San Marcos Leaves No Doubt in Battle For the Goodland

San Marcos and Dos Pueblos had both already secured playoff spots before Friday night’s “Battle For the Goodland” matchup, but there was still plenty at stake in the 58th meeting between the two crosstown rivals. The winner would claim second place in their new Tri-County League; the outcome could determine their seeding in the CIF playoffs; and of course, there would be another year of bragging rights as the best team in Goleta.

Before the game, San Marcos Head Coach Ralph Molina said he didn’t have to say much in the locker room to get his team focused: “I hardly said anything,” he said. “I just let the seniors talk.”

The Royals had lost only three games this year — by a combined nine points — and after suffering a tough loss to Agoura last week, Molina said the team was determined to prove they could finish.

Dos Pueblos was also heading into the game with some momentum, riding a two-game win streak and finding a rhythm with new transfer Simon Alexander, who had taken over as starting quarterback after sitting out the first five weeks of the season.

The game started a bit sloppy, with both teams losing the ball on early fumbles. After forcing a punt, San Marcos was mounting a drive into Charger territory when running back Nate Jones lost the ball on a fumble recovered by Dos Pueblos’s Andrew Cook.

Dos Pueblos running back Caleb Williams then broke loose for a few first downs, but the Chargers lost the ball on a bad snap recovered by San Marcos defensive end Roman Gislimberti, setting up the Royals at Dos Pueblos’s 40-yard line.

San Marcos began to lean on the running back trio of Jones, Cole Dominguez, and Anthony Obisbo, who were able to find holes in the Dos Pueblos defense and march down the field to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jones to take a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

The Royals really started rolling in the second quarter, forcing a punt and then orchestrating a 71-yard drive with a few big plays. First, Jones broke free on a tackle-breaking 28-yard run; then quarterback Danny Diaz hit tight end Charlie Angeles for a 20-yard pass down the right sideline, setting the Royals up at the Dos Pueblos one-yard line. 

The next play, Dominguez bullied his way in for a rushing touchdown to give San Marcos the 14-0 lead with just under eight minutes to go in the quarter.

San Marcos’s staunch defense forced another fourth down on the Chargers’ next drive, and Dos Pueblos attempted a fake punt that, after officials measured the spot, was just inches short of a first down.

After taking over on downs at the Dos Pueblos 41-yard line, it took San Marcos just two plays to score, with Diaz finding senior wideout Quinn Donnell twice in a row, finishing the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Donnell give the Royals a 21-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.

On the very next drive, Angeles provided another highlight — this time on defense — coming up with an interception on a tipped pass to give the Royals the ball in Dos Pueblos territory once again. Starting from the 31-yard line, the Royals handed it off to Dominguez three straight times, with the junior finishing the deal on a one-yard run to score his second touchdown of the game and give San Marcos a 28-0 lead.

Before halftime, it seemed as though Dos Pueblos’s offense started to get going, with the Chargers getting two first-down passes in a row before Alexander threw his second pick of the day, this time to San Marcos’s Donnell, who returned the ball for nearly 40 yards to set the Royals up inside the Dos Pueblos 30.

With just over a minute left before the break, the Royals got the ball to Angeles on a screen for an eight-yard touchdown, leaving San Marcos with a comfortable 35-0 halftime lead.

“[It was] a great first half,” coach Molina said of San Marcos’s performance. “Best first half we’ve played all season.”

Dos Pueblos Head Coach AJ Pateras said the turnovers made the difference for the Chargers in the first half.

“You can’t spot them extra possession at any point of the game,” Pateras said.

The second half was much slower, with San Marcos’s defense holding strong and the Royals  sticking to the run game for much of the third and fourth quarters. 

With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, San Marcos finished a run-heavy drive with a two-yard touchdown from Jones — his second of the game — to extend the Royals’ lead to 42-0.

The closest Dos Pueblos came to scoring was a 41-yard field goal attempt with just over five minutes left in the game, which fell to the turf short of the uprights.

With the 42-0 win, the Royals have now won three straight over Dos Pueblos, and San Marcos is playing its best football heading into the CIF playoffs.

The Jeff Hesselmeyer Memorial “Battle of the Goodland” MVP trophy went to two co-players of the game — Donnell and Angeles — who both came away with big plays on offense and defense with an interception and a touchdown catch each.

Coach Molina said that it was important that his team set the tone with physical play heading into the playoffs.

“We controlled the line of scrimmage,” he said.  “We’re physical. We cause problems for people.”

Both teams will be heading to the postseason, and on Sunday they will find out their playoff matchups. For Dos Pueblos (4-6), it will be their first time in the playoffs since 2019, and for the Royals (6-3-1), it is their first time in the playoffs since 2005.

Both are expected to compete in lower divisions this year, and coach Molina is hoping that the Royals will be able to convert their late-season momentum into a deep playoff run.

“One game at a time. But depending on where we end up…we could do something,” he said.