Everything was working for Buena High Friday night in a Channel League matchup with San Marcos.
The Bulldogs (4-6, 1-3) scored on eight of their nine offensive possessions and added three defensive touchdowns in the 72-8 victory.
The Royals (0-10, 0-4) found themselves in a 23-0 hole at the end of the first quarter after rushing touchdowns from Buena running backs Juan Gaytan and Alvin Dyke and a 11-yard touchdown through the air from quarterback Coby Barbar to receiver Andrew Bergum.
Buena’s defense held San Marcos to minus-40 yards in the quarter.
The Bulldogs broke the game wide open in the second quarter after Barbar hit tight end Gunnar Escamilla from 1 yard out to score. Barbar then connected with receiver Grayson Rocha, who rumbled 22-yards into the end zone. Another Gaytan touchdown made the score 45-0. Barbar went 14-for-18 with 160 yards and three touchdowns on the night.
Buena defensive backs Tyler Olivares and Ricky Lopez returned interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back drives to stuff the Royals in a 59-0 hole at halftime. Olivares would later return a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs up 65-0.
Buena drove 75 yards on 10 plays in the fourth quarter with senior linebacker Justin Rios punching the ball in from 1 yard out for his first career touchdown.
Down 72-0 with seven minutes remaining in the game, the Royals engineered their best drive of the night, thanks in part to the play of junior quarterback Jacob Villareal. Villareal went 4-for-6 with 55 yards passing and three rushing yards on the nine-play, 70 yard drive. Sophomore running back Tommy Schaeffer squeezed through the pile for a five yard touchdown run to put San Marcos on the board.
Senior quarterback Jose Romo converted the two-point attempt on a wildcat formation run to round out the scoring.
“I’m proud of them,” said San Marcos head coach Jason Fowle of his seniors. “When they look back in fifteen years they’re going to remember the relationships they made, the things they did, the struggles they had, and how they relied on each other.”
Fowle praised the spirit of his team despite having a tough season, saying, “They still came to practice with a will to compete. That’s a testament to them.”