On paper, it looks like the St. Joseph Knights gave the Atascadero Greyhounds a real run for their money in Friday night's football game at St. Joe's Al Maguire Field.

On paper.

On the field it was a different story.

The stat sheet favored the Knights but it was the Greyhounds that came away with the 38-13 victory.

The Knights ended up with 236 yards of total offense to the Hounds' 228.

St. Joe's had more first downs and completed more passes.

Unfortunately St. Joseph quarterbacks also threw five interceptions and the special teams showed poor execution on several plays and that doomed coach Barney Eames' squad to their third straight non-league loss.

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Knights' quarterback Matt Crist was pressured, harassed, abused and battered by a blitzing Greyhound defense all night. The more experienced Hounds forced Crist from the pocket again and again, making him attempt too many passes on the run.

The score was 3-0 Atascadero, on the strength of a Brennan Myracle 39-yard field goal after the first quarter.

St. Joseph was holding the bigger, more seasoned team in check.

In the second quarter the Greyhounds produced a methodical 7-play, 52-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard run by quarterback Harrison Higbee. Myracle's PAT made it 10-0 Atascadero.

Then the Greyhound's defense stepped it up a notch. With pressure on Crist, he threw a pass that Atascadero defensive back Todd Ford picked off (the first of two interceptions for Ford) at the St. Joe's 35-yard line. He returned it 9-yards to the 26, setting up a short 5-play drive, ending with Brandon McMillan's 19-yard TD run. Another Myracle PAT made it 17-0 Atascadero at the half.

"It was a little bit frustrating in the beginning," Crist said after the game. "They brought a lot of linebackers and it made executing the plays difficult."

"We're a young team. We play five sophomores, lots of juniors," said coach Barney Eames. ""We're young and we played a veteran football team."

Atascadero scored three more times against a tiring Knights squad in the third quarter; running back Ryan Bugg scored on a 39-yard run, kick returner Bronson Barnett broke several tackles on the way to a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown, Crist was intercepted at the St. Joe's 19-yard line and Atascadero's Weston Kelly ran those 19-yards for Atascadero's final score on the next play.

The Knights did get on the scoreboard twice in the fourth quarter.

A bad snap sailed over Atascadero kicker Myracle's head into the end zone where the Knights' Josh Mitchell pounced on it for St. Joseph's first score. Michael Priestman kicked the point after.

The Knights then went on a 10-play, 78-yard drive, capping it with Tim Savey's 17-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.

"Tim Savey, Josh Mitchell, Nick San Juan, all the guys ... they played their hearts out tonight," said Crist. "They made big plays out of nothing."

It doesn't get any easier for St. Joseph next week. After a brutal three-game stretch against San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande and Atascadero, the Knights play their final non-league game at Paso Robles next Friday night.

"It's not what happened to us tonight but how we respond to it," said Eames. "We're going to re-group, come back Monday and get better."

Righetti 42, Morro Bay 6

MORRO BAY -- It was the Ryan Mole show at Morro Bay High Friday night.

The junior running back scored all six Warriors touchdowns as Righetti (3-0) ran past Morro Bay (2-2) in a non-league game.

Mole scored on runs of 14, 7, 9, 19, 4 and 23 yards. Righetti led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-0 at halftime.

Mole wound up with 109 yards on 10 carries. Thomas Clark had 76 on 12 rushes as the Warriors ground out 293 yards on 47 rushes. Joe Garcia was stellar as usual for the Pirates. He racked up 104 yards on 22 carries.

Garcia scored Morro Bay's first touchdown on a 14-yard run in the third quarter.

Besides his team's rushing, Righetti quarterback Josh Thomas was an efficient 8-for-14 passing for 107 yards. He did not throw an interception. Morro Bay quarterback Danny Woodman had a good night as well, going 7-for-14 for 106 yards and no interceptions.

Righetti plays a non-league against Dos Pueblos at San Marcos High at 7:30 p.m., next Friday. Morro Bay has a bye next week.

PR 38, Santa Barbara 13

PASO ROBLES -- The Dons' Martin Montes opened the scoring with a 35-yard field goal. Then the Bearcats (2-1) grabbed the momentum and held it.

Santa Barbara dropped to 0-3.

Paso Robles went ahead, on Adrian Pennywell's 34-yard pass to Michael Krouse in the first quarter, and stayed there. After the touchdown pass, the Bearcats sandwiched a safety by Adam Shipley and Jason Leffler around a 1-yard Mitchell Monteiro touchdown run and Casey Larson's 30-yard pass to Seth Kolach for another score.

The count was 24-3 at halftime. Paso Robles wound up with 150 yards rushing and 216 more passing. The Dons had minus six yards rushing.

The Bearcats host St. Joseph at 7:30 p.m., next Friday night.

Arroyo Grande 20, Lompoc 7

LOMPOC -- Chad Simonson ran 39 yards with an interception for the Eagles' first score and Arroyo Grande (3-0) went on for a non-league win at Huyck Field. Lompoc is 1-2.

The Eagles led 10-0 at halftime. Marcus Conaway scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, and Billy Vinnedge fattened Arroyo Grande's lead to 17-0 with the extra point. Lompoc finally scored on a 32-yard fumble return with 9:23 left to play.

Vinnedge booted a 46-yard field goal with 4:16 remaining for the last points of the game.

Dos Pueblos 35, Cabrillo 8

SANTA BARBARA -- The Conquistadores (1-3) did not score until there was 8:03 left in the game. Matt Hansen threw a 45-yard touchdown pass then.

Dos Pueblos improved to 1-2.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Chargers scored on a 1-yard run and a 35-yard pass by quarterback Shane Lopes. The halftime score was 14-0.

Two third-quarter scores put the Chargers well on their way to their first win of 2002. Cabrillo plays at 7 p.m., next Friday at Santa Maria in its Los Padres League opener.

Carpinteria 41, Santa Ynez 0

SANTA YNEZ -- The Warriors (3-0) dropped the Pirates to 0-3.

Carpinteria broke open a game that was 7-0 after the first quarter with 13 second-quarter points. The rout was on after a 62-yard interception return made it 26-0 with 4:47 left in the third quarter.

Santa Ynez goes after its first win next Friday night.

September 28, 2002