High school football kicks off with wins for SLO, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Templeton
High school football is back in San Luis Obispo County, with seven local teams kicking off their seasons.
Five of those schools opened on the road.
San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Templeton started their seasons with wins, while Nipomo, Paso Robles and Mission Prep will look to find their first victories next week. Atascadero opens its season next week.
Many programs in the county graduated key players last season and have new and younger rosters coming in.
Here’s a look at the opening-week action.
San Luis Obispo 34, Mt. Whitney 23
After an opening kickoff that pinned Mt. Whitney near its goal line, San Luis Obispo High got a rude awakening to its 2024 football season when 6-foot-5 junior and highly touted college recruit Israel Briggs ran the first play for a 98-yard touchdown.
But the Tigers (1-0) responded well by scoring on a 5-yard rush by Colbin Garrison — while relying on the experience of senior quarterback Jace Gomes — to win 34-23.
“We know they’re a good team, and they’re explosive,” San Luis Obispo Coach Pat Johnston said. “We were able to limit (Briggs) for a lot of the rest of the game and get a really good win.”
Gomes, who’s now in his fourth year playing on SLO’s varsity team, scored on two rushing touchdowns and connected with Britton Rethmeier on two throwing touchdowns.
One of two local teams to open at home this season, San Luis Obispo Coach Pat Johnston said his squad played with “a lot of toughness.”
“We played with a lot of grit in some critical situations,” Johnston said. “We made plays when they needed to and really embraced our identity of who we are as a team and who we have been as a team for the last several years. We got to showcase that, and then it eventually led to a victory.”
The Tigers were up 27-23 late in the fourth quarter and were able to get a fourth down to stop the Pioneers, before Gomes dashed for a nine-yard run to seal the contest with 3 minutes left.
“I’m really proud of Jace,” Johnston said. “He’s a great leader. He leads by example. He works hard, and he’s a smart football player. And you love having a smart football player with that athleticism at quarterback.”
Under the spread attack, Gomes said he was well supported by good protection up front.
“We really relied on the offensive line tonight,” Gomes said. “They did their job, and they’re the reason we were able to win this game.”
Gomes said he was able to find Rethmeier after picking apart some reads on the Pioneers’ defense. The seniors connected for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a 30-yard scoring strike in the third quarter.
“We saw how that defense was playing it, and we saw it, I hit him, and he was able to make the plays,” said Gomes, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed thrower.
Rethmeier said that he was able to find gaps in the defense based on where the safety was playing and told the coaches.
“The safety was playing 15 to 17 yards back, really far over, so I talked to my offensive coordinator and said, “We really have to exploit this. I was wide open underneath and it was a nice first touchdown. ... On the second, I ran a comeback, and basically I just try to vertically threaten my safety and bring it back. And we made it work.”
Rethmeier said: “We’re mainly a run team. So teams sleep on us when it comes to pass. So that’s what we exploit, and it works.”
San Luis Obispo travels to Mission Oak on Friday.
Arroyo Grande 44, Golden West 37
For many of the Eagles’ players, this was their first varsity game after the program graduated over 30 seniors from last season. It was quite the start of a season as Arroyo Grande defeated Golden West 44-37 in double overtime.
The Eagles went into the fourth quarter down 37-21 after trailing most of the game. However, the Eagles scored a passing touchdown from quarterback Sam Wulff and converted a two-point conversion to cut the lead to eight points.
Then, linebacker Zack Tayman got an interception for the Eagles’ defense and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at 37.
Both teams got an opportunity to score in the first overtime period, but both fell short. The Eagles then marched down to the goal line, where Derek Brockenborough dove into the end zone for the game-winning score.
“I’m super proud of our guys,” head coach Mike Hartman said. “We had a lot of guys that this was their first varsity game. I think they learned the power of belief in themselves and each other.”
Wulff ended the game with three passing touchdowns. Receiver Caleb Clark made two touchdown grabs. Gavin Cecina had one receiving touchdown. Tayman had a defensive touchdown to tie the game and an offensive touchdown earlier in the contest.
Hartman said a strong win like this helps a younger team “buy into some of the abstract things you talk about.”
“Every coach talks about trust and team and being selfless,” Hartman said. “With the young guys, they need to see tangible results.”
