SAN LUIS OBISPO - For the second consecutive year, the Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo High School football teams squared off in the final week of the season with the PAC-5 title on the line.

For the second consecutive year, Arroyo Grande came out on top.

Arroyo Grande (4-0 PAC-5, 8-2 overall) won this year's meeting, 21-12, Friday at Holt Field in San Luis Obispo to claim the 2004 PAC-5 crown.

The Eagles also handed San Luis Obispo (3-1, 8-1) - the top-ranked team in CIF's Division IV rankings - its first loss of the season

"This is the culmination of 14 weeks of work," Arroyo Grande head coach Jon Huss said after the victory. The Eagles were helped a little by good karma - they took the field sporting the uniforms of the 1997 and 1998 CIF title teams n and a lot by their trademark defense.

Linebacker Danny Rohr, who Huss will argue is the county's top player on either side of the ball, sacked San Luis Obispo quarterback Quentin Cate on the Arroyo Grande 10-yard line with 5:31 left in the game and the Eagles clinging to a 21-12 lead. Rohr then recovered Cate's fumble, allowing the Eagle offense to wear out the clock and end the game.

"I saw the ball in his right hand and so I went for it," Rohr said. Earlier in the half, the Arroyo Grande defense forced another San Luis Obispo turnover. That one allowed Arroyo Grande to take its final lead of the game.

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San Luis Obispo drove to the Arroyo Grande 34-yard line on the first possession of the third quarter until Eagle defensive back Max Stephenson stepped in front of a San Luis Obispo receiver and picked off Cate's pass.

"I saw it," said Stephenson, nicknamed "Boo Boo" by his teammates. "(Cate) was watching him the whole time and I bit (and went for the ball.) They ran that play two times earlier and were looking at him the whole time."

The Eagles turned Stephenson's interception into a touchdown on Andrew Hirsch's 3-yard run with 3:52 left in the third quarter. Hirsch also punched in the two-point conversion to give the Eagles a 15-12 lead.

Hirsch, who had 114 yards rushing Friday, scored the Eagles' other second-half touchdown almost five minutes later on a 2-yard run to give the Eagles their final 21-12 lead.

Arroyo Grande is 5-0 when Hirsch runs for more than 100 yards in a game. He became the focus of the Arroyo Grande offense in the second half, running for 81 yards in that half.

"If we were going to get beaten, we were going to get beaten with the fly (offense)," Huss said. "We gave Andrew the ball because he can control the clock."

Hirsch's San Luis Obispo counterpart Phil Garza, the county's leading rusher, was held to 45 yards in the final 24 minutes and only 123 yards for the game. That may not sound like a stellar performance by the Eagle defense, but it is when considering Garza has rushed for more than 200 yards in four of his last five games. Friday was his second-lowest output of the season; Garza rushed for 121 yards against Atascadero last week.

PR 35, Atascadero 15

ATASCADERO - Todd Fleener threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Bearcats to a PAC-5 game that settled fourth place in the league standings.

With the loss, Atascadero (0-4, 3-7) now sports an 0-12 career record in PAC-5 games.

Michael Bell led the Bearcats (1-3, 3-6-1) with 75 yards and a touchdown in the win, in which Paso Robles outgained Atascadero by a 364-260 margin.

Light Walleman caught five passes for 110 yards and both of Fleener's scoring passes in the victory.

Nov. 13, 2004