Nipomo wins thriller in 2OT; Arroyo Grande, SLO, Morro Bay win CIF openers
Four San Luis Obispo County teams secured first-round wins Friday in CIF-Central Section football playoffs to advance in their respective divisions.
In a double-overtime thriller, Nipomo topped cross-county opponent Atascadero by a point after the Greyhounds went for a two-point conversion to try to win the game and the Titans stopped them just short.
Arroyo Grande routed its opponent from Fresno in front its home crowd.
Hitting the road, San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay both secured wins over Central Valley teams.
In other action, Mission Prep and Paso Robles saw their seasons end in away games.
Undefeated Templeton (10-0, 4-0 Ocean) had a bye in the first round.
Nipomo 35, Atacadero 34 (2OT)
In the SLO County game of the night, the Titans pulled off a clutch defensive stop to keep the Greyhounds from crossing into the end zone with the game on the line on a two-point conversion. That led to a joyous celebration with pumped-up Titans jumping up and down in front of home fans. That was the final moment of drama preceded by other nail-biting moments in the Division 4 win.
With nine seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 21, Nipomo lined up for a field goal that could have won the first round of the CIF playoffs. But Atascadero had other plans, blocking the kick and forcing overtime.
Playoff jitters showed early on both sides Friday night, as Nipomo (7-4) and Atascadero (5-6) combined for four fumbles in the first quarter alone. In the postseason, one mistake can end a season, and both defenses made sure every yard had to be earned.
What looked like scoring opportunities turned into sudden scrambles to protect the ball, and momentum swung back and forth with no payoff on the scoreboard for nearly the entire first half of the game.
Nipomo finally broke through with a minute remaining before the break. A 32-yard run by Nick Evans, followed by a 16-yard rush, set up quarterback Griffin Groshart for a 2-yard keeper to put the Titans on the board and send them into halftime up 7-0.
Atascadero only had one scoring threat in the first half before things started to take a turn coming out of the locker room. The second half was where every inch, every hit and every decision suddenly mattered.
Evans broke into the end zone in the opening minute of the third quarter, putting Nipomo ahead 14-0. And just like that, the Greyhounds’ season was on the line. If they wanted to stay in contention, something had to change. It did.
Damon Mitchell broke free for a 68-yard rushing touchdown to give the Greyhounds their first points of the night. From there, Atascadero’s defense locked in, holding Nipomo scoreless long enough for Tyson Tenhaeff to punch in a 9-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth and tie the game at 14.
The game continued to swing in both directions, and with seconds remaining, the score stood tied at 21.
With nine seconds left in regulation, the Titans decided to go for the field goal to end the game.
Atascadero iced the kicker — twice. And when the ball finally snapped, Mitchell broke through and got a hand on it, blocking the attempt and sending the game into overtime.
Suddenly, both teams found themselves in a situation neither team had been in this entire season.
“That’s the first time we (went into overtime) this year, so that guys were a little confused,” Nipomo’s coach Russ Edwards said.
The confusion came on the special teams unit, as overtime rules give each team the ball at the opponent’s 25-yard line instead of kicking off. Once settled, both teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, pushing the game to a second extra period.
Nipomo scored first in double overtime, and Atascadero answered with a touchdown of its own. The Greyhounds elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but the attempt came up short, sealing the Titans’ victory.
“I just felt we had the momentum,” Atascadero coach Dan Loney said after the failed two-point conversion. “I felt people were tired, and it was time for us to make a move.”
Even in defeat, Edwards pointed to Atascadero’s response in the second half, noting the Greyhounds’ ability to land big plays and keep momentum alive after being down 14-0.
“It became a back-and-forth affair to see who would be the last team standing,” Edwards said. “And fortunately tonight it was us, and hats off to Atascadero,” he added.
A major contributor for Nipomo was Evans, who accounted for three touchdowns and helped flip the field position with his rushing. According to Edwards, Evans has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of the past four games.
“He’s got a will to win and a desire to battle on every single play,” Edwards said.
After the final whistle, both teams met at midfield to pray together, sharing handshakes and hugs in a show of mutual respect.
The win advances the Titans to the second round of the CIF Division IV playoffs, where they will face No. 2 seed Immanuel.
Arroyo Grande 62, Sunnyside 14
Arroyo Grande (7-4) ran wild on Friday, overpowering their opponent from Fresno 62-14 in a first-round Division 2 victory at home.
The Eagles, the No. 4-ranked team in the bracket, moved the ball with ease, balancing their running attack among multiple ball carriers, including Miles Thompson, Zack Tayman and Caleb Clark. Thompson had three rushing scores, including a 49-yard dash; Tayman powered in two rushing touchdowns and Clark tallied three touchdowns, two rushing and a kickoff return before the half.
“Our kids are hungry to play,” said Eagles Coach Stephen Field. “They’re excited to play together. And so we just took advantage of the opportunity that we had tonight. A lot of teams in America can’t do that right now so our kids are excited about that opportunity.”
The Eagles got out to a 42-0 lead in the second quarter, but Sunnyside rallied for a bit of momentum with consecutive touchdowns late in the first half. Clark’s kickoff return with 14 seconds left in the half, juking around multiple defenders, put the Eagles up 49-14 to maintain a sizable cushion.
