Royals upbeat despite loss to Seraphs

VENTURA — It was all but a forgone conclusion at the beginning of this season that San Marcos (3-7, 1-4)  would lose to St. Bonaventure (9-1, 5-1) just as it was for other Channel League teams.

But it was certainly no certainty that the Royals would bounce back from a winless 2007 campaign to grab three victories, including a crosstown matchup against Dos Pueblos.

The Royals lost to the Seraphs 50-0 Friday at Larrabee Stadium, but the memory of the game won’t stick for long.

“I think there’s a debate to be had on whether we should be playing that team, but I’m very proud of what the kids did this season,” said coach Dare Holdren as he made his final walk of the season to a locker room for a post-game talk with his team.

“I thought they gave us their best all year long, and that’s all you can ask for.”

There’s also some buzz about next season already bubbling up for the Royals, as coach Bobby Brown’s JV squad recently clinched a city championship.

“I’m really excited to play with those guys. I wish things had gone a little bit better this year, but I’m excited for my senior season,” said junior cornerback Derrick Dallmeyer.

Kicker Christian Leon played his final game on Friday, and was upbeat looking back on the year, pointing out that the season opening win over Rio Mesa and the victory over DP made the year “way better than last year.”

The question is whether the seniors will be saying the same thing after next season.

“We’ll have the talent, but we’ll just have to see if we can put it all together,” said Holdren.

St. Bonaventure 50, San Marcos 0

San Marcos………..0 0 0 0— 0

St. Bonaventure… 13 30 7 0—50

First quarter

SB — Burton 29 pass from L. Meyer (Kirk kick), 6:32.

SB — T. Souza 47 run (pass failed), 2:07.

Second quarter

SB — Safety, San Marcos falls on blocked punt in end zone, 11:53.

SB — Blackledge 30 run (Kirk kick), 11:04.

SB — Dock 47 pass interception (Kirk kick), 8:16

SB — Ledesma 30 pass from Meyer (Kirk kick), 4:06.

SB — Souza 8 run (Kirk kick), 0:00.

Third quarter

SB — Souza 14 run (Wakam kick), 0:52.

Team Stats          SM       SB

First downs            6        15

Rushes-yards     23-39  312

Passing yards      43        76

Comp-Att-Int  8-16-2 4-9-0

Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-1

Penalties-yards 0-0 6-60

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — San Marcos: Miller 9-23, Clark 12-17, Keefer 2-4, Crook 1-(—5). St. Bonaventure: Blackledge 8-103, Tieler Souza 8-82, Gibson 7, Scissom 3, Langkilde 3-28, Henderson 6-25, Burton 1-6, Cruz 2-(—1).

PASSING — San Marcos: Crook 8-16-2-43. St. Bonaventure: L. Meyer 4-8-0-76, T. Souza 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — San Marcos: Cavalier 2-24, Arredondo 2-11, Patolo 1-11, Hernandez 1-4, Blum 1-2, Clark 1-(—5). St. Bonaventure: Ledesma 0, Burton 1-29, Rodarte 1-10, Langkilde 1-7.

MISSED FIELD GOALS — None.

Team records — San Marcos 3-7, 1-4; St. Bonaventure 8-1, 5-0.