The margin was 40 points, and the final score truly indicated how this football game went.

"We had no answers for anything they wanted to do, run or pass," Nipomo coach Jon Hitchen said after El Diamante of Visalia rolled to a 47-7 non-league victory over the Titans at Nipomo High School Friday night.

The Miners improved to 2-1-0. Nipomo is 0-3-0. The Titans play at Lompoc at 7:30 p.m. next Friday in their Los Padres League opener.

El Diamante plays its league opener next week too, and its final dress rehearsal for that one could not have gone much better.

Running back Wayne Jones rushed for 199 yards, on 28 carries. He scored five times. Quarterback Brandon Byer was 10-for-12 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones was done carrying the ball after the third quarter.

Paul Manosar set up Nipomo's touchdown by recovering a fumbled punt at the Miners 30 in the first quarter. Gabe Mansera scored on a reverse the next play. Brent Seguine's conversion kick made it 20-7.

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The Miners scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions. Their defense kept Nipomo to seven first downs.

"With the offense Nipomo runs, it takes a team effort to stop it, and we got a team effort against the run," El Diamante coach Mark Rogers said. Lineman Anthony White helped lead a Miners front line surge that consistently plugged things up against Nipomo's runners.

As for El Diamante's offense, besides having 20 points, the Miners had 13 first downs at the end of the first quarter.

Jones had 105 yards on 12 carries.

Byer had 112 yards passing.

"We lost some guys on the offensive line," before Friday night, Rogers said. "We've been working to get better, and we have gotten better. Our offensive line really blocked well tonight.

"Wayne Jones is a great running back - he ran for 2,000 yards last year. We got our quarterback back - he was hurt last week. He's a helluva passer."

Byer's touchdown passes covered nine yards to Michael Leflore and 20 yards to Delano Henry.

Lineman Colin Filip and defensive back Manosar led a surge that stuffed the Miners on three tries from the 1 late in the first half. But Jones went in untouched the next play for the last touchdown before halftime. Josh Bonwell's kick made it 27-7.

Hitchen said the Titans were missing some starters because of injuries. "We hope to have them back next week, when league starts."

The first possession for each team Friday night set the pattern for the rest of the game. Nipomo gained three yards on three plays. El Diamante drove 79 yards on seven plays for a score. Byer connected with Ben Walkowiak for 34 yards on the first play. Jones took care of the last five yards himself.

"We just caught Nipomo on a year when we're just a little better than they are," Jones said. "Nipomo has a good program, they do a fine job."

Sept. 24, 2005