Archbishop Riordan beats Saint Francis (Mountain View): Live score, updates from California high school football game

West Catholic Athletic League football just started, and the title is already, arguably, Archbishop Riordan's to lose.

The Crusaders faced some turbulence on the road from a Saint Francis team that's far more talented and dangerous than its 0-4 record indicates, but they finished on a 27-0 run to win 47-28.

At the get-go, it looked like heavily-favored Riordan was set to run away with a victory. The Crusaders scored 11 seconds into the game on a long touchdown from Michael Mitchell Jr. (Vanderbilt) to Kyle Welch to go up 6-0 following a blocked PAT. And they led 13-0 with 8:18 left in the frame when Mitchell connected from 62 yards out with Judge Nash (Harvard).

But Saint Francis showed its pedigree and took control for the next two quarters, give or take. The Lancers flipped the script on Riordan by scoring on the first play of scrimmage in the second quarter, a touchdown pass from Andrew Franzino to Sefanaia Alatini (BYU) on 4th-and-22, and they took a 14-13 lead with four minutes left in the half on a 48-yard strike from Franzino to Sean Walsh. Archbishop Riordan responded with 2:20 remaining in the half when Adonyae Brown scored his first rushing touchdown from 19 yards out to go up 20-14, but Saint Francis scored in the waning seconds on a 27-yard pass from Drew Cumby to Alatini to lead 21-20 at halftime.

The Lancers extended their lead by seven points with 8:12 left in the third quarter as Franzino threw his third touchdown pass, a 25-yarder to Dom Oteiza. And from there on out, it was all Riordan.

Mitchell hit Nash for another touchdown with 4:44 left in the third to bring Riordan within two points, but their two-point conversion attempt came up inches short of the end zone so they settled for a 28-26 deficit instead of a tie. Riordan sacked Saint Francis around midfield on 4th-and-18 with 8:54 left in regulation, and on the very next play, its go-ahead score was yet another touchdown from the Mitchell-Nash battery. That time, the conversion worked and Riordan took a 34-28 lead. The Crusaders' last two touchdowns were on short runs from Brown with 7:29 and 1:04 remaining in the fourth.

When the dust settled, Mitchell finished with four touchdown passes, Nash had three touchdown catches, and Brown registered three rushing touchdowns. Archbishop Riordan (4-0) will again be the favorite on the road next week against one of its top rivals, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. Saint Francis is easily one of the top winless teams on the West Coast now at 0-4, and looks to regroup at Bellarmine College Prep next week. We would not be surprised to see the Lancers finish top-three in the WCAL or even win out from here despite their rough start.

Scroll down for a pregame overview followed by live scoring and results.

Pregame

Another intriguing WCAL game in this week's countdown, this matchup is much more likely than No. 9 to have conference title ramifications. Archbishop Riordan is the heavy favorite this year in what's something of a down year for the West Catholic, but it hardly needs to be said that running the table in the eight-team conference is a brutal task, and talent-laden Saint Francis appears to be the Crusaders' biggest competition despite entering 0-3. There's a solid chance that Archbishop Riordan runs away with this one quickly, but if the Lancers are able to slow Riordan's overwhelming passing game and score some points early on, this will probably prove to be the most exciting game of the week. Worth noting is that third place finisher Riordan defeated Saint Francis in last year's matchup despite Saint Francis going on to claim the title.

Final score, results

Archbishop Riordan wins 47-28.

4TH QUARTER:

1:04 – Archbishop Riordan 47, Saint Francis 28: Brown punches it in from a yard out to make this one even more over than it already was. Good effort from Saint Francis, but the Crusaders finish on a 27-0 run.

7:29 – Archbishop Riordan 40, Saint Francis 28: This one was interesting for a while, but the Lancers appear to be out of juice. Adonyae Brown gives Archbishop Riordan its second two-score lead of the night with a short rushing touchdown.

8:45 – Archbishop Riordan 34, Saint Francis 28: The Crusaders capitalize on their next play, another long Mitchell touchdown pass followed by a two-point conversion.

8:54: Riordan gets a key stop by sacking Saint Francis around midfield on 4th-and-18.

3RD QUARTER:

1:13: Saint Francis' defense slows Riordan's offense with a turnover on downs via fourth down sack.

4:44 – Saint Francis 28, Archbishop Riordan 26: The Crusaders respond again with a touchdown, another from Mitchell to Nash. Their two-point conversion attempt came up inches short after they completed a pass.

8:12 – Saint Francis 28, Archbishop Riordan 20: Forget "might be" – we are officially on upset alert in Mountain View. Franzino to Dom Oteiza in the end zone from 25 yards out.

2ND QUARTER:

LATE Q2 – Saint Francis 21, Archbishop Riordan 20: Riordan might be on upset alert. Saint Francis finds the end zone again, this time with Drew Cumby hitting Alatini from 27 yards.

2:20 – Archbishop Riordan 20, Saint Francis 14: The Crusaders answer quickly on a 19-yard run from Adonyae Brown.

4:00 – Saint Francis 14, Archbishop Riordan 13: After a rough start, the Lancers already have their first lead on a 48-yard touchdown from Franzino to Sean Walsh.

4:59: No scores for a while now. Saint Francis takes over around midfield after forcing a punt.

Q2 – Archbishop Riordan 13, Saint Francis 7: Saint Francis is on the board after scoring a tough touchdown via air on 4th-and-22 on the first play of the second quarter. Andrew Franzino to Sefanaia Alatini.

1ST QUARTER:

8:18 – Archbishop Riordan 13, Saint Francis 0: Riordan adds to its lead and this time gets the PAT too. 62-yard strike from Mitchell to Judge Nash.

11:49 – Archbishop Riordan 6, Saint Francis 0: Riordan strikes immediately as Michael Mitchell hits Kyle Welch on a long-range bomb for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. PAT blocked.

Saint Francis vs. Archbishop Riordan start time

• Date: Friday, Sep. 26
• Time: 7:00 p.m. PT

The opening kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, Sep. 26. The game will be played at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View.