Quarterback Kellen Roberts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a pair, but it wasn’t enough as Dos Pueblos fell 36-29 at San Juan Hills in an exciting football season opener on Friday night.
The Chargers overcame a rough start as they fell behind 22-0 with 4:47 left in the first half.
They started their comeback on a 30-yard Roberts pass to Cyrus Wallace for a first and goal. Roberts scored on a keeper to make it 22-7 with 3:11 left in the first half.
Dos Pueblos recovered a short kickoff at the San Juan Hills 29. On fourth down, Roberts hit Blake Erwin for a 29-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 22-14 with 2:04 remaining.
The defense then got into the act, recording a sack, knocking down a pass and forcing a three and out. The Chargers took over at the 37 with a minute left but the drive was stopped by a fumble at the 50.
San Juan Hills was in position to score on its first possession of the second half, but the Chargers intercepted a pass in the end zone.
A run by Blake Erwin and a reception by Daniel Arzate gave the Chargers a couple of first downs. Another catch by Wallace got the ball down to the 20. Roberts pulled off some magic on the next play. He scooped up a bad snap and fired a 20-yard TD pass to Michael Elbert. DP converted a two-point conversion to knot the score at 22-22.
The Dos Pueblos defense came up big again, stopping San Juan Hills at the 19.
San Juan Hills took the lead for good n the fourth quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Doug Jackson to standout receiver Jacob Huff with 10 minutes left. The Stallions scored again with 3:14 left on a fade pass to Huff for a 36-22 lead. Jackson threw four TD passes in the win.
Dos Pueblos continued to battle, driving to the 19. Roberts scored on a 9-yard run, cutting the San Juan Hills advantage to 36-29 with 53 seconds to go.
The Chargers never got the ball again.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.