To describe Carpinteria High’s 28-7 win over Bishop Diego Saturday night at La Playa Stadium was also to describe how it felt for the Warriors to defeat their longtime rivals and record their first win of the season.
It was oso good.
Carpinteria loaded up its running game with an extra offensive lineman, tight end and blocking back — a formation the Warriors call “oso” (Spanish for bear). The result was an impressive rushing attack that produced 357 yards and four touchdowns, led by quarterback Paul Aguilar, who ran for 213 yards and two scores.
It was not the first time the Warriors, 1-8 overall and 1-2 in the Tri-Valley League, had run the formation this year, but the first time it had used it so extensively, said Coach Ben Hallock.
“It’s really been our emergency offense,” he explained.
Of course, when you are 0-8 and playing your cross-town rival, it’s about as close to an emergency as a team will ever get, and the Warriors just keep running it and running it and running it.
“You get a team that can’t stop it so you just keep running it,” said Robert Thornton, who added 87 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors.
Carpinteria hasn’t faced many teams this year it could push around up front but Bishop, 1-8 and 1-2, is decidedly smaller up front, with only one player, 210-pound senior Joe Salda, listed as heavier than 200 pounds.
“We did feel we had a plus situation there,” said Hallock. “That hasn’t happened much this year.”
Despite the physical mismatch up front, Bishop stayed in the game with some hard running by Brandon Gonzalez (85 yards) and four fumble recoveries. When quarterback Kyle Holland, who passed for 159 yards, connected with Alex Robitaille on a 41-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, the Cardinals got a PAT kick from Michael Morando and cut a halftime deficit of 14-0 in half.
But Carpinteria responded with a 70-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard TD run by Aguilar early in the fourth quarter and added a 1-yard run by Aguilar in the game’s final minute to put the game away.
“Our guys gave a good effort but I do think they wore down a little at the end,” said Bishop coach Tom Crawford. “We had to commit a lot to hold down the middle and their quarterback did a good job of taking it to the outside. He’s a very good athlete.”
Aguilar’s nickname is “Munchie,” but he has mostly just been munched as the 150-pound workhorse for a young Warrior offense that has been the anvil more often than it has been the hammer this year. So Aguilar knew exactly what to say after winning the Player of the Game trophy in the long-running rivalry: he credited his offensive linemen.
“Brian Schneider and Jacob Franco both came in (at the extra tackle spot) and Isaiah Chavez was the extra back and they just blocked great all night,” said Aguilar, who ripped off three runs of 30 yards or more among his 21 carries. “They opened some great holes tonight.”
Bishop was not without its moments, however. The Cardinals were particularly sharp on their first drive as Gonzalez peeled off several short runs and grabbed a pass from Holland to move to the Warrior 37. But a tipped pass was intercepted by Carpinteria’s John Jimenez and returned 57 yards to the 12 to set up Thornton’s score. The Cardinals reached the Warrior 20 early in the second quarter before losing the ball on a fumble recovered by Chavez. Carpinteria took advantage with an 81-yard drive that turned on a weaving run of 37 yards by Aguilar on a third-and 12 from the 43. Alex Rodriguez added a 7-yard touchdown run two plays later behind crushing blocks by Cameron Gonzales and John Bustillos.
Bishop also had the ball at the Warrior 12 after a fumble recovery by Paul Garcia but turned it over on the very next play on a fumble.
“We had some chances that we did not take advantage of,” noted Crawford.
CARPINTERIA 28, BISHOP DIEGO 7
Carpinteria…7 7 0 14 — 28
Bishop Diego…0 0 7 0 — 7First quarter
C-Thornton 1 run (Maya kick) 7:16.
Second quarter
C-Rodriguez 7 run (Maya kick) :25.
Third quarter
BD-Robitaille 41 pass from Holland (Morando kick) 2:52.
Fourth quarter
C-Aguilar 16 run (Maya kick) 9:36.
C-Aguilar 1 run (Maya kick) :48.TEAM TOTALS C BD
First Downs…15, 17
Rushes-yards…49-357, 33-168
Passing yards…9, 159
Total yards…366, 327
Passes…1-3-0, 11-23-2
Fumbles-lost…5-4, 2-2
Punts-Avg…1-44, 2-42
Penalties…5-47, 3-30INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: C: Aguilar 21-213, Thornton 17-87, Rodriguez 4-32, Razo 5-14, Saenz 2-11. BD: Gonzalez 21-85, P.Garcia 5-25, B.Garcia 3-16, Holland 2-3, Bongiovi 2-22.
Passing: C: Aguilar 1-3-0-9. BD: Holland 11-22-2-159; Gonzalez 0-1-0-0.
Receiving: C: Stein 1-9. BD: P.Garcia 5-66, Gonzalez 4-36, B.Garcia 1-16, Robitaille 1-41.
Missed FG: C: 24 (S), BD: 53 (Blk).
WAY TO GO CARPINTERIA MANY PEOPLE DONT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOL BISHOP REALLY IS AND THE PERSON FR TOM IS A YOUNG BOY ON THE VARSITY TEAM HAD TO LEAVE BISHOP DUE TO THE ECONOMY FR TOM AND THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WROTE BAD LETTERS TO THE C.I.F TRYING TO PREVENT THE BOY FROM PLAYING SHAME ON YOU YOUR A CATHOLIC SCHOOL GOOD JOB BOYS GO WARRIORS!
WAY TO GO CARPINTERIA MANY PEOPLE DONT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOL BISHOP REALLY IS AND THE PERSON FR TOM IS A YOUNG BOY ON THE VARSITY TEAM HAD TO LEAVE BISHOP DUE TO THE ECONOMY FR TOM AND THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WROTE BAD LETTERS TO THE C.I.F TRYING TO PREVENT THE BOY FROM PLAYING SHAME ON YOU YOUR A CATHOLIC SCHOOL GOOD JOB BOYS GO WARRIORS!