Friday night proved that the San Marcos football team has definitely bought in to what coach Anthony Linebaugh is teaching.
Down 30-3, the Royals never gave up and pulled out an improbable 31-30 victory at Rio Mesa. It gives them their first 2-0 start in years.
“It wasn’t like how we drew up but well take it,” said coach Anthony Linebaugh. “We had a great response in the second half. I told them at halftime, ‘You write your own story.’’’
He also told them there was no margin for error in the second half.
Senior quarterback Wesley Ghan-Gibon took that to heart. He directed a 60-yard, 11-play winning drive and connected with Lucas Lamoutte on a 12-yard pass for the winning score with 45 seconds left in the game.
“They were just hungrier in the second half,” Rio Mesa coach Bob Gregorchuk said of the Royals. “They just came out and dominated. They didn’t fold.”
Ghan-Gibson overcame three first-half interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, to lead the Royals to the stunning victory. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 247 yards.
Linebaugh said Ghan-Gibson’s first half was very similar to last year’s game against Rio Mesa, when mistakes led to a 20-0 deficit.
Leading Friday’s comeback showed how much the quarterback has matured.
“He’s got perspective and understanding of his role,” Linebaugh said. “He’s the field general, makes decisions and manages the game. He could have said, ‘Here we go again.’ He’s grown in his role. I’m really excited for him.”
Rio Mesa QB Cameron Wrout sparked the Spartans to their big lead in the first half. He connected with Brad Borodaty on a 21-yard scoring pass for team’s first points and found Jaysean Lee for a 75-yard scoring pass on the first play of the second quarter.
San Marcos’ defense stiffened in the second half, shutting down Wrout, and the Rio Mesa running game.
The Royals’ offense then took over the game. Estaban Alfaro scored two second-half touchdowns, one of them a 41-yard toss from Ghan-Gibson that cut Rio Mesa’s lead to 30-24 with 9:43 left.
Rio Mesa appeared to have made a key stop on defense on San Marcos’ next possession when Ghan-Gibson was stopped for a 2-yard loss on third down. But the Royals’ defense came up big and forced the Spartans to punt with 3:51 left.
“Our defense played really well, they repsoned with a shutout (in the second half),” said Linebaugh. “On the offensive line, our run blocking, pass blocking, they were at their best when they were needed. There was little margin for error and they were truly responding.”
Alfaro carried four times on the winning drive and caught two passes, the last one a 10-yard completion that moved the ball to the Rio Mesa 25. Two plays later Lamoutte scored the winning TD, and Linebaugh and his players scored their biggest win as Royals.
“I’m really excited for them,” Linebaugh said of his players. “This is a night they’ll remember for their whole lives.”
Story includes information from the Ventura County Star
