The Righetti Warriors are in the mood to celebrate this morning.

They were all smiles Friday night after defeating the San Luis Obispo Tigers 27-13 at Warriors Stadium in the opening game of their PAC-5 season - putting them atop the league at 1-0.

The win - their third straight victory - improved the Warriors' overall mark to 4-3.

”It's a great win,“ said Righetti coach Gary Wilson. ”Let's enjoy it.“

”Righetti did a really good job tonight,“ said San Luis Obispo coach Craig Winninghoff. ”They were well coached. They played a great game. My compliments to all of them.“

The Warriors have a number of reasons to be in a celebratory mood.

* Their offense was steady - piling up the yardage (226 yards on the ground, 82 through the air) while eating up the clock.

Advertisement

* The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage all night.

* Tailback Cody Denham led the way on offense picking up 153 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

* Tailback Ryan Switzer picked up 87 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

* Fullback Abel Salazar opened huge holes for Denham and Switzer. He also added 36 yards on 6 carries.

* Quarterback Trevor Elswick was six for 10 for 82 yards and a touchdown.

* Wide Receiver Adam Wilson made a circus catch, good for a 24 yard touchdown that put the game out of reach.

”Our offensive line is doing an awesome job,“ said Wilson. ”Coach Ron Prober is doing a great job with these kids - with getting them into the right positions - and they're getting better and better each week.“

* The Warriors' defense was relentless - holding SLO's star running back Stuart Hill- who, coming into the game was the Central Coast's leading rusher with 861 yards through 6 games - to 88 yards on 12 carries.

* The defense sacked Tigers' quarterback Conner Reese six times - good for 41-yards in losses.

* On the final sack, Reese fumbled - Righetti linebacker Kyle Leon scooped the ball up at the 18 yard line and ran it into the endzone for the game's final score.

”The defense played very well,“ said Wilson. ”They put a lot of pressure on their quarterback - six sacks and an awful lot of pressure.“

The Warriors marched 80 yards - all on the ground -on 12 plays on the game's opening drive.

The big play came on a third and four play from midfield.

Elswick handed off to Switzer who sliced through the line, cut to his left and set his sights on the goal line. He got close - being hauled down at the SLO nine yard line.

Four plays later - on fourth and goal from the one - Switzer blasted through the middle for the game's first score.

Martin Luque's point after kick gave Righetti a 7-0 lead - the drive taking more than five minutes off the clock.

Denham fumbled the ball away at mid-field at the end of the first quarter.

”Our defense came up big all night,“ said Winninghoff. ”We forced three turnovers - an interception and two fumbles. But it wasn't our night. In this league, all the teams are pretty competitive.“

Righetti's defense stopped SLO cold and, after a Tigers punt, the Warriors were back in business at the 50 yard line.

Despite the fumble on his previous carry, Coach Wilson went right back to Denham - twice.

The first gained 17 yards. The second went 33 yards for the Warriors second score.

Luque's PAT put Righetti up 14-0.

Early in the third quarter, Elswick threw to Adam Wilson in the endzone.

Wilson went up - so did a referee's flag as the defensive back was whistled for pass interference. The pass bounced off the defender's helmet, went up in the air as Wilson was falling down. Bit Wilson kept his eye on the ball, grabbed it and fell to the turf with a 24 yard touchdown.

”That was a great catch - he had great concentration,“ said Wilson of his wide receiver son. ”He's a quality kid and, like the rest of the team, he's getting better and better each week.“

Luque's PAT put the Warriors up 21-0. They were firmly in control of their league opener.

With their run offense shut down, the Tigers went to the air.

Early in the fourth quarter, Reese threw a bomb to wide receiver Mickey Miller - good for 49 yards and a touchdown. The two point conversion failed but SLO was on the board - down 21-6 - with 10:23 to go.

”Our kids never gave up,“ said Winninghoff. ”This is a young team. We're growing each week but they work hard and never quit.“

On their next possession, Reese tried to go to the air again but was sacked. He lost the ball, Leon scooped it up and ran untouched - 18 yards into the endzone.

Reese did engineer one final drive, ending with Reese's 7 yard TD pass to Miller to close out the scoring with 1:11 to go.

It doesn't get any easier,“ said Wilson. ”Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles - all coming up in the next three weeks. We weren't perfect tonight. There are still a few things we need to correct to get better. But we're getting there and we'll be ready for our next test.“

Righetti travels to Atascadero next Friday night. They're home to Arroyo Grande the following week before closing the regular season on the road in Paso Robles.

Sports Editor Elliott Stern can be reached at 739-2235 or by e-mail at elliottstern@santamariatimes.com.

Oct. 15, 2005