Bearcats maul the Tigers for PAC-5 win
Paso Robles 38, San Luis Obispo 6
–The Paso Robles Bearcats traveled to San Luis Obispo Friday night to take on the Tigers in a PAC-5 match-up and came away with a convincing 38-6 victory.
The Varsity Bearcats, playing without starting quarterback Justin Davis and running back Christian Erickson, brought up Junior Varsity quarterback Wyatt Gidcomb, a sophomore, to fill in for Davis. Gidcomb led the offense effectively all night, while running back Elijah Palomino, a junior, delivered a stellar performance for the Bearcats, scoring four touchdowns.
The Bearcats got the scoring started early after running back Robert Mares ran 67 yards to put Paso Robles at the Tigers’ 18-yard line. Palomino capped the drive with a 2-yard run for his first touchdown of the night. The PAT by Bearcat kicker Jonathan Jaimes was good, and the Bearcats led 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
SLO answered back with a sustained drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked and the Tigers (0-2, 2-6) would not score again for the remainder of the game.
On the ensuing kick-off, Paso Robles’ Tristin Durfee returned the ball 82 yards to the Tigers’ 18-yard line. Palomino took the hand-off from Gidcomb and nearly scored, but was tackled at the 1-yard line. Gidcomb ran a quarterback sneak and scored his first touchdown as the second quarter began to give the Bearcats a 14-6 lead over SLO.
The Bearcat offensive line proved to be a dominant force throughout the game. Palomino ran through and around the Tigers defense as he added touchdown runs of 5 yards, 25 yards, and his final touchdown run of 60 yards to give the Bearcats a commanding 35-6 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Palomino finished the night with 33 carries for 268 yards and four touchdowns for Paso Robles. Jaimes was 5 for 5 on extra points, and added a 25-yard field goal with 7:03 remaining in the game to end the scoring at 38-6 for the Bearcat win.
The Paso Robles Bearcats (1-1 PAC-5, 4-4 overall) have a bye next week, and are set to host the Righetti Warriors (1-1 PAC-5, 2-5 overall) on Friday, Oct. 30 at War Memorial Stadium. JV plays at 4 p.m., with Varsity kick-off at 7 p.m.