Short field a prize for Eagles in win

Templeton's offense had a short field to play on three times Friday night.

The Eagles capitalized twice. That was enough.

The middle of the Templeton line stopped Nipomo running back Billy Chambers cold on a run up the middle on a fourth-and-one from the Eagles' 46. Eagles quarterback Casey Bogart did an able job of throwing the ball from there on a rainy night.

The Eagles receivers did an able job of holding on to his passes in the flat. Brenton Cordle caught pass number four on the drive - in the flat. He took it to the end zone for a three-yard scoring play and the winning score in Templeton's come-from-behind 13-9 win at Nipomo.

The Eagles spoiled the Titans' Homecoming, handed Nipomo its first league defeat and went to 2-1 in the Los Padres League and 5-1-0 overall. The Titans are 2-1, 3-3-0. Nipomo senior Joanna Jones was crowned Homecoming queen at halftime.

All of the Titans' games have been decided, one way or the other, by 10 points or less.

Templeton coach Don Crow figured his team had a good passing game in it, “We've just never needed it,” while the Eagles were trampling non-league opposition and then Santa Ynez 36-0 in their league opener.

In the Eagles' 27-23 loss to Morro Bay last week, “We actually threw some good balls,” said Crow. “Then we threw the one late that got intercepted.”

Bogart was 5-for-14 with an interception - the Eagles actually got the ball back after that interception, more on that later - but on the winning drive he was four-for-four.

“My brother was making the throws, and we were catching the balls,” said Templeton wide receiver-defensive back Tyler Bogart.

Casey Bogart threw for 103 yards Friday night. “That's the first time we've had more than 100 yards passing in a game this year,” said Crow. “We did have an all-league quarterback last year.”

Nipomo seemed all set early in the second half. The Titans led 9-0 on a 30-yard Eryk Fernandez field goal and a 39-yard screen pass touchdown from Mason Sperakos to Kyle Webb.

A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the score made Fernandez's extra point try a 35-yarder. He made it, but there was an inadvertent whistle before the snap. Fernandez tried it again, and the ball hit the right upright and bounced forward.

Lineman Korben Boaz, linebackers Nick Cano and Nathan Mendoza and defensive back Ray Cano were leading a charge that was thwarting Templeton's powerful ground game and stopping the limited passes the Eagles tried. Then Boaz intercepted Casey Bogart's pass at the Templeton 30.

He fumbled on the return, and the Eagles recovered. They put together a nice drive - that ended with Casey Bogart's missed 33-yard field goal try.

That was the last great escape the Titans had.

They'd been living dangerously - not for the first week - on a slow deep snap from center to punter Fernandez. In the first quarter, Boaz and Brandon Rainey stopped Casey Bogart on fourth down from the one as the Titans made a goal line stand after Fernandez fumbled the snap in punt formation and Templeton recovered at the Titans 24.

After Casey Bogart's missed field goal try, the fourth down snap to Fernandez was slow again. He had no choice but to run, and Dan Koenig tackled him at the Titans five. Bogart scored from the seven two plays later.

The Eagles defense frustrated the Titans offense all night. Tyler Bogart and Ricky Horn blanketed Nipomo's receivers deep effectively throughout, and the usually prolific Sperakos had 89 yards passing.

“It's actually a zone, primarily a run-stop,” Tyler Bogart said of the coverage the Eagles were playing. “But it's a cover four, and we knew the checkoffs. We played it very well tonight.”

Templeton held star Nipomo running back Billy Chambers to 40 yards on 17 carries.

“Justin Cutler and Sean McCaffrey were the anchors,” said Crow. “They're beasts.”

Cutler is a 6”3”, 280-pound senior lineman. McCaffrey is a 5'11”, 185-pound senior defensive back.

Templeton's rushing game plugged along for 149 yards on 55 rushes. Forty one of those came on one carry, by Kris Dearie.

Though it sounds trite to say a team owned the second half the Eagles, well, owned the second half. They had nine first downs then. The Titans had one.

St. Joseph (3-0 LPL) travels to Templeton for a 7:30 p.m. game next Friday. Nipomo plays at unbeaten Morro Bay (3-0 LPL) at the same time.

Morro Bay is the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section's Northwest Division.

Oct. 13, 2007