Templeton wins a blowout, Arroyo Grande makes a big comeback and Atascadero still unbeaten
Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Mission Prep, Arroyo Grande and Paso Robles all earned wins on Friday as the majority of local teams kicked off league play.
Atascadero’s victory moved the Greyhounds to 4-0 on the season, continuing a winning streak that has now reached nine games over two seasons and dates back to last year’s Ocean League finale on Oct. 28, 2022.
San Luis Obispo has been nearly as good in 2023, off to a 4-1 start, while Arroyo Grande turned around a late deficit to post a victory on the road against Lompoc.
Templeton 42, West (Bakersfield) 0
Templeton (3-1, 1-0 Ocean) dominated West (Bakersfield) from the start on the way to a 42-0 shutout on Friday.
Tight end Kohen Sizemore got the Eagles off to a good start with a long run into the red zone, setting up running back Daxton Calagna for the first score with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Quarterback Anthony Chavez then connected with tight end Jaron Sampson connected for a 66-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles followed the big play up by forcing a fumble.
Immediately, running back River Waltmire scored a touchdown on the ground. After the two quick scores, the Eagles led 21-0.
Typically a run-heavy team, the Eagles kept West’s defense off balance all night thanks to an improved passing game.
“I think we’re better offensively than we were last year right now,” Head Coach Don Crow said. “We can throw the ball better.”
Chavez added his second touchdown of the day with a completion to receiver Bennett Orradre to make the score 28-0.
Then Calagna eluded multiple defenders en route to an 80-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 35-0.
“We want to go undefeated in league and win the league championship, and it all starts from there” Calagna said. “So go to CIF championship and then win state. That’s our goal. It’s not going to change.”
Templeton next faces Santa Maria on the road on Friday.
Atascadero 28, Santa Maria 13
Atascadero (4-0, 1-0 Ocean) continued its undefeated start to the season with a 28-13 win over Santa Maria on Friday.
The Greyhounds held a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Hounds padded the lead on a Kane Cooks 22-yard touchdown to receiver Jarom Damery to go up 21-7.
Santa Maria responded in the third with a passing touchdown of its own to make it a one-score game.
Both defenses forced punts throughout the fourth quarter, but then Jarom Damery intercepted a pass with five minutes remaining.
The Greyhounds then put a rushing touchdown on the board to take a 28-13 lead.
“I think (the team) took everything Santa Maria could throw,” Cooper said. “The Saints had a great defensive game plan and controlled the ball.”
But the defense made stops when they needed to, Cooper said.
“We had a nice, big drive at the end to finish off the game,” Cooper said. “I feel good in the fact that our boys reacted to a tough game and a tough opponent.”
The Greyhounds now head into a matchup against high-level Ocean League rival San Luis Obispo on Friday.
San Luis Obispo 49, Cabrillo 37
San Luis Obispo opened up league play on Thursday night with a 49-37 win over Cabrillo.
The Tigers (4-1, 1-0 Ocean) pulled away in the second and third quarters against the Conquistadors (0-4, 0-1 Ocean).
On the first offensive drive for the Conquistadors, the Tigers forced a fumble, before marching down the field for a 7-yard score on the ground by running back Isaiah Hernandez.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, the Conquistadors completed an 8-yard touchdown to tie the score.
The Tigers received the ball but were forced to punt after only a minute, which left enough time for the Conquistadors to convert a 65-yard pass for a touchdown.
With under a minute left in the first quarter, Hernandez went on a long scamper to set the Tigers up at the Conquistadors’ 17-yard line. Running back Michael Milner capped off the drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown.
In the second quarter, Hernandez scored two rushing touchdowns within a few minutes to give the Tigers a 28-13 lead.
In the third quarter, Gomes completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to receiver Marco Auyong, and running back Peyton Quaglino added another rushing touchdown.
The Tigers’ defense, led by linebacker Chance Evans, held the Conquistadors scoreless for two quarters as the team built a 42-13 lead.
