Templeton and Atascadero lose first round of playoffs Friday night
Eagles and Stars shake hands after the game.
North County high school football update
– The CIF Central Section High School Football Playoffs continued Friday night. In the first round, two teams advance and two others are eliminated in the sudden death play-off format. Paso Robles advanced with a win Thursday night at Tulare. Templeton and Atascadero lost Friday night, but Mission College Prep won.
The Templeton Eagles jumped to a 7-0 lead against North Bakersfield Friday night at Mike Erb Field on the Templeton campus, but the Stars came out in the second quarter and dominated the younger Eagles. The Stars scored a safety and two touchdowns to take a 15-7 lead, but sophomore Anthony Chavez completed a long pass to sophomore Daxton Calagna to set up a touchdown. A two-point conversion tied the game at 15.
After the first quarter, the Stars switched from a shotgun formation to a “Power I” and running backs Mar Kai Shaw and Jonathon Williams rushed for a combined 300 yards, most of it straight up the middle.
Isiah Pascual led the Eagles with 137 rushing yards. Unfortunately, the Stars running game dominated the second half. They scored three touchdowns in the second half and prevailed 40-22. The Eagles finish the season with a record of 5-6.
Eagles Coach Don Crow started 14 sophomores in the play-off game Friday night, Although the team is losing some fine seniors, the future looks bright for Templeton. Several sophomores played well against North Bakersfield. The Stars advance in the play-offs to play Righetti next Friday night.
Coach Crow hugs a player at season’s end.
The Righetti Warriors beat the Atascadero Greyhounds Friday night in Santa Maria 28-6. The Warriors led 7-0 at the half, but after playing tough defense for three quarters, the Greyhounds gave up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Greyhounds finish the season at 3-8.
In Division 2 play-offs, the Mission Prep Royals beat Lemoore 21-12 Friday night to remain undefeated . The Royals (10-0) advance to play Bakersfield (4-5) next Friday night. Under the new “equity” protocol for seeding play-off teams based on computer rankings rather than school size, the Royals were elevated to the Division 2 play-off bracket. The Royals are playing teams drawn from enrollment 5-10 times greater than their own. For instance, Bakersfield High School has 2,902 students. Mission Prep has 300. Again this season, the Royals include several key players from the North County, including junior running back George Kardashian.
Thursday night, the Paso Robles Bearcats beat Tulare Union 24-21. The Bearcats (7-3) play Dinuba (7-4) next Friday night in the second round of the Division 3 play-offs.
