Paso Robles wins big in rivalry game with Atascadero. See other SLO County results

Paso Robles had a big night offensively, nearly putting up a 50-spot, to beat North County rival Atascadero in Week 4 football action.

Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo outmatched Morro Bay in a high-scoring affair, behind a big night from running back Colbin Garrison.

But Arroyo Grande tallied the most points of the evening, securing a whopping 64-35 win over Righetti.

Templeton and Mission Prep had byes on Friday.

Here are highlights from Friday’s action.

Paso Robles 49, Atascadero 14

In a packed house at War Memorial Stadium, with all the seats taken and fans standing to catch a view, the home crowd had plenty to roar about Friday night as Atascadero orange clashed with Paso Robles red in a rivalry about a century old.

When the final whistle blew, Paso Robles fans erupted as the Bearcats rolled past the Greyhounds 49-14.

The Bearcats (2-3) wasted no time setting the tone.

On Atascadero’s opening possession, safety Talen Freitas intercepted a pass, and Paso Robles quickly turned it into points with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tre Clark. Clark struck again later in the half, breaking free for a 29-yard rushing score that put the Bearcats ahead 14-0.

For Clark, the night was memorable beyond the two touchdowns. During halftime, he was crowned Homecoming king, alongside his girlfriend Anaiah Prado, who was named Homecoming queen.

For a unit that had stumbled through much of the season, this rivalry stage felt like a turning point.

Paso’s offense, long searching for balance, finally clicked, mixing the run and pass in ways that left Atascadero’s defense scrambling. The defense backed it up, forcing four interceptions to shut down the Greyhounds’ misdirection plays.

“We had a few discipline issues there for a minute, but they bounced back and didn’t back down,” Head Coach Matt Carroll said. “We ran the football well and passed well when we needed it.”

The 49-point performance was Paso Robles’ highest scoring output since 2016, when the Bearcats scored 51 points against Frontier. It also matched their 2021 mark of 49 points, highlighting how rare such an offensive explosion has been in recent years.

“We knew that they were gonna do a lot of misdirection,” Atascadero Head Doach Dan Loney said. “And they got us in exactly what they wanted to do. We started chasing, and they had their counters back underneath that, and they did a good job.”

Paso continued to build its lead behind a 4-yard touchdown run from Blayne Lowry.

Atascadero finally found life before halftime.

Quarterback Mike Trejo connected with Jacob Perry on a 53-yard pass, then finished the drive himself with a five-yard rushing touchdown. The score trimmed Paso’s lead and gave the Greyhounds a spark heading into the break.

But the momentum didn’t last. Though Perry slipped into the backfield uncovered several times — Paso’s lone defensive weakness on the night — the Greyhounds couldn’t turn it into points.

Paso responded with explosive plays that made the difference: a punt return score from Matthew Ammann just 10 seconds into the second half and an 87-yard touchdown run by Yannis Gelos that sealed the outcome.

From there, Paso slammed the door.

This rivalry has always thrived on momentum swings and emotional plays, but lately it’s been Paso dictating the script.

With the win, the Bearcats improved to 9-2 against Atascadero in their last 11 meetings, a stretch marked by big plays, quick starts to set the tone and the ability to close the door.

Atascadero hosts Templeton on Friday while Paso Robles is at Buchanan.

San Luis Obispo 49, Morro Bay 35

The Tigers (3-2) led 28-14 at the half and kept the offensive pressure on their San Luis Coastal neighbor.

SLO running back Colbin Garrison dashed for a 73-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 41-21 over Morro Bay (2-3), totaling more than 300 yards in the contest.

Quarterback Jacob Gill, back from a rib injury, tossed an 8-yard throwing score to Grady Garrison.

And Zion Hegg, alternating behind center with Gill, recorded a 34-yard touchdown run.

“You have to play great defense against them and we weren’t perfect, but I was happy that we were able to keep moving the ball,” said Pat Johnston, SLO’s coach. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a few different times with some penalties, which we have to clean up. But generally, we needed to default to our fundamentals and get the job done.”

Johnston credited Garrison for a monster output, including multiple touchdowns besides his total yardage, saying he “had a hell of a game,” and a strong pass rush to keep star Morro Bay quarterback Sands Dougherty on his toes, despite another big offensive night with multiple throwing touchdowns.

“Morro Bay can really move the ball quickly and score a lot of points, so we kind of weathered that first half storm a little bit. “Sands is really elusive, and he does a great job of making things happen.”

Both San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay have byes on Friday.

Arroyo Grande 64, Righetti 35

Arroyo Grande (2-3) bounced back in a big way Friday night, rolling past Righetti with an explosive first half after suffering a 1-point loss to Twelve Bridges a week ago.

The Eagles’ offense erupted for 54 points before halftime, overwhelming the Warriors from the start.

From there, the outcome was never in doubt. With the defense holding the Warriors to just 15 first-half points, Arroyo Grande’s offensive fireworks carried the Eagles to one of their biggest wins of the season.

“I’m proud of the way our kids have responded to the early-season adversity,” Eagles Coach Stephen Field said. “We played with great effort, we played together and we played with passion tonight. We are continuing to grow together as a football team.”

Arroyo Grande is at Nipomo on Friday.

Santa Ynez 23, Nipomo 7

The Titans (2-3) fell to the Pirates (3-2) on the road.

Nipomo’s sole touchdown was scored by Troy Simonson, Nipomo’s 6-foot-2 junior running back and linebacker, a team captain.

The Titans have one more nonleague game before launching into Ocean League play with hopes of a title defense.

Nipomo next hosts Arroyo Grande on Friday.

This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 11:31 PM.