“It’s crazy some of the stuff (Clark) can do on a football field,” Tayman said. “I was out there blocking one guy. He’s running the opposite way. I’m thinking, ‘Now he’s going to get tackled.’ And then I turn around for a second, then he’s just flying back my way. He’s an amazing player.”
Tayman, who had tallied 1,216 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns on the season coming into the game, said the Eagles are in good form.
“We have a real sense of focus right now, and we’re going to carry that on,” Tayman said. “And as long as we stick together, I think good things will happen.”
With everything going Arroyo Grande’s way, kicker Dustin Reed drilled second half field goals of 32 and 46 yards, the second coming with 7:21 left in the game, a strike down the middle that sailed just over the crossbar. The Eagles also benefited from a blocked punt in the end zone that they pounced on for a touchdown and an interception by senior defensive lineman Gavin Rash in the second quarter. Andrew Moreno, who made some tough tackles in the contest, recovered a fumble to wrap up the game as time expired.
“I feel that our team is playing really well together, and we’re playing as a team, which is a very important thing,” said Clark, a senior who has committed to play wide receiver at Idaho next year. “We need to stay focused, and I think we’ll dominate for sure.”
Arroyo Grande next faces Garces Memorial, of Bakersfield, at home on Friday.
San Luis Obispo 42, Lemoore 32
The Tigers (7-4) won on the road as the No. 11 seed in Division 2, holding on to a 28-20 halftime lead.
San Luis Obispo quarterback Zion Hegg connected for touchdown passes to Calvin Nemetz and Ethan Guilford. Grady Garrison also caught a scoring pass with Jacob Gill behind center. Hegg also rushed for a score.
Colbin Garrison rushed for two touchdowns to add to the balanced offense.
“We knew we were going to have to play our best and our defense really stepped up in some key moments,” said SLO Coach Pat Johnston. “On offense, we were in a good rhythm for most of the game. So many different guys contributed, and that’s probably what means the most.”
Johnston said his squad will return to the same stadium in Visalia that it visited earlier in the year when it faced Mount Whitney. On Friday, they’ll square off against the No. 3 seed, Redwood, an 8-2 team.
“This time of year, it’s about being as healthy as you can be and playing as well as you can, playing as mistake-free as you can and finishing strong,” Johnston said.
San Luis Obispo next faces Redwood on the road on Friday.
Kennedy 63, Paso Robles 28
Paso Robles (4-7) fell on the road to Kennedy in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs Friday night, marking the Bearcats’ first postseason appearance in two years.
The Bearcats stayed within striking distance for most of the first half, answering Kennedy scores and keeping the deficit to a single touchdown. But the game slipped away just minutes before halftime, when Kennedy broke it open with three quick scores, including a pick-six that created a gap Paso Robles couldn’t recover from.
“We couldn’t stop them on defense and were basically in a shootout, and we couldn’t keep up,” Coach Matt Carroll said.
Carroll said there was “no lack of effort” from his group and emphasized that the team’s fight never wavered, even as the momentum shifted.
He noted that defensive adjustments will be a focus moving into the offseason, but credited this year’s senior class for elevating the program’s standard. This season, the Bearcats beat Lompoc for the first time since 2007, a win Carroll pointed to as a marker of how far the group has come.
“The seniors laid a solid foundation for this next group to take it to the next level next season,” he said.
Morro Bay 52, Delano 28
The Pirates (4-7) won on the road as the No. 9 seed in Division 5.
Morro Bay senior star quarterback Sands Dougherty completed five touchdown passes and ran for two scores as the Pirates missed four extra points.
Morro Bay snagged three interceptions in the contest with Luca Macari, Efrain Hernandez and Colton Rosenlieb each recording a takeaway.
“We were up 24-0 the first quarter, and then they came back to make it 24-21,” said Morro Bay Coach Robert Dougherty. “Finally, in the second half, we started to execute better again. But it’s a learning lesson for us. We had a big lull. We gave them a lot of life.”
Despite some first half team lapses, Dougherty credited his defense for playing a very strong game and the offense for playing well in several stretches, while facing a lot of pressure with frequent blitzes.
“The offense played really well at times,” Dougherty said. “They came after us, really heavy blitzes, with Cover Zero a lot of times. When there’s pressure, you try to get the ball out. Sands got hit quite a bit, but we were able to handle it.”
Morro Bay next faces No. 1 Liberty on the road on Friday.
Shafter 38, Mission Prep 17
No. 16 Mission College Prep (3-8) fell to No. 1 Shafter in Division 3, despite trailing by just one touchdown at halftime. The young Royals squad, which has shown flashes all season but has struggled to close out games, once again couldn’t come out on top.
Mission stayed within a score for most of the game, keeping the deficit at 17-14 midway through the third quarter. But a Shafter field goal stretched the lead to 24-17, and from there, the Generals continued to capitalize. They found success in the end zone twice more to pull away for the win.
The Royals team featured multiple underclassmen in key roles this season, gaining experience that will carry into next fall.
A steady presence for the Royals was running back Ronnie Kardashian, who handled most of the carries and helped keep the offense moving throughout the season.
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 12:14 AM.