Prep football preview: Nipomo looks to seize control of Northern League at Morro Bay

Nipomo has been down this road before.

The past few seasons, the Titans have faced a difficult preconference schedule without much success. But when it’s time to face Northern League opponents, they come alive. Last season, Nipomo went 2-5 in preseason play and followed that up with four straight wins and a league title.

They are on track to do the same again this season.

Nipomo was 2-5 entering its first league game against Templeton two weeks ago, but came away with an impressive 35-0 win. Now, coming off a 13-7 win against nonconference foe Scotts Valley, Nipomo (3-5, 1-0 Northern) will face a 1-7 Morro Bay team as it tries to take command of the standings in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Nipomo again will lean on its defense led by the Pua brothers. Senior Elyaz Pua and freshman Keyshawn Pua have combined for 103 total tackles, two sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in eight games. They are backed up by a pair of experienced senior defensive backs in Gage Wynn and Jedu Matautia-Reyes and senior defensive lineman Simon Rodriguez, who has five sacks this season.

Nipomo will look to slow Morro Bay’s top offensive weapons — junior quarterback Aidan Moriarty and senior running back Myles Minnis. Moriarty is capable of getting hot and set school records for passing touchdowns and yards with a 19-of-40, 485-yard, six-touchdown performance against Cabrillo earlier this season. Minnis is a load at running back and the Pirates’ top defensive player at linebacker.

A win for Morro Bay (1-7, 0-1 Northern) would keep its shot at sharing a league title alive, while a Nipomo win would set up a winner-take-all scenario in the final week of the season against Santa Maria (4-4, 2-0 Northern).

Righetti at Paso Robles, 7 p.m.

Paso Robles (3-4, 2-0 PAC 5) will have its first home game in over a month, and Bearcats fans are sure to be fired up as they welcome Righetti (4-4, 2-1 PAC 5) for homecoming. After wins over Arroyo Grande and SLO High, Paso Robles is in command of the PAC 5 and coming off a bye week to play a Righetti team that was handled by Arroyo Grande last week. If Paso Robles can stop the Warriors’ rushing attack, it could set up a classic rivalry game against Atascadero in the final week of the season with the league title on the line.

Arroyo Grande at Atascadero, 7 p.m.

This is a game between two teams that haven’t had the seasons they had hoped for. Arroyo Grande has won four of its last five, but the loss to Paso Robles makes its road to a repeat league title difficult to attain. Atascadero (3-5, 1-1 PAC 5) lost to Righetti and needed a big fourth quarter to beat one-win SLO High last week as its offensive struggles continue. Arroyo Grande (5-3, 1-1 PAC 5) will look for another standout game from junior quarterback Kadin Byrne, while Atascadero wants to get its run game — led by senior running back Arik Machado — going again.

Templeton at SLO High, 7 p.m.

Templeton (2-6, 0-2 Northern) has been battling injuries all season, and its loss to Santa Maria two weeks ago knocked them out of league title contention. SLO High (1-7, 0-3 PAC 5) put up a good fight against Atascadero last week, and was tied 7-7 heading into the fourth quarter, before losing 35-14. Both teams will be looking to finish the season on a high note in this nonconference game.

8-man

Mission Prep at Laton, 7 p.m.

Mission Prep (5-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season two weeks ago with a 51-13 win over Flintridge Prep last week. In its final game of the regular season, the No. 6-ranked Royals take on Laton (6-2, 4-1 Central Sierra) and standout quarterback Tysen Westfall, who has accounted for 23 touchdowns this season.

Shandon at Coast Union, 7 p.m.

Shandon (1-3, 1-2 Coast Valley) is coming off its first win in over 10 years last week, but the Outlaws will have their hands full against Coast Union (4-4, 2-1 Coast Valley) and its rushing attack led by sophomore Damian Fernandez and senior Riley Kennedy. The two have combined for 19 rushing touchdowns this season.

This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Prep football preview: Nipomo looks to seize control of Northern League at Morro Bay."