INGLEWOOD - St. Joseph football coach Barney Eames had regrets but no complaints Friday night.

His team had just come up short, 20-17 against Morningside of Inglewood in the CIF Division X semifinals at Caroline Coleman Stadium. Eames said, "I'm really proud of these kids, the way they came back and battled."

The Knights came unhinged for a time in the second quarter, and that was their undoing. St. Joseph trailed 20-7 at halftime, righted itself in the second half but couldn't quite turn the corner.

Morningside defensive back Brandon McCullen ruined the Knights' last chance when he intercepted Knights quarterback Casey Cathcart's pass for Jacob Boster at the Morningside 25 with 41 seconds left.

"We had our chances," Eames said after his team finished 9-4. The Knights were 2-9 last year. This time, they finished second in the Los Padres League behind Lompoc.

Lompoc takes on Serra of Gardena at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Lompoc. If the Braves win, they take on the Monarchs at home at 7:30 p.m. the following Friday night in Lompoc for the title. The Braves are defending Division X champs.

Morningside's single biggest play was a recovery of its own fumble.

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The Knights had just closed to within 20-17 on Cathcart's 18-yard pass to Dominic Catayas when Brad Escobar stripped Ryan Tatum of the ball at Morninside's 11 on the kickoff. A Knight thought he had recovered the ball, but the officials ruled the Monarchs' Teran Thompson had it.

The Knights had it all clicking early. They drove 77 yards for a touchdown on the first series of the game. St. Joseph ran right at Morningside's big defensive line for good yardage, and then Catayas ran by the Morningside secondary. Cathcart hit him down the sidelines for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

St. Joseph stopped a Morningside drive, and then Moses Manu missed a 30-yard field goal drive. The Knights were driving toward a score and had a first down at the Morningside 25, when Philip Adam fumbled a pitch.

Somehow Monarch linebacker Maurice Payne grabbed the ball out of the crowd and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.

"Maurice Payne has been making plays like that for us all year," said Morningside coach Mike McCarthy.

"He was dinged up at halftime, and we thought he was all through. But he played the second half and did a great job for us."

"We had some momentum then, but I wouldn't put it all on that fumble," Eames said of the Knights' fortunes. "The kids did a great job of fighting back. They're probably the most athletic team we've played."

The Knights' shoulders were drooping on their sideline after Payne's big play, and the Monarchs burned them thereafter with their athleticism.

Demerious Thomas stretched full out and caught quarterback Funaki Mateaki's pass down the Morningside sideline for a 62-yard go-ahead touchdown.

Starting from their own 37 with 4:28 left in the half, the Monarchs drove 63 yards for a score. A play action pass - the play Eames had worried about all week - from Mateaki to Thomas worked for 23 yards to the 46.

That was the single biggest play on the drive. On the next play, an 11-yard pass play, Eames, who rarely yells at officials, barked at one.

"Jesus Christ, the ball was moving (before the snap)!," Eames yelled. On the Knights' second possession, he had come out on the field briefly, incredulous that pass interference had not been called on the Monarchs on a third-down pass that fell incomplete.

Lafayette Fletcher capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring run.

After halftime, two holding penalties wrecked what had been a promising Morningside drive on the first possession of the second half. Linebackers Adam and Brandon Merlo and defensive back Justin Maretti led the surge as the Knights defense shut down the Monarchs after that.

The Knights took advantage of Matu's 26-yard punt with 3:59 left in the third quarter. The punt set up St. Joseph at Morningside's 32, and Tim Schweigert kicked a 31-yard field goal.

Fletcher fumbled on the first play after that, and St. Joseph's Greg Reynolds recovered. Catayas connected with Catayas for the 18-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.

But then the Monarchs averted disaster with Thompson's recovered fumble, and the Knights couldn't come close to scoring thereafter.

"They're by far the best team we've played," said McCarthy. "They're a well-coached team. That's a helluva coach they have."

