Second-half comeback propels Arroyo Grande to rivalry win over SLO

With multiple teams on the road playing against Central Valley opponents, five San Luis Obispo County teams came up short, while Arroyo Grande earned a big win in a highly anticipated game versus San Luis Obispo to notch its first victory of the season.

Nipomo and Templeton also secured dominant wins in nonleague action.

Most local teams play one more nonleague game next week before embarking on the league matchups Sept. 19.

Here’s how local teams faired on Friday.

Arroyo Grande 42, San Luis Obispo 28

A back-and-forth rivalry showdown unfolded Friday night as San Luis Obispo (1-2) faced Arroyo Grande (1-2), with the Eagles ultimately pulling away for a 42-28 victory.

The first half was a battle of momentum swings. SLO running back Colbin Garrison broke through for a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers on the board first, but AG answered quickly with a 61-yard score from Eagles’ running back Zack Tayman.

For much of the opening half, the Tigers’ defense kept Arroyo Grande star Caleb Clark’s explosiveness in check, yet Tayman remained a constant presence in the backfield, carrying much of the offensive load for the Eagles.

SLO leaned on its ground game behind Garrison and quarterback Zion Hegg. When it wasn’t Garrison pounding the ball inside, Hegg made plays of how own, including an 8-yard touchdown run. Just before halftime, Hegg connected with Oliver Wilson on a 9-yard touchdown pass, sending the Tigers into the locker room with a 28-14 lead.

But the second half belonged to Arroyo Grande.

Coming out of the locker room, the momentum shifted as the Eagles’ defense tightened up, applying more pressure and keying in on SLO’s heavy run-game scheme. With the Tigers’ offense largely funneling through Garrison or Hegg on the ground, AG began to stack the box and limit their gains.

When Hegg found himself in trouble, Garrison was always there for the pitch, but Arroyo Grande’s defense adjusted quickly, closing the gaps and forcing the Tigers into tough situations. What had worked so effectively in the first half was no longer finding the same success, as the Eagles swarmed the ball and limited SLO’s options.

Limiting the Tigers’ offense swung the advantage to the Eagles, who capitalized on extra possessions to chip away at the deficit.

After driving deep into Tiger territory, Tayman powered in a 1-yard touchdown to pull Arroyo Grande closer, and from there the pressure only turned up. He followed it up with an 8-yard rushing score and later added another from 5 yards out.

While Caleb Clark’s explosiveness was contained for much of the night, the Eagles had another reliable weapon in Tayman, who carried the bulk of the offensive load. His ability to finish drives on the ground powered Arroyo Grande’s comeback.

“We were a different team in the second half,” Head Coach Stephen Field said. “We just had to make a couple of adjustments on defense and settle in a bit.”

That rang true as AG’s defense clamped down and didn’t allow the Tigers to score a single point in the second half, sealing a 42-28 rivalry win.

Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo found itself in a familiar position: losing a lead after halftime.

Just a week ago the Tigers were up before seeing their advantage slip away, and against Arroyo Grande, it was the same story. Despite a strong first half powered by the ground game, the Tigers couldn’t execute late to hold the lead.

“(Arroyo Grande) lined up in big boy formation and played big boy football, and we needed to respond to that better,” SLO Head Coach Pat Johnston said.

San Luis Obispo hosts Nipomo and Arroyo Grande is at home against Twelve Bridges on Friday.

Roosevelt 26, Atascadero 14

Atascadero (1-1) held a slim lead over Roosevelt in the first half, carrying it into the third quarter, but the game turned when the Rough Riders came out of the locker room and delivered back-to-back rushing touchdowns.

Whatever was discussed at halftime clearly sparked a total game-changer, as Roosevelt seized momentum and took total control for the rest of the game. By the end of the third, Atascadero trailed 20-7.

Roosevelt kept rolling in the fourth, punching in another rushing score to stretch the lead to 26-7. The Greyhounds’ defense struggled to hold up against the run, and Roosevelt took full advantage.

Atascadero added a late passing touchdown in the final minutes, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit as they fell 26-14.

Atascadero travels to South of Bakersfield on Friday.

Madera 42, Paso Robles 28

Paso Robles (0-3) is still searching for its first win of the season after falling 42-28 to Madera.

The Bearcats ran the ball effectively, piling up more than 200 yards on the ground, but defensive breakdowns in tackling and fundamentals proved costly.

Kassim Williams led the way offensively with two rushing touchdowns, while Matthew Ammann added another on the ground. Quarterback Blayne Lowry also found the end zone on a keeper, rounding out Paso’s scoring.

“Major improvement in offense,” Head Coach Matt Carroll said. “Need to clean up our punt breakdowns and stop the run on defense.”

Paso Robles hosts Righetti on Friday.

Templeton 47, Coalinga 14

Templeton (2-1) rolled on the road after returning key receiver Colby Sims.

Sims hauled in three touchdown passes from quarterback Colter Tannehill, accounting for all of his passing scores in the contest.

Sims, a 6-foot-2 junior, finished with 177 yards receiving.

The Eagles also benefited from two scoring runs from senior running back/linebacker Tyler Cunningham and rushing scores from Armando Soto and Hayz Camarena.

“We want to be balanced, and we had 161 yards rushing tonight,” said Eagles Coach Don Crow. “We just have to stay healthy and just keep getting better every week. Staying healthy is the most important thing for us in high school football.”

Templeton hosts Gonzales on Friday.

Wasco 55, Morro Bay 16

Pirates quarterback Sands Dougherty completed a touchdown pass to Trevor Riddiough in the third quarter to get some points on the board for Morro Bay (2-2) in a lopsided loss after a big home win versus Lindsay last week.

Dougherty followed up with a two-point conversion toss to Griffin Doherty.

With the loss, the Pirates’ two-game win streak was snapped.

Morro Bay opened its season in Maui, where Coach Robert Dougherty and his son, Sands, lived as a family for nearly a decade. The team had five carwash fundraisers and a casino night to raise money for the trip.

“It was a great trip,” Sands Dougherty said last week. “What’s nice too is that we finally it paid off with all the fundraising. I was born in Visalia, then moved to Hawaii when I was about 4 or 5, and then I moved back when I was a freshman. I knew nearly all the seniors and about half the juniors on the team we played (King Kekaulike).

Morro Bay has a bye on Friday.

Nipomo 42, Pioneer Valley 13

Nipomo (2-1) got the scoring started against its opponent from Santa Maria.

The Titans went up 28-0 at the half, as quarterback Griffin Groshart completed touchdown tosses to Trevor Oxley, Troy Simonson and Nick Evans, who added a rushing touchdown of his own.

The Titans added two more touchdowns with a scoring run by Evans and a snag in the end zone by Adam Ortega.

Nipomo’s defense stifled the Pioneer Valley offense with an impressive group sack in the second quarter and significant pressure on the Panthers’ quarterback.

For the second straight week, the Titans eclipsed 40 points on offense as well.

Nipomo next travels to San Luis Obispo on Friday.

Kern Valley 21, Mission Prep 7

Mission College Prep (1-2) traveled to the Central Valley but came up short in a 21-7 loss to Kern Valley. The Royals struggled to get much going offensively, managing just one score while the Broncos controlled the tempo.

Mission Prep hosts Santa Ynez on Friday.

This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 11:45 PM.