SLO County prep football: Arroyo Grande grabs share of league title with big win over Paso
On a foggy night with mist blowing across the field in front of a packed stadium, Arroyo Grande’s football squad came out firing in a big win that decided the Mountain League championship.
The Eagles racked up 62 points, taking an early 20-0 lead Friday en route to a 62-35 win over Paso Robles that resulted in a shared title among Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles and St. Joseph, all with 4-1 league records after St. Joseph’s 26-7 win over Righetti.
Arroyo Grande senior running back Kaden Tynes lit up the field with five rushing touchdowns, including four in the first half, bursting through gaps in the defense for big gains, the longest of them a 47-yarder in the second quarter.
“Senior night is one of my favorite nights,” Tynes said. “I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life. I got all the seniors pumped up. I told them this could be the last game we play here.”
The Eagles also were helped by an 85-yard kickoff dash into the end zone in the first half by Danny Mckinley, who had another rushing score in the second half.
And the Eagles’ Makai Puga hauled in an impressive catch for a touchdown from quarterback Max Perrett to end the second quarter, in addition to rushing for another score in the bonanza of offense.
Before the half, Puga halted his route to haul in a deep ball, making the catch behind the receiver, to give the Eagles a comfortable 41-21 lead at the break.
“Paso is a team that has a style that doesn’t lend itself to playing catchup,” said Arroyo Grande Coach Mike Hartman. “We emphasized getting off to a great start. We got a turnover at the very beginning (a fumble) and our kids just came out and executed and I’m so proud of them. It was great to grab a share of the league title.”
Coming in undefeated in the Mountain League with a 4-0 record, Paso Robles has been a dominant run team all season.
The Bearcats’ (6-3, 4-1 Mountain) scoring was highlighted by a 35-yard rushing score from Jake Morones. Leo Kemp and Trevon Bridewell also scored rushing touchdowns.
“Lots of respect for Arroyo Grande tonight,” said Paso Robles Coach Matt Carroll. “Coach Hartman does a great job. Special teams and turnovers killed us early.”
Heading into playoffs, Carroll said, his squad will have to return to its identity, run the ball well, play good defense and be the “boa constrictor offense we are.”
But ultimately, Carroll said his team had a strong season in sharing the Mountain League crown.
“We’ll get back on our horse,” Carroll said. “We let one slip away early tonight. I’m very proud of our team. We restored the honor of the program this season and restored our culture.”
On Saturday at 3 p.m., the teams will find out who they face in the playoffs in upcoming weeks.
Here’s a roundup of other SLO County action to wrap up league play.
Mission Prep 35, San Luis Obispo 7
The Royals completed a perfect regular season with a win over their crosstown rival in the so-called “SLO Town Showdown.”
Mission Prep (9-0, 5-0 Ocean League) remained unbeaten with a big win, the first in school history over the Tigers, according to Royals Coach David Schuster.
“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of these kids,” Schuster said. “We can’t be denied as one of the premier teams on the Central Coast, having beaten a lot of the teams, and our kids just did a great job of focusing.”
Mission Prep running back Drew Harrigan scored two rushing touchdowns, and Jack Susank logged three scores running the ball.
Royals quarterback Colby White threw some “phenomenal” passes to J.J. Howard and Tyler Garrett, with junior Mario Luera taking Schuster’s “player of the game” for his standout defense, Schuster said.
“Mario made a lot of plays and had tackles for losses,” Schuster said. “He established himself as a physical presence on the field.”
The field was slippery and the offensive line did well to establish blocking lanes at the point of contact, Schuster said.
SLO’s Connor Pinckert rushed for a five-yard touchdown and Tigers kicker Jack Krill booted in the extra point for the Tigers only score.
SLO finished its regular season 6-3, earning second place in the Ocean League with a 4-1 record.
Atascadero 34, Morro Bay 0
Atascadero (3-7, 2-3 Ocean League) ended its season with the “most complete game we’ve had all season,” Coach Vic Cooper said, “and it came in Week 10.”
“I was very pleased with how our defense played,” Cooper said. “Morro Bay’s quarterback Nicky Johnson is a hell of a player and we had two or three guys hold them in check.”
The Greyhounds’ Aiden Lemoine recorded an interception.
Atascadero running back Trey Cooks carried the ball for well over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns; Diego Real rushed for a score of about 35 yards.
Greyhounds quarterback Jarren Fischer connected on scoring passes to senior Sean Decker (65 yards) and Dallas Parish for about 15 yards, Cooper said.
Morro Bay finished 4-6 overall and 2-3 in Ocean League, tied for third place with Atascadero and Templeton.
Templeton 52, Santa Maria 20
The Eagles (5-5, 2-3 Ocean League) took a 25-0 lead into the half, all on rushing touchdowns.
Templeton added 27 more points in the second half.
Eagles quarterback Anthony Chavez had two passing and two rushing touchdowns in the game.
Other SLO County teams
Coast Union (7-2, 4-0 Coast Valley) won 54-6 on Saturday versus Cuyama Valley (5-3, 1-2) to take first place in the Coast Valley eight-man football league.
Nipomo played its last game of the season on Oct. 23 against Arroyo Grande, losing 37-14.
The Titans finished 6-3 overall and 2-3 in Mountain League, taking fourth place.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 11:04 PM.
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