SLO County football season begins. Here are first week scores, coach reactions
A couple of thrillers and some blowouts marked the first week of non-league San Luis Obispo County football.
San Luis Obispo, Nipomo and Mission Prep each got off to a victorious start while the rest of the SLO County teams that began play Friday will be trying to build off the learning lessons of first week losses.
Here are the results.
Arroyo Grande
Arroyo Grande opened at home against Frontier High of Bakersfield, losing 53-12.
The Eagles (0-1) stayed with the Southwest Yosemite League opponent early, pulling to a 13-12 deficit in the second quarter on a field goal.
Eagles’ Quarterback Max Perrett connected on a long pass to Damian Santos for the team’s only touchdown. An Eagles safety and field goal capped Arroyo Grande’s scoring.
Running back Kaden Tynes displayed impressive jukes running for a lengthy first down, highlighted in a Twitter post by sports writer Lorenzo Reyna.
“There’s an old saying teams make their biggest improvements between week one and week two,” said Coach Mike Hartman. “Our kids are good people. They didn’t give up tonight, and they’re going to be ready next week.”
Hartman said the Eagles will see teams of the caliber of Frontier in the Mountain League.
“It’s exactly the type of team that will prepare us, and there are no gimmes,” Hartman said. “We’ll be better off for this one.”
Cheerleaders lined up for “Born in the USA” with the team introduction, and new aluminum stands and a new press box space helped kick off the Eagles’ return to a traditional season.
Nipomo
In one of the week’s thrillers, Nipomo (1-0) recorded a 21-16 victory at home over Santa Ynez.
Gabe Sanchez snagged an interception in the final minutes of the game, said Coach Tony Dodge.
Dodge told The Tribune that quarterback Nate Reese threw for a touchdown and ran for a score in the opener.
“We often play close games against Santa Ynez just about every year,” Dodge said. “We’re really well matched, and it was a good one to start out for us.”
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo opened with a 6-0 victory on the road against Pioneer Valley.
The Tigers (1-0) tallied the only score of the game when senior quarterback Blayke Perry connected with Eli Smiley on a 42-yard touchdown pass.
“That play happened on the first drive for us of the game,” said Coach Pat Johnston. “It was a defensive game, and our players really stepped up to hold them the whole way through.”
SLO High had a goal-line stand with less than two minutes left in the contest to preserve the shutout.
Rory Devaney was “all over the field,” Johnston said, and the senior middle linebacker’s Twitter feed showed video of his forced fumble of the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage.
“Great start to the season!” Devaney wrote. “Pitched a shutout on defense. 7 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles for the win.”
Johnston identified Devaney as a SLO High player capable of playing at the next level in college.
Other SLO County scores
Mission Prep 49, Brentwood 7
San Marcos 25, Morro Bay 14
Lompoc 48, Paso Robles 27
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 12:05 AM.
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