ARROYO GRANDE - If a movie were to be filmed about the nature of Central Coast football, Friday night's game between Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande at Hitchen Stadium would be the true story the film was based on.

The game featured five lead changes, numerous fourth-down conversion attempts, tough defensive plays and game-breaking offensive plays.

"This was just a great high school football game," said Arroyo Grande coach Jon Huss. "Central Coast area-style football."

After all was said and done, Arroyo Grande won the game 17-14 in both teams' PAC-5 opener.

With the Eagles down 14-10 with a little more than 5 minutes left in the game, Arroyo Grande's Gil Buenrostro intercepted a Casey Larson pass and returned it 32 yards to the Bearcats' 42-yard line.

Five plays later, Eagle quarterback Kyle Pollock hit Andy Northness on a 25-yard pass play for the game-winning touchdown.

Sal Gutierrez's extra point gave the Eagles a 17-14 lead.

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Huss said the Eagles just recently introduced the play.

"We worked just one day on an old-time scramble drill that we used to run on the farm," he said. "We worked it twice tonight and it was great. The kids go to certain spots on the field and he finds them."

On the play, Pollock scrambled outside the pocket and heaved a pass to Northness in the end zone.

"As the first receiver outside," Northness said, "It's my job to take off to the corner."

"I was ecstatic," Pollock said of the catch. "I didn't know if Andy was going to catch it, I just threw it up. I saw him catch it and fall down in the end zone."

The Eagles started off the scoring on their first drive in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Gutierrez with 5:15 left in the quarter.

Paso Robles answered in the second quarter on an 8-yard bootleg by Larson on a fourth-and-one. Vince Freitas' point-after put the Bearcats ahead 7-3.

In the waning seconds of the half, Arroyo Grande scored on a 3-yard run by Andrew Hirsch with 18.1 seconds left. A Gutierrez extra point gave the Eagles a 10-7 lead.

On its first possession in the second half, Paso Robles scored on a 35-yard pass play from Larson to Nasser Barahona on fourth and 20 to take a 14-10 lead.

Both teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter before the Eagles scored on the 25-yard touchdown from Pollock to Northness.

Northness finished the night with five catches for 92 yards.

"I'm tall and we worked a lot this year to try to make it work and it has been," Northness said of the Eagles' passing game. "You practice hard and good things happen."

Pollock finished the night 8-for-14 for 111 yards. He said the Eagles have a dynamic two-pronged attack this season.

"I think coach Huss wanted to give them a smash-mouth football game," he said. "That's what we wanted to do, but if we needed to, we could go through the air. We can go either way."

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles were backed up to their own 16-yard line and faced a third-and-15 situation after being flagged for delay of game.

Pollock called a pass play, and found himself flushed from the pocket by two Bearcat defenders and forced to retreat to his own end zone. Rather than go down, Pollock fought off the two Paso defenders and threw the ball away.

"He's just a great competitor," Huss said of the 6-4, 236-pound sophomore. "He has such great physical strength he can make things happen. Any normal kid would have been sacked."

On the ground, Hirsch finished with 98 yards on 16 carries.

"Hirsch has really run very well for us throughout the year," Huss said.

For the Bearcats, Freitas ran for 99 yards on 18 carries, while Justin Davis added 63 yards on nine carries.

Arroyo Grande improves to 1-0 in PAC-5 play and 5-1 overall. Paso Robles drops to 0-1 in the PAC-5 and 4-2 overall.

Righetti 41, Atascadero 24

ATASCADERO - Things got interesting toward the end, but the Warriors (1-0, 6-0-1) packed away a victory in their PAC-5 League opener.

The Greyhounds are 0-1, 3-3.

Righetti was ahead 34-3 early in the fourth quarter. But the Greyhounds scored, scored off a turnover and then scored again to make it 34-24 with 7:45 left.

But the two-point conversion pass was long, and then Mark Malangko effectively salted the win away for Righetti when he scored on a 59-yard run with just under five minutes left.

Malangko added a 78-yard touchdown run earlier in the game for a game-high 207 yards.

After a scoreless first quarter the Warriors led 27-3 at halftime. Steven Smith caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Dally in the third quarter to hike Righetti's lead to 33-6, and then Tim Trefts tacked on the extra point.

The Warriors rolled up 364 yards rushing. Luke Deras ran for 72 yards, and Dally had 42 more. Dally threw for 156 yards, and the Warriors shook off 320 yards in total offense for Atascadero.

Righetti plays an important PAC-5 League game against Arroyo Grande at home next Friday night at 7 p.m.

Cabrillo 56, Nipomo 25

LOMPOC - Lydell Sargeant ran for 186 yards on just six carries as the Conquistadores (2-1, 3-3) buried the Titans (0-3, 1-5).

Sargeant scored on runs of 49, 37, 55 and 35 yards.

Cabrillo racked up an even 300 yards rushing and led 28-6 at halftime.

Nipomo amassed 275 yards itself on the ground. Bill Jones had 103 on 13 carries. Justin Robertson had 67 on 14 and scored twice on 1-yard runs.

SLO 17, Santa Ynez 7

SANTA YNEZ - The Pirates could not score until the fourth quarter, and the Tigers (4-1) won their fourth straight.

Santa Ynez dropped to 1-5 with the non-league defeat.

Phil Garza rushed for 117 yards for the Tigers. San Luis Obispo held the Pirates to 44 yards rushing.

Dane Hodgson threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, and that was all the Tigers needed. Santa Ynez averted being shut out for the second straight time when Tanner Belen caught a 15-yard pass from Brett Miller.

October 18, 2003