Morningside's lone loss was to Culver City.

"That was 9-6 in the rain, we had four fumbles and (the rain) took away our size advantage," McCarehy said. "If it's dry, it's a completely different game. They're a way better team than Culver City."

"That team played a helluva game," a Morningside fan commented to someone about St. Joseph afterward.

Boys basketball

Righetti 63, Woodside 62

SAN FRANCISCO - Kevin Shibata had a game-high 23 points, including a jumper with 40 seconds left to give the Warriors the lead for good in the semifinals of the Archbishop Riordan Tournament, giving Righetti its second straight Riordan finals appearance.

Aaron Boone added 16 points in the win, while Brian Elchlepp added 10 for Righetti.

Juston Smith led Woodside - based south of San Francisco - with 15 points, followed by 13 from Eric Berman.

Righetti (3-0) faces Drake of San Francisco for the title tonight at 8 p.m.

Atas. 86, Wash. Union 80

MORRO BAY - Darryl Phillips scored a game-high 28 points in leading the Greyhounds past highly-rated Washington Union and into the finals of Morro Bay's Harding Tournament.

Mecklen Davis added 22 points in the victory for the Greyhounds, while Alex Shorts had 11.

Trevon Willis led Washington Union with 27 points, while Dwight O'Neil added 24.

Atascadero plays host Morro Bay in the finals tonight.

In other action, Santa Maria lost to North Bakersfield 65-46 in consolation-bracket action.

Girls basketball

Paso Robles 67, St. Joseph 48

ATASCADERO - The Knights dropped to 0-2 at the Ruth Dozer Tournament with a consolation-bracket loss to the Bearcats despite a game-high 21 points from sophomore Jenelle Conklin.

Brittany Santos led Paso Robles with 16 points, while Megan Feason added 12 in the victory.

St. Joseph got nine points from Lisa Wise and six from Abby Smith. The Knights will face either Liberty or Mission Prep in consolation action at 2:30 p.m. today.

Atascadero 51, Santa Maria 36

ATASCADERO - The Saints got off to a slow start against the host Greyhounds, scoring only 14 points in the first half to fall into the third-place game.

McKenzie Jimenez led the Saints (1-2) with 11 points, while Nicole Curto and Veronica Magallon had eight each.

Haley Donnehy had 23 points for Atascadero.

Bishop Diego 27, Nipomo 23

Jewell Cunningham scored a team-high 10 points in the Titans' loss to the Cardinals in the VCA Tournament.

Nipomo was held to seven points in the first half and did not score a basket in the first 16 minutes, scoring all their points at the free-throw line.

In other tournament action, the host Lions lost to St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood 70-31.

Lompoc 68, Garces 38

LOMPOC - Natalie Fell and Brittany Garcia had 19 points each as the Braves (1-2) beat Bakersfield-based Garces in round-robin play.

Lompoc faces Dos Pueblos today in pool play.

Girls soccer

SLO 3, Santa Ynez 2

SAN LUIS OBISPO - The Pirates (1-1) fell to the Tigers in non-league match despite a two-goal game from Leann Sgobba.

Sgobba's first goal game off a Christina Pauley assist in the 50th minute, followed 10 minutes later by a goal off a penalty kick.

Santa Ynez travels to Atascadero on Tuesday.

Water polo

Newbury Park Tournament

NEWBURY PARK - Righetti split its two matches at the tournament, beating Westlake 4-2 before falling 10-3 to Cabrillo.

Allison Barroca scored two goals in the win over Westlake, while Jada Beasley and Lydia Lombard each scored single goals.

Beasley had two goals in the loss to the Conquistadores, in which Cabrillo's Becca Ur had six goals and assisted on the other four.

"They were pretty one-dimensional," Warrior coach Bob Nelson said of Cabrllo. "Without her, they were pretty ordinary."

Righetti faces Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks today in other tournament action.

December 6, 2003