San Francisco High School football: Lincoln wins 10th straight Bell Game over Washington
SAN FRANCISCO — There might not be a more scenic high school football vantage point in America.
Washington High School Stadium, overlooking San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, is breathtaking from about every angle.
On Friday, in the 77th Big Bell Game, the host Eagles were hoping to end a nine-year drought against arch-rival Lincoln. With a surprising 7-1 overall record and 4-0 in Academic Athletic Association play coming in, Washington’s hopes didn’t appear fleeting.
But after a familiar 49-0 Mustangs’ hammering, Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno had to catch his breath. Even he wasn’t expecting such a dominating, lopsided win.
The Mustangs improved to 6-3 and all but clinched another AAA regular-season title at 5-0.
According to reports from The San Francisco Standard, Lincoln’s defense forced six turnovers and turned them into 30 points, including pick 6s from Jamelle Newman and Jaylen Lopez, who also returned a fumble for a score.
Newman scored two touchdowns on offense, including a 52-yard TD jaunt to start the scoring.
“I gotta admit, I didn’t see this one coming like this,” said Ferrigno, who has led the Mustangs to eight section and two state titles since 2005. “I was really impressed with our defense and intensity.
Renay Taylor (13), who scored the game's final touchdown, runs through a big hole. Photo: Eric Taylor
“Our line played great. I’m so proud of those guys. We played efficiently. You never know in a big game like this how kids will perform. We were way more focused than I imagined.”
The story coming into the game was Washington, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2011. A dominant program the previous two decades, the Eagles fell on hard times, winning just 16 times against 73 losses from 2012 through 2021.
But fourth-year head coach Mike Ramos, who was the starting center on the 1999 San Francisco Section Washington team, had the Eagle completely turned around until Friday.
The Eagles came in having outscored opponents 314-85 with three shutouts, including last week’s 22-0 thumping of defending state 7-A champion Balboa.
Washington opened with a 49-14 romp over Ygnacio Valley-Concord and followed with lopsided wins over Cenair (41-0), Galileo (44-8) and Burton (64-0). The team’s only previous defeat was 23-22 to Irvington-Fremont.
“It’s really all about the players,” Ramos said on Wednesday. “They bought into what we’re trying to do. They’ve done everything we’ve asked.”
But playing without starting quarterback James Mertz (knee injury) the Eagles unraveled early. After Newman’s touchdown, a punt snap wasn’t handled, Latu Manumua fell on it for a TD, making it 14-0.
Lincoln got a big lift from its top player Ricky Underwood, making his first appearance since breaking a collarbone in the team’s opener. Underwood had a couple long runs and played a little defense.
Ricky Underwood (2), who gained more than 1,000 yards as a junior, has been out since the opener with a broken collarbone. He had several long runs Friday. Photo: Eric Taylor
“He got a little run in and it was great for us,” Ferrigno said.
A Vincent Huang pressure forced a fumble in the end zone and Lopez recovered, making it 21-0. By halftime it was 35-0 after a Newman pick 6. Following Lopez’ second defensive touchdown, Renay Taylor added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the final tally.
“This was a good one,” Ferrigno said. “We’ll take it. Still a long way to go.”
Lincoln extended its lead in the series to 41-35-1. The Mustangs plays at Burton next week, while Washington hosts Mission. The Eagles have already clinched a home playoff game.
Look for more stunning photos from Eric Taylor later
