The Templeton battering rams charged downhill all night.

At the bottom, the Cabrillo Conquistadores were rendered helpless by Templeton's bread-and-butter running game.

When the dust had settled and the damage had been done, it all equaled one big “ouch” for the visiting Conquistadores, who a week earlier were eliminated from CIF Southern Section playoff contention.

Templeton amassed 454 rushing yards and ran Cabrillo off the gridiron on Friday in a 48-7 Los Padres League win.

“They use the Wing-T and we run the same thing,” Cabrillo quarterback C.J. Simmons said about Templeton's offensive scheme. “We knew all week what we needed to do to defend it ... You have to give it up to Templeton's line. They're big.”

And hungry. Templeton needed a win just to stay in the playoff hunt.

With the win, the Eagles moved to 3-3 in LPL play. With Nipomo's win over Santa Ynez on Friday, both teams are now tied for the fourth and final playoff spot - the Eagles have the tiebreaker and control their own destiny. With a win next week against Santa Maria (0-6 in league), they'll be in.

Advertisement

With the must-win incentive, a host of talented Templeton running backs pounded the ball through Friday. In the first quarter, Cabrillo held strong.

But the Eagles started to roll at the end of the quarter, and running back Ben Terry broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown scamper with seconds remaining. Cabrillo was the little boy with his finger in the dam, and it gave way in the second quarter.

The Eagles broke the game open with 28 unanswered points and abandoned anything resembling an air attack in favor of the Wing-T running game. Jake Romanelli led the team with 125 yards, while running mate Jimmy McCaffrey had three touchdowns and 119 yards. Terry finished with 98.

The lone bright spot for Cabrillo was Simmons. The fleet-footed quarterback finished with a team-high 86 yards on 17 carries, and was constantly pressured on his throws. He attempted 16 passes for only 65 yards.

“I wasn't getting the time I needed,” he said. “It's tough because a lot of our linemen are gone.”

Last year, Cabrillo tied Lompoc for the LPL title and advanced to the divisional semifinals. But many of those players graduated, and they have had a tougher go at it this year.

Nevertheless, Cabrillo defenders Matt Rotondi, Josh Sanders, Ryan McGinty and Simmons gave it their best on Friday.

But when Templeton wasn't charging up the middle, it was finessing its way to the outside on sweeps. Quarterback Jacob Fitzgerald attempted just two passes, both in the first half.

Despite the tough loss, Cabrillo was able to score on a 6-yard Simmons run with 1 minute remaining. The Conquistadores will take that small sign of life with them into next week's rivalry matchup with Lompoc. Though coach Don Cross declined to comment after the game, he did allude to next week's season-ending matchup in the team huddle.

“It's a big game. Coach just said we need some guys to show up,” Simmons said. “We have to defend that trophy.”

Nov. 4, 2006