"Can you be perfect?" said actor Billy Bob Thornton while portraying Permian High football coach Gary Gaines in the movie "Friday Night Lights."
Asked that question earlier this week, Millbrae resident Morgan Monashefsky would have answered an emphatic "Yes!" That's because Monashefsky, a Sacred Heart Cathedral senior, pitched a perfect game Tuesday in a 6-0 baseball victory against Riordan at Westborough Park in South San Francisco.
"It wasn't until the fourth inning that I realized what was happening," Monashefsky said. "I thought I had a chance for a perfect game because everything was clicking right. I felt really good."
Said Fightin' Irish pitching coach Steve Franceschi, whose history with the program dates to 1977: "It was a pitching gem -- not something you see too often. You see no-hitters in our league for sure, but I don't know about perfect games."
Franceschi said he plans to ask former WCAL coaches like Chris Bradford of St. Francis if it's the first perfect game in league history. It may also be the first perfecto in SHC history, though the program dates back more than 100 years and includes such stalwarts as Harry Heilman, Joe Cronin and Jim Gentile, so that might be difficult to confirm.
One thing for sure, it was a moment to celebrate for Monashefsky, who has a 2-3 record and 2.60 earned run average for the Irish (8-10 overall, 1-8 WCAL).
Moshashefsky, after inducing a routine ground ball to second baseman Kyle Soberano to end the game, was deluged by teammates.
"My teammates were pretty excited," he said. "They rushed me and jumped on me and tackled me. My catcher Niko (Schumann) jumped on me. People were punching me."
Hey, they don't call them the Fightin' Irish for nothing.
Beaming with pride were Monashefsky's mom Donna and his step-dad Chris Hammond, who attended the game.
"They were so proud of me," Monashefsky said. "They couldn't believe what I had done. They were so happy."
It took just 77 pitches for Monashefsky to finish off the Crusaders, who entered the contest two games ahead of last-place SHC in the standings. He threw an assortment of fastballs, curves and sliders and struck out seven.
"His stuff was electric," Franceschi said.
The Irish pitcher had help. Shortstop Chris Reus darted far to his left in the third inning to field a three-hopper and throw out a runner at first. In the seventh right fielder Matt Carlin was positioned perfectly -- there's that word again -- to haul in a sharp liner.
It was Monashefsky's second perfect game in the calendar year, as he pitched one last season for his San Francisco Joe DiMaggio League team.
It was also the first SHC hitless game since the Irish's Chris Petrini pitched a no-hitter in 2005, though Petrini lost 1-0 that day at Valley Christian.
Asked if he was nervous as the outs piled up and the innings went by, Monashefsky said: "I had a weird sort of calm. I wasn't that nervous. I just didn't want to walk anyone."
After the game Franceschi inscribed the game ball with "Perfect game -- April 21, 2015 -- Sacred Heart Cathedral 6, Riordan 0."
For Franceschi the effort recalled his own perfect game against Cal State Hayward while pitching for the University of Pacific in 1968.
"It was pretty cool," Franceschi said. "I got interviewed by a TV station in Stockton and they gave me the game ball. I told Morgan to hold onto his game ball because I still have mine."
