By Michael DUMANSKY

Consistency, effort and the will to do what it takes to win are things that St. Francis head football coach Jim Bonds preaches to his team before every game. He tells his team to never give up on each play and always give it 100%. Before the start of the 2019 football season, Bonds and the team were tasked to select four senior captains to represent them in each game. Unanimously, the team selected running back Kevin Armstead as one of the four to lead the team each Friday night – an honor he never thought would be bestowed upon him.

When he transferred his sophomore year from Chaminade High School in West Hills to St. Francis in La Cañada, Armstead embraced the change in atmosphere.

“The community and the brotherhood aspect here at St. Francis,” explained Armstead of the positive changes he found on the St. Francis campus. “That really wasn’t a thing at Chaminade; everybody was in it for themselves, there was not a lot of teamwork and team players. Here everyone will give their life up on that field just to fight for their brothers. That is something I look at more than just football; I look at more like the community aspect. You see thousands of people who show up to our games every Friday night. The little things like that are what made me choose St. Francis.”

After displaying his ability and prowess on the field during practice, Coach Bonds decided that he earned a spot on the varsity roster. That year Armstead, along with his team, made the CIF championship – a game that was an experience he said was “indescribable.” Although the game’s result wasn’t what he and his teammates had hoped, he knew the future held promise for him.

After a solid performance his junior season, Armstead in his senior year was named one of four team captains. Wanting the best, he set goals for himself and the team.

“Personal goals: to break a thousand [yards] and lead my team the best way that I can,” he said. “Ultimately I just want to win games and go as far as I did my sophomore year.”

Armstead has already exceeded that objective. He has rushed for 1116

yards on the season and has scored 10 touchdowns. He isn’t quite done just yet, though; he still has one goal that he intends to achieve and that is to make it to the CIF championship game. He pushes his teammates every practice so they will be ready at every game. He wants his team to experience a championship environment and “take it all in.” But Armstead never measured success by achieving his own goals; instead he approahced them from a team perspective. He said he will always fight for his brothers on the field – no matter what – and do his part not for the accolades but for his team.

  Michael DUMANSKY