San Marcos High did something Friday that no other team has done in this young football season: score on Lompoc’s defense. But the Royals proceeded to fall victim to the Braves’ swarming defense and creative offense, as many other teams have in the past.
Lompoc rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns while holding San Marcos to just 108 yards and a mere five first downs during the Braves’ 24-7 non-league victory Friday at Valley Stadium.
Senior tailback Favian Vargas compiled a game-high 104 yards on 17 rushes while senior Bobby Collins added 102 yards and two second-half scoring runs of 6 and 11 yards to seal the victory for Lompoc (3-0).
Running back Jordan Kuykendall accounted for exactly half of the offensive production for San Marcos (1-1), finishing with 54 yards on 18 carries.
“Lompoc is just a good football team, and they’re well coached,” said San Marcos coach Dare Holdren. “(Collins) is a legit (NCAA Division 1) prospect and (Vargas) carries a serious load for them. The effort and energy were there, but we’re a young team that’s inexperienced and we made some mistakes.”
The night started well for the Royals, who capitalized on a woeful 10-yard Lompoc punt and claimed possession at the Braves’ 26 yard-line with five minutes left in the opening quarter. San Marcos moved the ball efficiently on the ground with steady doses of Kuykendall and two first-down carries by quarterback James Crook and fullback Manny Hernandez.
A quarterback sneak by Crook and an extra point by Christian Leon gave San Marcos a 7-0 lead with 50 seconds left in the quarter. Those were the first points scored this season on Lompoc, which started its season by routing Nipomo (32-0) and Santa Ynez (34-0).
“We got behind early, and we wanted to see what our guys would come back and do,” said Lompoc coach Robin Luken. “We showed that we had a little bit of vinegar and a lot of fight in us. We hadn’t been scored on yet, and (the coaching staff) wanted to see how our kids would respond once it happened. We came back; that’s the sign of a competitive team.”
Lompoc’s ensuing drive after the San Marcos touchdown spanned 16 plays over seven minutes, but it ended at the Royals’ 3-yard line. Lompoc settled for a 20-yard field goal by kicker Drew Sapp, cutting the deficit to 7-3 with 6:34 left in the half.
But San Marcos wasn’t able to muster another first down before halftime, and it also committed a crucial mistake on special teams. Lompoc’s Gilbert Cornejo recovered a muffed punt by a San Marcos returner, giving the Braves a golden opportunity at the Royals’ 15-yard line.
Bower promptly found Scott Aguilar with a 15-yard scoring strike to give Lompoc its first lead of the game with 2:27 remaining in the half.
The Royals would fumble again on their next possession, coughing up the ball on a fourth-down play on their own 38, but Lompoc was unable to capitalize before the break.
“I know we made mistakes on special teams, but I won’t know what the mistakes really were all around until I go over the tape tomorrow,” Holdren said. “We faced a similar offense when we scrimmaged Cabrillo, and Buena is going to run the same thing, so (Lompoc’s Wing-T) offense shouldn’t have bothered us, especially if we’re reading our keys like we should be.
“Actually, I think our D held up pretty well, but, field-position-wise, we gave them a lot of opportunities. We need to get better.”
In the second half, Lompoc scored on its second possession, which began on its own 44-yard line. A personal foul penalty was tacked onto a 12-yard run by Aguilar to place the Braves at the Royals’ 29. Collins followed with successive runs of 6, 17 and 6 yards to put Lompoc in the end zone for a 17-7 lead with 6:32 left in the third.
San Marcos was forced to punt – one of eight Royals punts Friday — on its next possession, and Aguilar exploded for a 41-yard return to put Lompoc at the Royals’ 11. Collins then capped the Braves’ scoring with an 11-yard run.
Lompoc compiled 18 first downs and finished with 334 total yards. The only team in Lompoc High’s history to start a season with three straight shutouts was its 1930 squad.
(Photos taken by Roy Mata/Presidiopics)
LOMPOC 24, SAN MARCOS 7
Lompoc…….0 10 14 0 — 24
San Marcos……..7 0 0 0 — 7
First quarter
SM — Crook 1 run (Leon kick), 0:50.
Second quarter
L — Sapp FG 20, 6:34.
L — Aguilar 15 pass from Bower (Sapp kick), 2:27.
Third quarter
L — Collins 6 run (Sapp kick), 6:32.
L — Collins 11 run (Sapp kick), 2:30.
TEAM TOTALS L SM
First downs………………..18 5
Rushes-yards………43-249 26-72
Passing yards……………..85 36
Comp-Att-Int……10-19-0 5-18-0
Total yards……………….334 108
Sacks-yards lost………2-18 1-2
Punts-avg…………….3-28.3 8-39.6
Fumbles-lost……………..3-2 4-3
Penalties-yards…………8-66 6-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Lompoc: Vargas 17-104, Collins 16-102, Aguilar 7-32, Hirzel 3-11. San Marcos: Kuykendall 18-54, Clark 3-14, Hernandez 2-2, Crook 3-2.
PASSING — Lompoc: Bower 8-15-0-78, Hirzel 2-4-0-7. San Marcos: Crook 5-15-0-36, Buchanan 0-3-0-0.
RECEIVING — Lompoc: Collins 4-4, Aguilar 3-37, Brundy 1-17, Yruegas 2-27. San Marcos: Nichols 2-8, Cavalier 1-16, Hernandez 1-8, Garcia 1-3.
MISSED FIELD GOALS — None
TEAM RECORDS — Lompoc 3-0; San Marcos 1-1.
