SANTA BARBARA - Players bowed their heads, listening to Lompoc High coach Robin Luken, and when they heard they'd be returning to Valley Stadium again, their heads drooped even lower.

At least the Braves won't be playing Dos Pueblos next week, because on Friday night they had enough of Chargers running back Brad Ebner and his offensive line.

No one has been able to slow down Ebner the last two weeks, and against Lompoc he ran for a career-high 217 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Chargers hold onto a 24-21 non-league victory at home.

“They were just able to outmuscle us,” Luken said. “I felt we could make them try to throw the ball more, but they didn't have to against us.”

With the kind of big holes Dos Pueblos' line created for Ebner, it's going to be tough for Lompoc to see Ebner run again.

But that's what the Braves (2-2) will be doing during their bye next Friday because Dos Pueblos hosts Righetti, the team Lompoc opens the PAC-7 League with on Oct. 6.

Lompoc made it close at the end when Brandon Alonzo returned a punt near midfield for a score with 1 minute, 51 seconds, cutting the deficit to three points.

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But Dos Pueblos went back to the only tailback it gave the ball to because it seemed every time Ebner touched the ball he had room to maneuver. Even when Lompoc, needing a stop with 1:42 remaining, stacked the line with 10 players, Ebner busted through.

On his 34th carry, Ebner ripped a 32-yard run, sealing something Dos Pueblos (2-1) hasn't had in a long time - a winning streak.

The Chargers last week snapped an 11-game winless streak, and now because of Ebner and the line, they are on a two-game roll.

“The line just got the best push, the best push it has ever gotten,” said Ebner of right tackle Moses Martinez, right guard Huber Guadarrama, center Cord Arnt, left guard Jaime Yepez and left tackle David Allan.

“After that (winless) streak, it's just amazing to start 2-1. It's definitely surprising.”

Ebner wasn't the only player left stunned after Friday's game. So were several of the Braves.

The last time Lompoc lost to Dos Pueblos was 2001, the season the Chargers advanced to a CIF Southern Section Division championship game.

The Braves came into the game leading the series with the Chargers 25-4, and outside linebacker Zach Wales believed Lompoc came in overconfident.

“I think we were,” said Wales, who led the Braves with 56 yards on eight carries. “We didn't come prepared.”

Offensively things didn't start well for Lompoc. Putting together long drives became a problem as only once in the first half did the offense run more than six plays, and that resulted in a turnover on downs on the opposition's 24.

Starting senior quarterback Tim Ochoa was benched after the first two possessions. In came junior Daryl Aguilar, and he ignited the offense on one play, scoring on a 45-yard run.

But he couldn't sustain any drives and Dos Pueblos took advantage of a tired defense, going ahead 21-7 at halftime on touchdown runs of 63 yards and 1 yard by Ebner.

Faced with a big deficit, Luken went back to Ochoa in the second half.

“We needed to throw the ball more,” Luken said. “When you're down 21-7 you have (to throw the ball).”

Ochoa returned and started firing away. During one stretch he completed five straight passes, one of those was a 6-yarder to running back Daniel Carpio that cut Dos Pueblos' lead to 21-14 with 2:38 left in the third.

Lompoc received a big break after Ebner made a mistake, fumbling on the opposition's 4.

But four plays later, running back Bobby Collins coughed up the ball, setting up Julio Romero's 22-yard field goal with 7:40 left that put Dos Pueblos ahead 24-14.

Lompoc wouldn't be heard from again until Alonzo returned a punt for a touchdown with 1:51 to go, and when it missed getting the onside kick, the Braves stood no chance of stopping Ebner behind that line.

Sept. 23, 2006