Lompoc played at another level and buried San Marcos, 72-14, in a non-league football game at Huyck Stadium on Friday night.
The 3-0 Braves, ranked second in Division 3 of the CIF-Southern Section, led 58-7 at halftime. Toa Taua, the highly recruited running back, rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns on just three carries. His longest run was 65 yards.
“All credit to them,” San Marcos coach Jason Fowle told reporters after the game. “They’re a great team. “It’s just another level. It’s just another level that hopefully we can work up to that some day.”
The Royals got a good game from running back Tommy Schaeffer. He had a 62-yard run to the Lompoc 12 and then threw a 17-yard touchdown pass out of the Wildcat formation to Andrew Aragon to get San Marcos on the board. Steven Corona kicked the PAT.
Schaeffer rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries and caught a pass for 11 yards.
“He made some nice runs, he’s a great player, he’s a leader for us. I can’t say enough positive things about Tommy,” Fowle told reporters
The Royals (1-2) scored again in the fourth quarter when sophomore quarterback Ben Partee hit Paul Ingram for a 47-yard TD.
Partee and Anthony Simentales played quarterback in place of the injured Jacob Villarreal, who is recovering from surgery on a fractured left elbow.
“I’m pleased with the way that Ben Partee our sophomore quarterback and Anthony Simentales stepped up and did the best they could do,” Fowle said. “We have a bright future at that position and we’re going to move forward and hopefully get better.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.