Dos Pueblos made a statement on the night they most needed to.
With a 61-14 win over Channel League rival San Marcos (0-9, 0-2 Channel League), the Chargers (7-2, 2-1) stayed alive in the playoff race, with next week’s game at Ventura determining who earns the other berth.
A Santa Barbara High win at Buena on Friday clinched one of two Channel League playoff spots.
Dos Pueblos stayed alive thanks to contributions from all over, with six players notching at least 30 yards offensively. As a team, the Chargers put up over 500 yards.
“The kids had the best week of practice they’ve had all year,” said Dos Pueblos head coach Nate Mendoza. “Lot of grit, lot of mental toughness.”
After a quick stop on defense, the Chargers took their first drive of the game 69-yards on six plays, capped off by a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kellen Roberts to receiver Cyrus Wallace.
The rest of the first half was much of the same, as the Chargers defense held the Royals to six yards of total offense before the break.
A 36-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Daniel Arzate put Dos Pueblos up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Chargers broke the game open. Roberts hit Wallace for a 21-yard touchdown, then running back Irvin Miguel took a carry 49-yards for his second touchdown of the season.
Miguel ran for 167 yards on seven carries in what was easily the best game of the senior’s year. Wallace pulled in four catches for 75-yards.
Fellow Charger running back Blake Erwin found the end zone twice from one yard out, and Roberts scrambled down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown as the half expired. Roberts finished 13-for-19 with 184 yards and three touchdown passes, along with 63 yards rushing on two carries.
Dos Pueblos was up 51-0 at halftime.
Both teams came out of the break fired up. After receiving the kickoff, Miguel took the first handoff of the half 58-yards, and Erwin bounced off defenders into the end zone from 15-yards out for his third and final touchdown. Erwin took six carries for 44 yards and hauled in four receptions for 57 yards on the game.
Down 58-0 with 5:00 left in the third quarter, San Marcos finally broke through, with quarterback Jose Romo threading the ball between two defenders to connect with receiver Mason Zimmerman, who rumbled 72-yards into the end zone to put the Royals on the board.
Romo went 8-for-18 with 113 yards and the one touchdown on the night. Zimmerman hauled in 87 of those yards on two catches.
After Dos Pueblos kicker Josh Feldhaus split the uprights for a 31-yard field goal, San Marcos strung together a nine play, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a three yard carry by running back Ashkan Allen.
Allen had a strong game, taking 17 carries for 80-yards and the score.
“I was proud of them, for the way that they came out,” said San Marcos head coach Jason Fowle. “We talked about having a spark at halftime. You saw them, we made some plays.”
The Dos Pueblos defense was dominant on the night, keeping the Royals from converting on third or fourth down all night (where they went a combined 0-for-12), and forcing five punts.
Defensive end Marcellous Gossett anchored the Charger line, notching two sacks and putting consistent pressure on Romo. Linemen Erick Nisich and Justin Padilla were also defensive forces on the night. A bad third-down snap by San Marcos resulted in a 19-yard sack in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter.
Dos Pueblos heads to Ventura (7-2, 3-0) in a win-or-go-home game next Friday.
Mendoza thinks the keys for next week’s game are “starting off good and playing great defense and special teams.”
San Marcos hosts Buena (3-6, 0-3), looking for a win in their season finale. Fowle insists San Marcos will “focus on competition in practice and trying to get a win.”
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