However, the Conquistadors made a late comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points to the Tigers’ 7 by mainly doing damage in the air.
But the deficit was too large to overcome, and the Tigers held on for the 49-37 win.
San Luis Obispo next faces last year’s Ocean League winner Atascadero at home on Friday.
Mission Prep 41, Santa Ynez 6
After a slow start in a Thursday night game, Mission Prep didn’t allow a score in the last three quarters of play as the Royals opened up Mountain League play with a 41-6 win over Santa Ynez.
The Royals (3-1, 1-0 Mountain) were held scoreless in the first quarter before bouncing back with 41 points.
The Pirates got on the scoreboard first, but the Royals found their groove in the second quarter when a long pass from quarterback Thomas Glenn to receiver Drew Souza set the Royals up in the red zone.
Glenn brooke loose out for an 11-yard run to get the first Royals’ score of the game.
Linebacker Connor Lopez sacked the Santa Ynez quarterback and forced Santa Ynez to punt in the second quarter.
With three minutes left in the first half, Luke Terry ran for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Royals a 20-6 advantage.
No team would score until six minutes left in the third quarter, when Gabe Rodriguez, who’s usually on the offensive line, punched in a 1-yard goaline score.
Running back Ronnie Kardashian followed up Rodriguez, exploding for a 66-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Royals a 27-6 lead.
Kardashian added his second touchdown of the day on a 34-yard score on the ground to push the lead to 34-6 lead before running back Drew Harrigan capped things off with a 11-yard rushing touchdown.
“There’s a great confidence in the team,” Head Coach David Schuster said. “With such a young group, if we struggled early (in the season), I feel like it would have been hard to give them some confidence.”
Schuster credited how well the team did in its tough out-of-league schedule for preparing the Royals for league games. The Royals finished 2-1 with wins against Bishop Diego and Aptos in non-league play.
Mission Prep next hosts Nipomo on Friday.
Arroyo Grande 41, Lompoc 23
Arroyo Grande (3-1, 1-0 Mountain) turned a 9-point fourth quarter deficit on the road into an 18-point win in less 10 minutes with a sudden flurry of last-minute scoring Friday against Lompoc (2-2, 0-1 Mountain).
After the Braves kicked a field goal to go up 23-14 with 9 minutes left, the Eagles stormed back, scoring four touchdowns and 27 points over the span of about 6 minutes, with the help of two Lompoc turnovers.
The outburst turned what had been a close game into a relatively lopsided win for Arroyo Grande by the time the final whistle blew.
Ben Walz rushed for four touchdowns, while Junior Herihy added two of his own.
Jack Folkrod had an interception, and Paul Sisemore recovered an onside kick.Arroyo Grande is at home against St. Joseph on Friday.
Pioneer Valley 42, Morro Bay 14
The Pirates (3-2, 0-1 Ocean) lost a lopsided one at home and missed some scoring chances due to callbacks on holding.
Manny Diaz and John Myers both had touchdown catches for Morro Bay on passes from Ian Lambright.
Notching several tackles to try to curb the Panther (3-2, 1-0 Ocean) offense for the Pirates were Brody Rust, Andrew Llamas and James Nickel.
The Pirates next host Santa Maria on Sept. 29.
St. Joseph 47, Nipomo 0
Nipomo fell 47-0 against last year’s Mountain League champions, St. Joseph.
The Titans weren’t able to get anything going on offense while the Knights piled up a 40-point first-half lead in cruising to the victory.
Nipomo will face off against another tough opponent next Friday at Mission Prep.
Paso Robles 21, Righetti 14
Paso Robles (1-3, 1-0 Mountain) earned its first win of the season with a league-opening win over Righetti (1-3, 0-1 Mountain) on Friday.
Quarterback James Cogan threw two touchdown passes on the night, both to wide receiver Tristen Salgado, one for 7 yards and another for 30 yards, according to Head Coach Tim Alvord.
Ashton Murphy also scored on a 4-yard run.
Paso Robles travels to Lompoc on Friday.
