OAK PARK - The St. Joseph Knights didn't want their season to end.

They battled hard to the end - the bitter end - before finding themselves on the wrong end of a 21-14 score against the Oak Park Eagles in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division football playoffs Friday night at Eagles Stadium in Oak Park..

It was truly a tale of two halves..

“Oak Park won the first half 14-0. Then we won the second half 14-7,” said St. Joseph head coach Mike Hartman. “Unfortunately, they add the score together for both halves.”

Not that the Knights didn't have their chances.

Oak Park (8-3) was led by the two Kyles - tailback Kyle Shorten who ran for 120 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries and quarterback Kyle Andrus who ran for 53 yards and one touchdown on nine carries and threw for 134 yards on 14 attempts with a 64-yard scoring bomb to wide receiver Max Fahn.

“The two Kyles, they're just really great athletes,” said Oak Park head coach Dick Billingsley. “Shorten has become a great running back. Andrus has really matured as a quarterback and team leader this year. We are all really haooy those guys play on our side.”

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St. Joseph (7-4) was led by tailback Russell Perkins with 39 yards on 14 carries, wide receiver/tailback Scott Cathcart with 38 yards on nine carries.

St. Joseph quarterback Gavin Kellyconnected on 16 of 28 passing attempts - good for 180 yards. Cathcart caught three of them for 51 yards. Travis Biegl hauled in seven passes for 100 yards and K.J. Cusack caught three for 26 yards.

The Eagles got on the board quickly.

After forcing a St. Joseph punt on the game's opening possession, Oak Park was in a hole at it's own 16 yard line.

A short pass to Shorten, two short runs by Shorten and one by Andrus got the Eagles up to their 36 yard line and had the Knights' defense keeping a close watch on the two Kyles.

On a second-and-10 from their 36, Andrus ran a play action with a fake to Shorten. The defense bit on the fake - leaving wide receiver Max Fahn wide open behind the St. Joseph defense. Fahn caught the ball in a dead run at the Knights' 30 yard line and was quickly into the end zone with a 64-yard touchdown reception.

Brett Zoella's extra point put the Eagles on top 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

The Knights mounted their first real threat early in the second quarter.

Getting excellent field position after an Oak Park punt, St. Joseph was in business inside Eagles' territory at the 48.

Perkins pounded the ball up the middle four straight times. Then Kelly hit Cathcart for 22. A 14-yard completion, two more times up the middle by Perkins and two runs from offensive lineman/fullback John Sua and the Knights were down to the three yard line - but they were facing a fourth-and-one.

The Eagles smothered the powerful Sua and the drive was stopped. St. Joseph took more than 7:30 off the clock - there was just 4:33 remaining in the half - and the Knights hadn't crossed the goal line.

It was an even game,” said Hartman. “We had our opportunities but we just didn't capitalize.”

Now it was time for Oak Park to kill the clock.

Starting at their own three yard line, the Eagles marched down field - going 14 plays, mostly on the legs of Shorten, including a 47-yard run that got the Eagles out of a hole. On a third-and-goal from the nine, Andrus faked to Shorten and ran it into the end zone with a quarterback keeper. The extra point put the Eagles up 14-0 with just 16 seconds remaining in the half.

But the Knights season wasn't over.

The defense stiffened and kept Oak Park out of the end zone for most of the second half.

Midway through the third quarter, St. Joseph got the ball near midfield.

Mixing in the pass and run, St. Joseph had Oak Park off balance.

A 13-yard pass to Biegl, an 8-yard pass to Cusack, an 11-yarder to Biegl set up Kelly for a 10-yard run that got the Knights down to the four.

From there, Perkins ran it in and, with Anthony Gallegos' point after, the Knights were back in the game at 14-7.

Then an Oak Park fumble got the Knights' offense right back on the field at the St. Joseph 48 yard line.

Kelly hit Cusack for 24. Perkins powered for seven. Catchcart ran for four.

The Knights worked the ball down to the 16 yard line where Kelly took the snap from the shotgun formation and raced straight ahead, untouched, into the end zone.

Gallegos' PAT tied it up at 14-14.

St. Joseph had one last shot but a fumble cost them the ball.

The Knights then stopped the Eagles but a roughing the kicker penalty on the Oak Park punt kept their drive alive.

That led to Shorten's four-yard touchdown run, a 21-14 lead and just 3:16 left in the game.

When Kelly's pass was intercepted with 1:36 to go in the game, time ran out on St. Joseph's season.

“I'm proud of our kids for not giving up,” said Hartman. “We challenged them to play the full 24 minutes of the second half and they did.”

“They're a great ball club and this was a tremendous football game,” said Billingsley. “From top to bottom, St. Joseph is a class orgaization.”

Oak Park travels to Harvard/Westlake for a quarterfinal matchup next Friday night. Harvard/Westlake defeated Torrance 42-16 in Friday night's opening round.

Sports Editor Elliott Stern can be reached at 739-2235 or by e-mail to elliottstern@santamariatimes.com.

November 17, 2007