Prep football: Arroyo Grande extends winning streak over Nipomo to 8 games

History repeated itself for the eighth time Friday night as the Arroyo Grande High School football team defeated Nipomo 35-14 at home on the strength of a power rushing attack.

Sensational Sophomore

Sophomore running back James Gilmet led the Arroyo Grande ground game, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 166 yards on 21 carries. A big chunk of his yardage came on a 75-yard touchdown scamper to make it 14-0, part of a 21-0 Eagles first quarter.

Matt Sill — who also scored on a 15-yard receiving touchdown — and Noah Thinger also had rushing touchdowns in the game.

Arroyo Grande pounded the Nipomo defensive line all night and racked up over 350 yards rushing.

“I thought we came out and beat a very good Nipomo team that played really hard,” Arroyo Grande head coach Tom Goossen said. “We ran the ball really effectively, and we threw when we needed to.”

Mistakes almost cost AG

At times on Friday, Arroyo Grande just couldn’t seem to hold on to the football. The Eagles fumbled four times in all and lost three. After leading 28-7 at halftime, Arroyo Grande fumbled at the Nipomo goal line on a hand off to Sill. Nipomo recovered but couldn’t turn the chance into points.

But just as the third quarter was about to expire, another sloppy hand off between May and Gilmet was scooped up by Luis Diego Riquelme and returned for a touchdown to make it 28-14. On the ensuing kickoff, Arroyo Grande appeared to have lost another fumble that Nipomo recovered for a touchdown. But the referees ruled the Eagles player never had possession and it was given to Nipomo at the spot of the recovery.

Again, the Arroyo Grande defense stepped up and stopped Nipomo. On Arroyo Grande’s next possession, Gilmet’s second touchdown of the game sealed it with 6:30 to go in the fourth quarter.

“It wasn’t our most outstanding performance. We weren’t hitting on all cylinders, we kind of sputtered a little bit. Penalties in the first half ate us alive,” Goossen said. “In the second half it was turnovers.”

Michael Jordan Injury

In the fourth quarter, the game was stopped when Nipomo running back Michael Jordan went down with an injury.

“It looks like it’s a pretty bad concussion,” Nipomo head coach Tony Dodge said after the game. “He mentioned a little pain in his neck, so obviously once you say that they took all the precautions.”

An ambulance drove onto the field as paramedics and family surrounded Jordan on the ground. He could be seen moving his legs, and Dodge said he was talking.

“He was OK. He had feeling everywhere, his brain was there,” Dodge said. “Hopefully he’s alright.”

Dodge said he was taken from the field to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo for further treatment.

Jordan, the Titans’ leading rusher this season, had 10 carries for 46 yards before his injury.

Hail Mary

It looked like Nipomo would be shut out in the first half, but J.J. Ramirez and Nicolas Robledo had other plans.

On the final play of the half, Robledo launched a pass to a double-teamed Ramirez, who tripped, fell and somehow came up with the catch in the end zone. Ramirez finished the game with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Robledo finished the game 12 of 23 for 99 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

What’s Next

Both teams begin league play next week. Arroyo Grande will go on the road to play Paso Robles (5-1) and Nipomo hosts Templeton.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 11:46 PM with the headline "Prep football: Arroyo Grande extends winning streak over Nipomo to 8 games."