High school football: The story behind No. 31 jersey at St. Francis
MOUNTAIN VIEW – There’s a reason Nicolas Andrighetto wears the No. 31 jersey for the undefeated St. Francis football team. It’s the same reason that his older brothers, Domenic, Alex and Lucas, wore the jersey before him.
The number first belonged to their beloved cousin, Anthony Andrighetto, a St. Francis graduate who died a decade ago in Tucson, Arizona, when a minivan didn’t yield and collided with a vehicle driven by Andrighetto, who had a green light, according to reports.
The University of Arizona student was 21 at the time of his death.
Nicolas, a 17-year-old senior, is the last in a line of siblings to honor the legacy of Anthony, who died on Oct. 19, 2011.
“I remember the day that he died,” said Nicolas, a second-grader at the time. “I was sitting on the couch with my mom and my brother Lucas and my dad came home crying.”
Alex, now 25, said, “It definitely affected us in how valuable life is, and how quickly it can be taken from you.”
Domenic, 26, the oldest of the four brothers, was the first to sport the No. 31 jersey.
Anthony’s younger brother, Dante, was an offensive lineman for St. Francis back then, so the jersey went to Domenic, a defensive back.
“They weren’t going to give another safety 68, so it was a really quick decision for the coaches,” Domenic said. “It felt like a continuing of the family tradition, and sure enough we’re here 13 years later and Nico is still wearing the damn number. It’s been a long time, for sure.”
Lucas, 21, flew home last week from the University of Michigan – where he enrolled as a preferred walk-on on the football team, only to tear his ACL three times – for his younger brother’s Senior Night ceremony.
In sixth grade at the time of the accident, Lucas was a ball boy for the Lancers alongside Nicolas when Domenic played for the team.
“It brought my family together in a way I hadn’t seen before,” Lucas said. “It’s a good representation of what family love is.”
Lucas, a co-captain on the St. Francis team that won a state championship in 2017, wore his letter jacket this past Friday with “Andrighetto” stitched on the back, just like Domenic and Alex did.
For Domenic, who lives in San Francisco, the entire experience came full circle as he remembered his final regular-season home game.
“I have the picture of my Senior Night in my apartment,” Domenic said. “And Nico is standing at my waist height, he’s so young. It’s just crazy about how quickly time goes. It’s cool to see him mature into such an unbelievable football player. He’s definitely surpassed any mark that I’ve set for him, that’s for sure.”
St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno joined the staff as an assistant in the fall of 2009, one season after Anthony played his last down for the Lancers.
“Both sets of families, in general, they are St. Francis football,” Calcagno said.
The Andrighetto brothers hold a special place in the coach’s heart, with their mother Sherry a “team mom” for what must seem like forever.
“She’s a saint,” said Domenic, who shares the same first name as his father.
“I always give each and every one of them a bad time as far as my favorite was always the youngest one – until he got here,” Calcagno said. “Now I say it’s anyone but him, just to try to keep (Nicolas) a little bit humble. Watching him be able to grow up on our campus and wearing his brothers’ jerseys and playing football in the end zone, we’re going to miss that family an absolute ton.”
It’s not over just yet.
Saturday, second-ranked St. Francis travels to San Mateo for a long-anticipated matchup against top-ranked Serra. The West Catholic Athletic League championship and the top seed in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs are on the line.
Nicolas has already had one monumental highlight this season. When St. Francis became the first team in 30 years from this region to beat De La Salle, winning the September game 31-28, he caught the decisive touchdown pass from 16 yards out with 16.7 seconds left.
After an unsportsmanlike call pushed the Lancers back to the 16, this happened pic.twitter.com/x4d5BOD12n
— Darren Sabedra (@DarrenSabedra) September 11, 2021
“As of right now, it’s No. 1,” Nicolas said of the cherished moment in the memory bank. “But if we win state this year, it will definitely be No. 2.”
He added: “If I want to end the legacy the right way, we need to win the state championship. That’s all I’ve really focused on.”
Nicolas plans to play in the Ivy League at Columbia but is keeping his options open.
He is a St. Francis co-captain, an honor his older brothers also held.
“I actually learned yesterday we were the only family to do that in St. Francis history, which is pretty cool,” Nicolas said on Monday.
And they all did it wearing a special jersey number.
Domenic and Alex said they considered Anthony and Dante older brothers while growing up virtually down the street from one another in Portola Valley.
A mural of the No. 31 jersey went up in the St. Francis locker room within weeks of Anthony’s death.
It pays tribute to Anthony’s legacy.
“I don’t think they’re planning on taking it down anytime soon,” Domenic said. “My cousin Anthony was just always happy. He was a great guy. Everyone always wanted him to be around and he just happened to get into this freak car accident on the way home from teaching youth basketball out of nowhere.”
Alex used to wear his father’s No. 3 jersey. But after Domenic graduated in 2013, he immediately switched to No. 31.
Lucas was initially assigned No. 49 as a freshman at Michigan, but in the offseason claimed No. 31.
“It definitely has a lot more meaning now than just a number,” Alex said.
What happens next year at St. Francis, with no more Andrighetto brothers on the roster?
“Not a problem,” Calcagno said. “We are not buying a 31 jersey.”