It was a Homecoming Game to remember for Dos Pueblos football, as the Chargers scored 35 in the second half to defeat visiting Santa Paula 56-21 on Friday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 5-3 overall with a 2-1 league record, while Santa Paula fell to 3-5 overall with a 0-3 Tri-County League mark.
Dos Pueblos’ offense was the key, as the team scored a touchdown on eight of its nine possessions. They were led by a running game that amassed a total of 363 yards on the ground, as well as all eight touchdowns scored.
“We are led by our two guys on the o-line, Marcus (Carbajal) and Wyatt (Mitchell), and they’re probably two of the best guys around… and you saw it again tonight. You can run behind those guys all night long,” Dos Pueblos Head Coach AJ Pateras said.
“But then you add in all the other guys that we have watched and developed over the years… to be able to score as many points as we had over the last three weeks with a backup quarterback says a lot about the team.”
Leading the running game was senior running back Chase Johnson, who rushed the ball 26 times for 209 yards, adding in four touchdowns, three of which came in the first half. Johnson also did not receive a single carry in the fourth quarter.
“We were just working the run game all week. We had team meetings during lunch with the o-line. We were just really locked in with our blocking, and just everybody was doing their job — my O-line, my receivers. We were all just playing like a team,” Johnson said.
“But it’s also nice to see all the other running backs getting carries. We were just pounding the ball. We were getting a 10-yard gain, 8-yard gain, 6-yard gain. Everybody was hyped up on the sideline. Everybody was having a good time. It helps us play like a team.”
Despite the impressive final score, the Chargers actually began the night trailing. Santa Paula, after starting its opening drive on the 15-yard line, managed to take the ball 85 yards on nine plays. Junior quarterback Rene Vega connected with senior wideout Imari Carveth on a short curl that Carveth took 34 yards to help the road team take a 7-0 lead.
Vega threw the ball 22 times, completing 15 of them for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. He also threw two interceptions.
Despite going down early, the Chargers took control of the game back quickly. Dos Pueblos answered with a long drive of its own, an 11-play drive taking off six minutes from the clock, capped off by a Johnson 2-yard touchdown run.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Chargers got a great punt return from sophomore Caeden Lee that set them up on the Santa Paula 23-yard line. Four plays later, Dos Pueblos found the end zone, taking a 14-7 lead.
Following another stop, Dos Pueblos put together another touchdown drive to take a 21-7 lead with 3:01 left in the first half. A defensive mistake would cost them, however, as with under 30 seconds left in the half, Vega connected with senior wideout Isaiah Ramos on a 54-yard bomb to get the Cardinals to the 5-yard line.
They punched it in on the next play with Vega finding his running back, Derec Andrade, to cut the lead to 21-14 heading into the break.
The Chargers came out with a chip on their shoulder in the second half, as they drove the ball 75 yards on six plays and in a little over two minutes to take a 28-14 lead.
After forcing a three-and-out, the offense again drove the ball down quickly, as Diego Mendoza capped off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown to take a 35-14 advantage.
On the very next Cardinals offensive play, Vega was intercepted by senior defensive back Noah Beers.
Dos Pueblos took advantage of the mistake, with quarterback Seth Orozco connecting with Soren Smedley for a 32-yard gain in a drive that was capped off by a Joan Esparza touchdown, giving the Chargers a 42-14 lead after three quarters of play.
“Coach just talked to us in the locker room. We all came into this game thinking we were gonna win, but we needed to lock in more and do the little things right. It was all about doing the little things,” Johnson said.
With the win in hand, Dos Pueblos saw contributions from some of the younger guys, as sophomore quarterback Calvin Mitchell connected on a few passes and scored his first touchdown, while junior running back Anthony Elkington amassed 41 yards on the Chargers’ final drive, capping it off with a touchdown to give his team the 56-21 victory.
The Chargers now turn their attention to Fillmore, who is unbeaten in the league after beating Royal High handily Friday night. Royal defeated Dos Pueblos 21-17 last week.
Pateras said to win, “We are going to need a four-quarter effort.
“We have to tackle, block great, take care of the ball, get off on third down, and win the situational football. I mean, it’s gonna be a heck of a football game,” he said, adding that starting quarterback Grady Felix has been progressing from his injury and could be back before the end of the season, though not guaranteed for next Friday.
Dos Pueblos hosts Fillmore next Friday with kickoff set for 7 p.m.