One thing you can say about the San Marcos High football schedule: there are no cupcakes on it.
After playing two physical opponents in Cabrillo and Rio Mesa, the Royals host a talented Beverly Hills squad Thursday night at 7 at Valley Stadium.
San Marcos coach Jeff Hesselmeyer said his team played better against Rio Mesa than in its opener, “but we still have room for a lot of improvement.”
The offense will have a new quarterback as starter Joe Rivera is recovering from an injury suffered last week. Hesselmeyer said Andrew Griffin and Gabe Loza will both see action in Rivera’s place.
This is the only game on the local schedule Thursday. On Friday, Santa Barbara is the lone home team as it hosts Lompoc. Dos Pueblos travels to Cabrillo in Lompoc, Carpinteria visits Nipomo and Bishop Diego heads to San Luis Obispo to play Mission Prep. Those games will be previewed Thursday.
Beverly Hills (1-0) at San Marcos (0-2). The Normans will be looking to take down their second city opponent — they beat Santa Barbara 29-7 last week. Coach Donald Paysinger says his team is the most talented at the school in a long time. The offense is led by senior quarterback Josh Newman, who completed 7 of 14 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Dons. Frank Brown rushed for 116 yards on just eight carries and scored twice. Beverly Hills was plagued by 10 penalties, including four personal fouls. The defense is led by Greg Townsend, Jr., a highly recruited defensive end who is the son of former Oakland Raiders star Greg Townsend. “Beverly Hills is a very good team with several really outstanding players, so we have our biggest challenge of the year so far and need to raise our level of play throughout the game to give ourselves a chance to win,” said Hesselmeyer. The verdict. San Marcos is making progress, but the shortage of experienced players hurts it against a senior-dominated team like the Normans. Beverly Hills 28, San Marcos 7
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Dos Pueblos (0-2) at Cabrillo (1-1): An angry bunch of Chargers is ready to break lose and do whatever it takes to win a football game. DP fumbled away a chance at San Luis Obispo, coughing up the football at the 9-yard line in the last 11 seconds in a 27-20 loss last Friday. In Week Zero, the Chargers played stellar defense but came up short, 7-3, against Righetti. They’ll be facing a Cabrillo team that likes to pound the ball on the ground with several running backs. T.J. Babauta led the Conquistadores with 66 yards on 10 carries, while Jamel Whittaker had 60 on 11 rushes in a 26-14 loss to Righetti last week. The verdict: DP’s defense will be out to make amends after the SLO loss. The offense, behind the athletic Michael Spiritosanto, is starting to show more teeth, which should make Cabrillo’s defensive coordinator nervous. Dos Pueblos 35, Cabrillo 14.
Lompoc (1-1) at Santa Barbara (1-1): A battle between two teams on the rebound from bad seasons. Santa Barbara’s young squad was brought down to earth in a 29-7 loss at Beverly Hills. The key for the Dons is staying positive, getting back on the horse and continue to move forward. Asked how the team has responded after its first loss, coach Jaime Melgoza said, “Good. I think they understand what a good and bad week of practice can do.” They will have their hands full against a much-improved Lompoc team. The Braves (1-9 in 2009) are off to a good start under first-year coach and former player Andrew Jones, a member of the school’s 2002 CIF championship team. They gave Arroyo Grande a tough game, losing 13-7 in Week Zero, and last week routed Pioneer Valley, 51-7. Quarterback Evan Aguilar and receiver Drew Sapp teamed up for two touchdown passes and Aguilar also ran one in against PV. Jordan Collins and Lavon Coleman lead the running attack. The verdict: Santa Barbara’s defense faces another stern test. Sophomore QB Shawn Ramos and the Dons’ offense will need to protect the ball and put points on the board in order to keep pace with the Braves. Lompoc 34, Santa Barbara 20.
Bishop Diego (0-1) at Mission Prep (2-0): Tom Crawford’s Cardinals have always been a resilient bunch, and they’ll have to show that resiliency again after injuries to a pair of key players. They lost quarterback-safety Andrew Saucier to a shoulder injury and three-year starting two-way line Alex Ramirez to a broken leg in the season-opening loss to Santa Ynez. “This forces us to make sure all our guys are getting experience as we will need them all,” Crawford said. “We’re a little banged up but ready to go otherwise.” Mission Prep has blanked Coast Union (39-0) and Mammoth (27-0) in its first two games. The Royals go with a two-quarterback system: Tyler Baty is the passer and Jedd Hasay is the running threat. The verdict: Bishop needs get off to a better start than it did against Santa Ynez (falling behind 19-2) and the backups have to step up and execute against an athletic Mission Prep squad. This will be a good challenge for the Cardinals. Mission Prep 21, Bishop Diego 17.
Carpinteria (0-1) at Nipomo (0-2): The Warriors need to replicate their second-half performance against Morro Bay (a 36-20 loss) in the first half. They moved the ball convincingly behind quarterback Munchie Aguilar and scored 20 points. Fortunately for them, they won’t be facing a quarterback as talented as Morro Bay’s Sam Crizer. Nipomo is rebuilding after losing 17 senior starters, including four Division 1 linemen. Chris Souza passed for 35 yards in his debut and running back Devonte Jackson ran for 48 yards in a 45-6 loss against a strong Arroyo Grande team. The verdict: The Warriors got the message about what happens when you don’t show up at the start of a game. That lesson and their experience will make the difference. Carpinteria 28, Nipomo 13.
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