Titans strike it rich against Saints

The Nipomo Titans hit the Powerball Jackpot Friday Night on Homecoming night at the Santa Maria Saints' Dave Boyd Field.

The Titans went on a tear - scoring on their first six offensive possessions - rolling to a 42-0 Los Padres League victory over the Saints.

The Titans (4-4 overall, 3-2 LPL) weren't ticketed for a hit and run but that's what they did - the offensive line hit the Saints (2-6, 0-5) hard, allowing tailback Billy Chambers and company to run for positive yardage all night.

“It was our goal to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball tonight,” said Nipomo head coach Russ Edwards. “The offensive line did a great job of establishing dominance at the line of scrimmage. Then Billy Chambers took advantage and did a great job getting us downfield.”

Chambers led the Nipomo offense with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries - all in the first half. Ray Cano came on in relief of Chambers and picked up 53 yards on seven second half carries. Fullbacks Ken Knudson and Kyle Dickinson gained 97 yards - Knudson with 32 yards and a touchdown on three first half carries and Dickinson with 65 yards on 12 mostly second half attempts. The Titans steamrolled to 260 yards on the ground.

“Nipomo did a good job running the ball tonight,” said Santa Maria head coach Raul Castillo. “I'm proud of our kids. They never quit.”

They were just as effective through the air. Quarterback Mason Sperakos only threw five times but he connected on his first four - and two of those were good for touchdowns; the first a 38-yarder to Kyle Webb, the second a 4-yard shot to Derrick Stroub.

“Derrick got his first varsity touchdown tonight,” said Edwards. “He did a great job.”

Nipomo's defense was equally relentless - holding Santa Maria to 80 yards of total offense.

Robert Rodriguez led the Saints with 20 yards on the ground on 12 carries. Ryan Duran picked up 14 yards on seven carries and Edgar Uriarte gained 11 yards on six attempts to lead Santa Maria.

“We drove the ball downfield well a couple times,” said Castillo. “We had our chances but when we threw that interception, well, that really hurt us.”

“The Santa Maria kids played hard the entire game,” said Edwards. “They're great kids. They kept a positive vibe from start to finish. They showed excellent sportsmanship. It really makes you enjoy the competition.”

Duran, who quarterbacked the Saints in the first half, threw for 22 yards with three completions on seven attempts with one interception. Rodriguez took over at QB in the second half but never attempted a pass.

“Our defense - the defensive line, the defensive backs - they played an excellent game tonight,” said Edwards. “They've been tremendous all season long.”

Nipomo took the opening kickoff and returned it to the 29 yard line. They marched 71 yards on nine plays - seven of them Chambers' runs - with Chambers punching it in from 3-yards out to go up 6-0 just 3:45 into the game. Eryk Fernandez, who was a perfect 7-for-7 on the night, then kicked his first extra point and the Titans were on top 7-0.

After forcing a quick Santa Maria punt, Nipomo was back on the board just 2:30 later - with Webb's 38-yard touchdown reception capping a 3-play, 55-yard drive.

Another 3-and-out gave Nipomo the ball at their own 35 yard line. From there it was a quick 5-play, 65-yard drive - ending with Stroub's 4-yard catch - and Nipomo had the game on ice with a 21-0 lead with 2:18 remaining in the first quarter.

Chambers scored on a 4-yard run midway through the second quarter and Knudson scored on a 2-yard run with just 0.3 remaining in the half to give Nipomo a 35-0 lead heading into the lockerroom.

The night was over for the Nipomo starters. The second team came on to begin the second half.

“It was great to be able to play the second team and third team for the entire second half,” said Edwards. “At this time of the year, it's great to be able to give them some solid playing time and experience.”

With Carlos Delarosa now leading the offense and Cano coming in as the featured back, Nipomo marched downfield on their first possession of the second half with an 8-play, 55-yard drive midway through the third quarter for the night's final score.

“For the first time in our school's history, we control our own destiny,” said Edwards. “We've got to take them one game at a time - first Santa Ynez next week, then Saint Joseph in Week 10 - but our future is in our hands.”

Nipomo hopes to improve its prospects for making the postseason playoffs when it hosts Santa Ynez next Friday night. Like the Titans, the Pirates - coming off their victory over St. Joseph Friday night - are 3-2 in the LPL. The Saints head across town to try to spoil Pioneer Valley's (3-3 LPL) playoff hopes next week. Both games are set for 7:30 p.m. kickoffs.

Oct. 27, 2007