Nipomo High overwhelms Morro Bay to stay perfect in the Ocean League
The Nipomo High School football team scored 34 points in the first quarter en route to a 58-0 win over Morro Bay on Friday night.
The victory improves the Titans’ record to 2-0 in the Ocean League. Morro Bay drops to 0-2 in league play.
Morro Bay’s first series began with a failed fake punt within their own 20-yard line. After the turnover on downs, the onslaught began.
Nipomo quarterback Brayden Groshart threw for a pair of touchdowns, both to Cole Bajema. Ricky Iniguez rushed for two scores, and Adrian Rabena and Nate Reese had one apiece.
Ball hawks
Nipomo’s defense has been great all year, but one thing had been missing: turnovers.
The Titans have forced a combined nine turnovers in their past two games — four against Morro Bay — nearly matching its previous total through four games of seven.
Anthony Perez, Reese and Luis Diego-Riquelme all had interceptions Friday. Iniguez had three interceptions last week. The Titans had two forced fumbles, recovering one on Friday.
“We emphasize it all the time defensively,” Nipomo head coach Tony Dodge said. “‘We have to take the ball away,’ and we’ve been doing a good job of that these last couple games.”
Front seven
The defensive line and linebackers have also been playing well for the Titans. It was no different Friday. Morro Bay’s Aidan Moriarty had little time to throw and when chased from the pocket, had no where to go.
Perez entered Friday’s game leading the team in tackles.
Entering Friday’s game, brothers Jesse and Joey Garza were second and fourth on the team in overall tackles, with Joey leading the team with 11 tackles for a loss.
“They’re studs,” Dodge said of the brothers. “They’re both leaders on the team. They’re a great example for their teammates in the weight room and on the practice field.”
What’s next
The Titans (5-2) will play host to San Luis Obispo (5-2, 1-1), which is coming off of its first Ocean League victory against Santa Maria.
Scores involving SLO County teams
San Luis Obispo 21, Santa Maria 7
Pioneer Valley 38, Templeton 21
Righetti 42, Atascadero 14
Arroyo Grande 35, Paso Robles 21
Central Coast scores
Santa Ynez 28, Santa Barbara 10
Lompoc 42, Dos Pueblos 21
San Marcos 26, Cabrillo 25
This story was originally published October 6, 2018 at 9:22 AM.