Arroyo Grande's football team finished a few more things than Lompoc's did Friday night.

The Eagles also caught a few more breaks than the Braves did.

Arroyo Grande kicker Chris Nichols nailed a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter, and the Eagles sustained two second-half drives for touchdowns. Meanwhile, holding penalties wiped out two Lompoc TDs, and Lukas Carpio dropped the potential winning touchdown pass at the goal line with 1:20 left to play. That all helped add up to a 17-14 Arroyo Grande win at Lompoc's Huyck Stadium.

The Braves couldn't quite get it done in their Homecoming game, so they fell to 0-3 in the PAC-7 League and 2-5-0 overall. Arroyo Grande is 1-1, 2-3-1. At halftime, Cindy Hang and Fernando Leer were crowned Lompoc's Homecoming Queen and King respectively.

After the game, coaches and fans crowded around Arroyo Grande junior Lance Henderson as he sat after being injured in the game. Henderson's condition was unknown at press time.

The two teams have been long-time rivals, but this was their first league game against each other since 2001. The Braves had spent a productive four years in the Los Padres League, winning three outright league titles, tying for another and winning two CIF Southern Section Division X titles during that time.

As for Friday night, “It was an exciting game,” said Nichols, who has been a kicker for Arroyo Grande for 14 years, “I loved it.

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“The teams were really evenly matched. Lompoc always gives us a good game, and I always enjoy playing them. It just feels really good to come away with a win.”

Things hadn't gone real well for the Eagles their last two games. Their 21-21 tie against San Marcos felt more like a loss - the Royals tied the game with 40 seconds to play - and then they lost a tough one, 24-17 to Atascadero in their PAC-7 opener last week.

The Eagles' outlook was much brighter afterward Friday night.

“Someone said, with these teams' tradition in playing against each other, when you win it feels like you've won twice, and when you lose it feels like you've lost twice,” said Arroyo Grande coach Jon Huss.

“This was an excellent high school football game. It's a shame someone had to lose, but I'm glad it wasn't us for a change.”

Left tackle Derek Ng and tight end Ian Walton helped the Eagles get in position to win as they started clearing out the Lompoc pursuit consistently late in the first half. The Eagles ran out of time on their last first drive, and Nichols missed a 28-yard field goal try.

From then on, though, Arroyo Grande consistently popped big gainers around left end.

Reade Lobdill scored the Eagles' first touchdown on just such a play, but he did a lot of the work himself on that one. He broke a tackle in the backfield, ran through another one at the 5 and then went in for an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“Our blocking was strong and our fullback, George Lopez, did a great job running the football tonight,” said Huss. Lopez was the Eagles' rushing leader with 94 yards. He also scoring the winning touchdown with 11:20 to play.

Lobdill and Ng opened a small hole over the left side, and Lopez dragged two Braves with him to the end zone from five yards out.

Lompoc answered Lobdill's touchdown on its first ensuing play from scrimmage. Bobby Collins (18 carries, 139 yards) streaked downfield off left tackle for a 74-yard touchdown run to put Lompoc ahead 13-10. His 13-yard run in the first quarter gave the Braves their first lead.

Lompoc thought it had a touchdown on the first offensive series after the first half kickoff, but a holding call nullified Daniel Carpio's 18-yard touchdown run.

With less than two minutes to go, Lompoc quarterback Tim Ochoa burst up the middle on fourth-and-eight from the Eagles 26 and into the end zone, but an official threw a flag as soon as Ochoa ran through the hole and the call was holding again.

Ochoa spotted Lukas Carpio open near the Arroyo Grande sideline, but Carpio dropped the pass near the goal line.

The nullified touchdowns and the dropped pass were all very painful, Lompoc coach Robin Luken said, but, “You've gotta overcome.

“They didn't leave any balls on the ground, we missed a chance for an interception, and we couldn't stop what they did.”

Still, “I was hoping for a few breaks, but they didn't go our way.”

Defensive back Derrick Luken had a big game for Lompoc. Linemen Mike Livingston and Kyle Wilson led the Eagles' defensive charge, and Wilson had a big fumble recovery.

That came in fourth quarter at the Eagles 45 as Collins lost the ball after gaining three yards on first down.

“I just went for the ball, and he rolled right over and came off of it,” said Wilson.

“The two teams were pretty evenly matched. It just feels good to win.”

Oct. 21, 2006