High school football: Arroyo Grande crushes Paso Robles; SLO, Atascadero, Templeton also win

League play started up for San Luis Obispo County high school football on Friday night, with all local teams in action except for Nipomo.

Arroyo Grande got a blowout win against Paso Robles, while Templeton and Atascadero fought their way to narrow victories. San Luis Obispo dominated Pioneer Valley en route to a big win.

Mission Prep and Morro Bay fell in their first league matchups.

Arroyo Grande 40, Paso Robles 7

When asked about how Arroyo Grande has remained a consistently strong football team, Eagles Coach Mike Hartman pointed to the weight room behind him.

“We work extremely hard all offseason in that weight room to get strong and build confidence,” Hartman said after the Eagles (5-1, 1-0 Mountain) defeated Paso Robles (2-5, 0-1 Mountain) in a runaway win.

The Eagles dominated from the first drive both through the air and on the ground.

Running back Zack Tayman got the Eagles off to a good start, picking up a first down and then finishing off the drive with a short-yardage touchdown up the middle.

Running back Levi Childers was the next Eagle to find the end zone, giving Arroyo Grande a 12-0 lead.

In the second quarter, a pass from quarterback Sam Wulff to Marco Auyong set up a dive from fullback Derek Brockenborough.

At halftime, the Eagles held a commanding 19-0 lead. Their physical prowess showed. Wulff commented that the weight room workouts has helped him transform his body.

“That’s pretty congruent with everybody else,” Wulff said. “There’s not really a guy in there who isn’t making consistent progress.”

The Eagles kept the scoring going in the second half.

Early in the third quarter, Wulff found speedy receiver Caleb Clark on a 44-yard reception to go up 26-0. Clark followed up his deep catch with a 60-yard kick return up the right sideline as he danced around defenders.

For the final Eagles score of the game, a snap went over the Paso Robles’ punter’s head and was recovered by defensive lineman Kess Youngkin.

Running back Yannis Gelos scored the sole touchdown for the Bearcats, on a 40-yard run.

Following the win, Hartman said the daunting preseason schedule they played should prepare the team for league.

“We talk to our kids about raising their level,” Hartman said. “If the best game we play is Week 1 or Week 2, then we aren’t doing our job.”

The Eagles have many players new to the varsity level, but many of them are upperclassmen and hold physical advantages against many opponents.

“We’re used to winning, and losing isn’t an option,” Wulff said. “I think it’s a testament to our coaching. They push us hard on the field, but it’s just part of our culture to keep it going.”

Arroyo Grande is on the road at Lompoc on Friday. Paso Robles hosts St. Joseph.

Atascadero 42, Santa Ynez 34

One week after the Greyhounds narrowly defeated Templeton on a last-second field goal, Atascadero pulled out another close win to start off Ocean League play.

The Greyhounds (3-3, 1-0 Ocean) beat Pioneer Valley 42-34 at home.

Running backs Austin Smith, Josiah Gaona and Joseph Hyde all scored on the ground. Quarterback Michael Trejo threw a touchdown pass to Tyson Tenhaeff. Trejo also had a rushing score.

Both teams struggled to score at the start of the game. The Greyhounds shut down the Pirates’ run game, but Atascadero had trouble scoring themselves. With two minutes left in the first half, the teams were tied at 14. However, the Greyhounds scored before halftime to go up one touchdown.

In the second half, both teams scored multiple times and found their rhythms on offense. Atascadero scored a rushing touchdown with four minutes to go to go up 42-27. The Pirates managed one more score, but fell short.

“What’s awesome is the kids, they just continue to fight,” Head Coach Dan Loney said. “Doesn’t matter what situation there is. They don’t miss a beat.”

Atascadero travels to Pioneer Valley on Friday.

San Luis Obispo 45, Pioneer Valley 0

The Tigers (5-1, 1-0 Sunset) walloped Pioneer Valley (1-4-1).

SLO quarterback Jace Gomes rushed for four touchdowns and threw for one score.

“Our goal was to play a clean game, and we accomplished that,” said Tigers Coach Pat Johnston. “We played well on both sides of the ball.”

Gomes has hit mid-season stride, his coach said, after being limited the previous few weeks due to injury.

“I’m just so glad he’s on our team,” Johnston said.

San Luis Obispo travels to Righetti on Friday.

Mission Prep 0, St. Joseph 31

The Royals (2-4, 0-1 Mountain) were shut out on the road, falling to the Knights (1-4, 1-0 Mountain).

Mission Prep Coach David Schuster said he was still pleased with the team’s effort despite a tough league opening loss.

“I was really proud of our kids,” Schuster said. “They were tough all night and they stayed engaged in the fight to the end.”

Mission Prep hosts Caruthers on Friday.

Templeton 21, Santa Maria 17

The Eagles (3-3, 1-0 Ocean) were down 10-0 at the half but came on strong after the break with three touchdowns against the Saints (2-4, 0-1) on Templeton’s home field.

Templeton’s Colter Tannehill had two throwing touchdowns in the second half, one to his brother Quinn Tannehill and another to Jaron Sampson.

“We were able to throw the ball much better in the second half after going 1-for-7 in the first half, and 6-for-7 in the second half and two touchdowns,” said Templeton Coach Don Crow. “So that was a big difference.”

Crow said the Eagles defense held the Saints to 65 yards rushing, which he was pleased about.

Templeton has played four games this season decided by a touchdown or less, losing each of the previous three before Friday’s opening league match.

“The kids showed a lot of resiliency and played good football in the second half,” Crow said.

Templeton next faces Morro Bay on the road on Friday.

Cabrillo 41, Morro Bay 39

The Pirates (2-4, 0-1 Ocean) fell in a close one that saw a player taken off the field in an ambulance and two others hurt in the loss to Cabrillo (5-1, 1-0).

Dustin Davis had a safety and several tackles, also hauling in a tipped ball for a nice catch for Morro Bay; Isaac Schooley had a running touchdown after a big run by John Myers.

Myers, Sand Dougherty and James Nickel, who had two touchdowns, each crossed the goal line for the Pirates, and Efrain Hernandez had a field goal.

Myers had an interception and Colton Jonavec recovered a fumble.

Morro Bay next hosts Templeton on Friday.

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 11:27 PM.