A tough start to Channel League play did not discourage the San Marcos High football team.
The Royals kept grinding despite a string of losses against tough competition and broke through Friday night with a 28-7 victory over rival Dos Pueblos in the annual Battle for the Goodland.
“I like the way we played. Defensively we played with intensity for four quarters,” said San Marcos Coach Ralph Molina. “We moved the ball on offense and it made a big difference.”
San Marcos junior Nate Jones was a standout on both sides of the ball and was named the Jeff Hesselmeyer Battle for the Goodland Most Valuable Player. Jones grabbed two interceptions and added a dynamic element to the Royals’ rushing attack to finish with 100 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.
“There were a lot of ups and downs in these five losses. It’s hard losing five games in a row,” Jones said. “It was a tough league, but I’m proud of my guys that we just stayed together and got this team win.”
The two teams were scoreless in the first quarter. San Marcos put together a nice drive early in the second quarter, but an interception by Dos Pueblos defensive back Zach Gesswein at the six-yard line ended the threat.
However, two-plays later Jones returned the favor with an interception that gave San Marcos excellent field position deep in Dos Pueblos territory. Jones then capped off a six-play, 20-yard drive with a hurdle into the end zone from one-yard out.
Dos Pueblos evened the score on its first play of the second half with19-yard touchdown pass from Gonzo Murillo to Nathan Warren with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter.
San Marcos senior quarterback Robert Simentales took over for a banged up Danny Diaz at quarterback and responded with a four-yard touchdown run with 5:04 remaining in the second quarter to give San Marcos a 14-7 lead.
A two-yard touchdown run by Charlie Angeles increased the San Marcos lead to 21-7. On the ensuing Dos Pueblos possession Jones came down with his second interception of the game, which led to a beautiful pass to the end zone from Simentales to Luke Crawford, who scored from 13-yards out to put the Royals ahead 28-7.
San Marcos {3-5 overall, 1-5 Channel League} kept its hopes of an at-large berth into the CIF playoffs alive with the victory. Dos Pueblos dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-5 in the Channel League.
At halftime the Royals honored one of its distinguished alumni Alex Mack, retiring his number 65 Jersey. Mack played for over a decade at center in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.
Santa Barbara 52, Channel Islands 0
Santa Barbara extended its winning streak to five games with the victory over winless Channel Islands. The Dons led 37-0 at halftime and cruised to victory.
Cabrillo 39, Carpinteria 28
Carpinteria dropped its sixth consecutive contest and Cabrillo won its first game of the season as the teams engaged in a rare late season non-conference contest.