ATASCADERO - A fast start turned out to be the saving grace for the Arroyo Grande football team Friday night at Memorial Stadium against Atascadero.

The Eagles used a 17-0 romp in the first seven minutes of the game to escape with a 31-17 win, improving to 3-0 in PAC-5 play. The loss drops the Greyhounds to 0-3.

The Eagles took their opening drive 74 yards in seven plays to score on a 7-yard run by Michael Arias with 9:00 left in the first quarter. Sal Gutierrez's extra point gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

Just 12 seconds later, the Eagles had the ball again as Sean Kennedy fumbled the ball after an 8-yard gain, which was recovered by Gilbert Buenrostro on the Greyhounds' 41-yard line.

The Eagles needed just three plays to find the end zone, when quarterback Kyle Pollock hit Andy Northness on a 25-yard pass play to put the Eagles up 14-0 after another Gutierrez kick

On Atascadero's ensuing possession, quarterback Kyle James fumbled the ball and William Nau pounced on it to give the Eagles another scoring chance at Atascadero's 28-yard line.

Three plays later, Gutierrez nailed a 47-yard field goal, and the Eagles led 17-0 with 5:21 left to play in the first quarter.

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However, Atascadero used a potent offensive attack to crawl back into the game.

The 'Hounds scored on their next possession, string together a six-play, 80-yard drive that ended on a 25-yard pass from James to Matthew Mack with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Todd Combs' extra point made the score 17-7.

After the two teams traded possessions, Atascadero put together another strong drive, marching 68 yards in 12 plays to score again, this time on a 2-yard run by Weston Kelly. Combs' extra point put the Greyhounds back in the game, down 17-14.

"We felt we had to continue to be aggressive and throw the ball down the field," said Arroyo Grande coach Jon Huss. "Even when we scored quickly at the beginning, I knew that wasn't going to hold up because they would come back. They forced us into a shootout."

With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Arroyo Grande scored again on a 23-yard pass from Pollock to Northness to go up 24-14 after Gutierrez's kick.

Tight end Mark Lewis made a big play on third-and-7 from the Atascadero 40-yard line.

Pollock was flushed from the pocket and forced to scramble to his left. Lewis broke free from his defender and caught a 17-yard pass to get to the Atascadero 23 to set up the touchdown.

"I think (Pollock) made plays," Huss said. "Our tight end (Mark Lewis) came to me and said, 'Coach, get me in on the offense. I'm not making any contributions.' So we came back with a big play to him."

Huss added that Pollock sees the field very well.

"Kyle has vision," he said. "It's a great gift. He can see people downfield and can find the open receiver."

Atascadero answered with another touchdown in the early stages of the fourth quarter, when Combs booted a 22-yard field goal to put Atascadero behind 24-17.

But the Eagles would score the final points of the game on a 2-yard run by Cesar Mendoza, who returned to action after recovering from an injury.

"Cesar has come back," Huss said. "He played very well for us the first three games and then sprained his ankle severely, so he got a chance to play tonight and capitalized on it. He did a good job."

Arroyo Grande's defense put on another good show late in the game, when Atascadero marched to the Arroyo Grande 9-yard line to set up a first-and-goal situation.

Two incomplete passes forced the Greyhounds into third-and-goal, while a deflected pass by Tommy Pace on third down and an interception by Chad Brown on a pass from Kelly in the end zone squelched Atascadero's scoring chances.

Arroyo Grande went three-and-out on its next possession, and a 32-yard punt return by Sean Kennedy put the Greyhounds in scoring position again at the Eagles' 29-yard line.

Atascadero managed to march to Arroyo Grande's 17, but two incomplete passes and a sack by John Greig forced the Greyhounds into another fourth-and-long play, and the team couldn't convert.

November 8, 2003