LOMPOC - It's getting to be a habit with these guys.

Lompoc High's football team won its 21st game in a row, this one 42-14 over Cabrillo in the annual Lompoc Valley "Big Game" Friday night in front of a packed house at Huyck Stadium, with a familiar formula.

"Blocking and tackling," said LHS coach Robin Luken said as his Braves wrapped up a third straight Los Padres League championship. "They had the focus. They did the fundamental things."

Along the way, Joseph Scott led a crunching ground game with 106 yards and two touchdowns and Boo Jackson threw for 140 yards and a score.

Lompoc improved to 10-0 on the season and 6-0 in the LPL as Cabrillo fell to 7-3, 4-2.

The Braves established their superiority early - taking their opening drive 85 yards on just four plays for the games first score.

Running back Joseph Scott opened the drive with a so-so one-yard run. On second down, running back Tommy Hayes picked up four more and it looked like Cabrillo's defense might be up to the task of stopping Lompoc's powerful running game. But on third-and-five from their own 20-yard line, Scott blasted up the middle for 64 yards - he would have gone all the way but fleet Cabrillo quarterback/defensive back Lydell Sargeant caught Scott at the Cabrillo 16-yard line and saved a touchdown. That didn't stop Lompoc. On the next play, Jakob Sims ran through the middle of Cabrillo's defense for 16-yards and the game's first score.

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That 7-0 first quarter lead quickly increased to 22-0 in the second quarter.

As the second quarter got underway, Lompoc began a 91-yard 13-play drive - the highlight, a 39-yard Jackson to Jonathan Terrones pass - for the game's second score.

The Conquistadores fueled the Brave fire with four second stanza turnovers. Jackson had two interceptions, John Cambron one and Clayton Greco had a fumble recovery.

Cabrillo quarterback Sean McGinty had three of his next four passes picked off.

While the Braves were shut down after the first interception, they scored quickly after the second - with Jackson hitting Terrones with a 39-yard touchdown pass to run the score to 22-0 with 1:50 remaining in the half.

The Conquistadores tried to get back into the game before halftime but McGinty was picked off for the third time in the quarter, ending Cabrillo's hopes of cutting into their crosstown rival's lead.

"I'm impressed," said Cabrillo coach Don Cross. "They've got a precision football team. If we want to beat a team like that, we've got to be able to play like that."

With a fumble recovery by Britton Butterfield and an offensive punctuated by a 16-yard TD run by Lydell Sargeant early in the third quarter, Cabrillo threatened to get back in the game, getting back to within 22-7

But Lompoc came right back. Sims caught a Jackson pass for 26 yards and rumbled for 12 more yards on another carry, setting up a 14-yard TD run by Scott and it was 28-7 Lompoc as the third quarter cane to an end.

Then, early in the fourth quarter, Lompoc defensive back Sam Ruiz scooted 36 yards for six points with yet another fumble recovery. It was 35-7 and the Brave Fat Lady broke into her full medley.

Late-on, Sargeant, who wound up with 173 yards in 29 carries, scored again for CHS and Zach Greco ran one in for Lompoc as the crowd of approximately 9,000 began to file out.

"We accomplished what we set out to do," said Luken. "Win league and get a home game for the first round of the playoffs. It should be fun."

Both three-time Division X champ Lompoc and LPL third-place Cabrillo await announcement of the pairings for next Friday's first round of the CIF Division X tourney. They'll find out Sunday afternoon who their first playoffs foes will be and where those games will be played. Lompoc will probably open the playoffs with a home game while Cabrillo is facing a playoff opener on the road.

"With their win tonight, Morro Bay will probably get into the playoffs," said Luken. "There's a chance that all four LPL teams (Lompoc, St. Joseph, Cabrillo and Morro Bay) will go a long way in the playoffs. I'd really love to see an LPL matchup in the Division X finals."

Alan Hunt is the sports editor of the Lompoc Record. He can be reached at 736-2313, ext. 107, or by e-mail alhunt@pulitzer.net. Times Sports Editor Elliott Stern contributed to this story.

Nov. 13, 2004