Next week, the Eagles have a challenge at home against Newbury Park, which features a top quarterback in Brady Smigiel. The four-star quarterback is ranked fifth in the country and has committed to Florida State.
Arroyo Grande will host Newbury Park on Friday.
Santa Fe Christian 24, Mission Prep 0
The Royals were hoping to get their offense off to a strong start to the 2024 season but were unable to put points on the board against Sante Fe Christian.
Head Coach David Schuster said the Royals (0-1) played “terrible football” in their 24-0 loss to Sante Fe Christian (1-0) in San Diego.
The Royals held Sante Fe Christian to 10 points in the first half, but the Eagles scored a touchdown with eight minutes left in the third quarter and six minutes remaining in the final period to give themselves 24 points on the day.
“They want to succeed, but just bad execution and not understanding what their job is,” Schuster said. “At the end of the day, it was bad coaching, and I didn’t have them prepared.”
The Royals had promising moments on the defensive end but missed assignments in key moments allowed the Eagles to pull away, according to Schuster.
Mission Prep hosts Kern Valley on Friday.
Kingsburg 45, Paso Robles 6
The Bearcats got their first and only score of the game in the fourth quarter as the team fell to Kingsburg 45-7 in Matt Carroll’s first game back as coach after missing last season.
The Vikings (1-0) scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter and continued the trend the rest of the way.
A Bearcats punt was returned for a touchdown with five minutes left in the first quarter. The Vikings continued to press on and found the end zone numerous times on their way to 45 points.
The sole score for the Bearcats came from running back Yannie Gelos, who scored a rushing touchdown at the goal line with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Defensive linemen Hayden Roady made one sack.
Caroll told the Tribune the team is looking to develop its young talent against a string of tough non-league opponents, including Central Valley teams such as Kingsburg, Garces Memorial and Madera.
The Bearcats travel to Garces Memorial on Friday.
Templeton 33, Hoover (Fresno) 0
The Eagles are another team in the county who had a lot of roster turnover. According to head coach Don Crow, the Eagles had 10 new offensive starters against Hoover.
Despite the inexperience on the team, the Eagles put up a dominating 33-0 performance. The Eagles defense corralled five interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown along with forcing two safeties.
Running back and linebacker Tyler Cunningham impacted the game in multiple ways. He had a touchdown on the ground, a crucial diving catch to set up a score and an interception on an option play from Hoover, which he returned for a defensive touchdown.
Bo Swan added a rushing touchdown. Eight different Eagles carried the ball in the game.
“We made some mistakes, but if we clean that up, I think we’re going to be a good football team,” Head Coach Don Crow said. “We have some kids that make plays.”
Templeton plays Monache at home on Friday.
Morro Bay 28, Foothill 6
The Pirates got on the board first and held Foothill scoreless after the first quarter in a 28-6 win on the road.
Morro Bay’s defense kept Foothill out of the end zone as the Trojans’ only score came off an interception returned for a touchdown.
Sands Doughtery threw for four touchdowns. Receiver John Meyers had three touchdown receptions while Ryder Busch added one touchdown catch.
The Pirates scored two quick touchdowns in the first few minutes of the first quarter. Their next touchdown came in the third quarter on a pass from Doughtery to Busch with 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Doughtery connected with Meyers in the fourth quarter to build a 28-6 lead.
Morro Bay next travels to Mt. Whitney on Friday.
Lompoc 30, Nipomo 7
The Titans entered the fourth quarter down only one score against Lompoc, but the Braves then scored 17 points to pull away for the win.
Nipomo quarterback Blaine Lowry threw the team’s sole touchdown to receiver Chase Camacho in the third quarter.
The Braves responded with a field goal early in the fourth quarter. After a three-and-out possession, the Braves scored a passing touchdown to go up 23-7.
To cap off the game, the Braves added an 11-yard rushing touchdown with three minutes remaining to go up multiple scores.
Titans Head Coach Stephen Field credited Lompoc for being “well prepared and disciplined” while his team struggled to execute.
However, he credited the defense for holding the Braves to two scores heading into the fourth quarter.
“Our defense battled and played well, which kept us in that game,” Field said. “We’ll continue to get better on the offensive side of the ball.”
Nipomo hosts Righetti on Friday.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 11:46 PM.