a special post-game huddle. KUSI-TV caught the emotional speech and later aired it on the station’s nightly “All Sports Report.”
Tears streaming down his cheeks, Buncom found it difficult to speak at times while championing his teammates for taking up the charged halftime challenge he issued to them.
“I challenged you to play for me … because I couldn’t play,” Buncom said, his voice wavering. “I’m proud that you wanted to play for me … and win for me.”
The Saints rode their teammate’s words to one of their most dramatic comebacks in school history, and certainly one of the most exciting finishes in section history. Trailing by scores of 28-14, 35-21 and 42-28, St. Augustine (8-5) scored the final three touchdowns of the game to power past the Warhawks (9-4).
Darrell Broussard scored on a 25-yard run to trim the Saints’ deficit to 42-35 late in the third quarter. Francoise Sims II then tied the game on a three-yard run with 7:09 left in the game.
With St. Augustine now trailing by a touchdown, the Saints got the ball back one last time on offense and drove to the Madison eight-yard line with three seconds left on the clock.
How would the game end — with cheers or tears? It was ordained to be the former.
St. Augustine quarterback Danny Goodridge lofted an arcing pass into the corner of the end zone. Saints coach Richard Sanchez admitted afterward that was essentially the only option his team had. Goodridge said he had confidence that teammate Jacob Baker would come down with the pass — and when Baker did, getting both feet in the end zone, as if by divine guidance — the Saints student cheer section located about 15 feet away went absolutely bonkers.
Simply, a magical win.
One for the team — and a special teammate.
Stat attack
Preston, a junior running back, rushed 33 times for 259 yards and two touchdowns while Sims, another junior, had nine carries for 48 yards and two TDs. Broussard had four carries for 48 yards and one TD.
Goodridge completed 10 of 22 passing attempts for 125 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed seven times for 16 yards and one score.
Madison QB Kareem Coles accounted for four touchdowns in the loss. He tied the game, 7-7, on a one-yard carry in the first quarter, then put the Warhawks ahead, 14-7, on a 15-yard run in the second quarter. The Saints answered with a seven-yard run by Sims to knot the score, 14-14, before Madison closed out the first half with a seven-yard run by Shaheed Madyun to put the Warhawks ahead 21-14. Madison got th ball back with 57 seconds left in the half and used to big plays – including a 39-yard run by Coles – to score with just 19 seconds left in the half.
Isaiah Osborne scored on a 51-yard burst up the middle to ignite the Warhawks in the second half to up the score to 28-14. But the Saints responded with a seven-yard run by Preston to trim the margin to 28-21. But Coles hit Madyun for a 25-yard touchdown pass to increase the Madison lead to 35-21.
But the Warhawks couldn’t quite seem to put the Saints away for good. Goodridge scored on a five-yard run to once again cut the Madison lead to a touchdown at 35-28.
The teams weren’t done scoring in the third quarter, with each team scoring yet once more. Coles threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lewis to increase Madison’s lead to 42-28.
St. Augustine then scored the final three touchdowns to spirit away the emotional win. Broussard’s TD made the score 42-35, and Sims tied the game, 42-42, after scoring his second touchdown of the game.
That set the stage for the Goodridge to Baker alley-oop game-winner — and a place in section history.
Osborne finished the game with 191 rushing yards while Cole rushed for 107 yards and passed for 159 passing yards. However, Coles was sacked three times by Thomas Browne
