San Marcos football dropped a back-and-forth affair with Royal High by a score of 21-14 on Friday night in Simi Valley.
The Royals (4-5, 2-2 Tri-County League) will now head out to Goleta next week to take on crosstown rival Dos Pueblos (5-4, 2-2 TCL) with third place in the league and an automatic playoff spot on the line.
San Marcos began the scoring on Friday in the opening quarter when Isaac Murillo burst free for a kickoff return touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.
Royal responded later in the first with a 65-yard rushing touchdown, but the Royals blocked the extra point to keep the lead at 7-6.
That score held for the rest of the first half, as both defenses stood tall and pitched shutouts in the second quarter.
The defenses continued to flex their muscles in the third quarter, but the Highlander defense found the endzone on a pick-six to regain the lead. They converted the two-point conversion as well to take a 14-7 lead into the fourth.
The San Marcos offense finally broke through early in the fourth when Hayden Feleay connected with Isaac Murillo for a touchdown. Austin Downing’s extra point tied the game at 14-14.
Royal answered back with a long drive that ended on a short rushing touchdown to go ahead 21-14, and that proved to be the final score as the Highlander defense held on for the win.
