St. Francis (6-4, 0-2) lost 13-3 and 1-0 to Crespi in the Mission League opener last week. The top-ranked Knights also lost to Saugus and Crescenta Valley the previoius week, bringing their losing streak to four. Not exactly what I anticipated after St. Francis breezed through the Elks Tournament. We’ll get another chance at St. Francis taking on local talent when it takes part of the Apache Invitational next week, but for now it’s not only about winning to stay atop the rankings, but also about proving it can compete in the Mission. The first score was lopsided, and the Knights bounced back (?) with a respectable 1-0 loss. Did we mention St. Francis lost to Saugus (7-3) and Crescenta Valley (3-3)? Does this mean St. Francis will be dethroned come Tuesday afternoon when the rankings are posted on the blog? To be fair, St. Francis lost to a Crespi team ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 coaches’ poll. But did we mention they lost to Saugus and Crescenta Valley? The only teams that have a chance at taking the top spot is Monrovia (10-1, 4-0) and Alhambra (9-1, 3-0). I know, St. Francis beat both Monrovia (8-3) and Alhambra (9-1) in the Elks Tournament, but is that enough to claim the title of “Best Area Team”? Perhaps. But since the Elks Tournament, St. Francis, as mentioned before, is on a four-game losing streak, while the Wildcats are on a seven-game winning streak and the Moors on a five-game winning streak. Reason enough for one of the teams to takeover the No. 1 spot? Perhaps. But who?