Senior running back Henry Herrera scored on a 16-yard touchdown run with 1:16 seconds left in the fourth quarter and ran for a two-point conversion to rally the San Marcos football team to a 20-14 homecoming win over Channel Islands on Friday night at Warkentin Stadium.
Channel Islands got down to the San Marcos 8 on a 36-yard pass from quarterback Izaya Arargon. But the Raiders ran out of time as the clock expired before they could snap the ball.
A swarm of red-dressed San Marcos students ran on the field to celebrate the victory with the football team, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
San Marcos coach Jason Fowle praised the play of Herrera.
“He played his behind off for us tonight, scored two rushing touchdowns and racked up a good chunk of yardage on the ground,” said Fowle.
Herrera rushed for 159 yards on 24 carries and caught four passes for 33 yards.
In the first quarter, the Royals held Channel Islands scoreless with stingy defense and had a chance to take the lead but missed a short field goal.
San Marcos closed out the second quarter with a long drive and scored a touchdown on 1-yard run by Herrera with 1:10 left in the first half. The Royals missed the extra point kick.
Channel Islands senior running back David Garcia stunned the Royals by opening the third quarter with an 82-yard touchdown run. The Raiders kicked the PAT to take a 7-6 lead.
With 11:38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, San Marcos capped off a long drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from senior quarterback Ben Partee to senior wide receiver Josh Brown.
San Marcos failed a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 12-7.
Channel Islands responded with a drive of its own as sophomore tight end Cody Hoffman reeled in a 23-yard touchdown catch from Aragon. The Raiders converted the extra point kick to take a 14-12 lead.
San Marcos has a bye next week and then opens Channel League play on Oct. 4 with the Big Game against Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
