San Luis Obispo was clinging to a six-point lead and trying to run out the clock from the Lompoc 36 Friday night. “Strip the ball!,” a Lompoc assistant coach yelled at his defenders.

The Braves popped Brian Lewelling on the next play and the ball flew straight up, then hit the ground. Problem was, from Lompoc's standpoint, “We didn't fall on it,” said Braves head coach Robin Luken.

Tigers lineman Andrew Federico, helmet off at the end of the play, did. Quarterback Dave Schultz ran three yards for a first down on the next play, then took a knee three straight times as the clock ran out on San Luis Obispo's 21-15 PAC-7 League win.

San Luis Obispo spoiled Lompoc's Homecoming on a night Lompoc senior Murial Taylor was crowned Homecoming queen. The Tigers are 2-1 in the PAC-7 and 5-2-1 overall. The Braves, 1-3, 3-5-0, likely fell out of playoff contention.

Tigers coach Craig Winninghoff thought HIS team might have seen its post-season hopes on the ropes with a loss. “We've got Paso Robles, which is unbeaten in league, next week,” he said. “It would have been tough to recover from two (league) losses.”

Federico rewarded his coach's faith in him. “When I saw him diving down there for the ball, I was thinking ‘I THINK we've got it,'” Winninghoff said. The Tigers did.

San Luis Obispo outgained Lompoc 208-56 the first half, but the only scoring then consisted of Lewelling's seven-yard run and Michael Connelly's point after kick.

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The scoring heated up a lot the last quarter. Lompoc caught a break near the end of the third when a Braves punt hit a Tiger's foot, and Luken's team recovered the ball at the San Luis Obispo 35.

Bobby Collins ran for 12 yards on second down to the 23, a pass interference call on third down put the ball at the 14, and then Collins' block sprang quarterback Daryl Aguilar for a seven-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-four. Jorge Hernandez's point after try was good with 11:49 to play.

The Tigers won the field position battle the next few minutes and started from the Lompoc 47 with seven minutes left. San Luis Obispo scored four plays later when Schultz connected with Robert Rose, the Tigers' season receptions leader, on an 11-yard pass into the end zone with 5:51 left.

Rose finished with six catches for 92 yards.

The Braves looked finished when Tigers linebacker Nate Egan recovered Brandon Alonzo's fumble at the Lompoc 21. Jay McElnearney, a 5'7”, 140-pounder, was hit at the six three plays later. He took three would-be tacklers into the end zone with him for an 11-yard touchdown run with 4:29 left.

“Our offense kind of struggled last week,” in a 15-3 loss to Atascadero, said Winninghoff. “It was nice to see our running game again, and McElnearney taking guys into the end zone like that shows you something.”

San Luis Obispo outrushed Lompoc 174-117. Lewelling was the leading rusher with 62 yards on 13 carries.

After the MacElnearney touchdown, the Braves stung the Tigers with a 20-yard pass from Aguilar to Collins; Aguilar's 22-yard run; a 17-yard Aguilar-to-Steven Morehart pass; and Aguilar's 12-yard run. All that took Lompoc to San Luis Obispo's four, and Collins scored from the one two plays later.

San Luis Obispo jumped offside as the Braves were lined up for the extra point try. “Just kick it,” Luken called to his men.

He changed his mind when the Tigers went offside again. Aguilar went in to make in 21-15 with 2:45 to go.

Hernandez's onside kick went four yards instead of the required 10 before a Brave touched it. San Luis Obispo ran out the clock from there.

The Braves hung close even though, “They dominated us,” said Luken.

The Tigers' bigger linemen usually won the battle on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Lineman Casey Brigham, linebacker Zac Thorne and defensive back Rose helped San Luis Obispo bottle up Lompoc's attack for the most part.

Lineman Saul Dominguez helped spark the Braves' defense.

“I was very proud of the way our linemen played,” said Winninghoff. “Our boys played well.”

Luken said, “We had a lot of distractions to deal with this week - disciplinary things, some guys came to practice late. If you do that (losing) is what happens. You've got to take care of business every day.

“We couldn't practice Monday and Tuesday because of the fires. If you can't practice and prepare, you can't win.”

MacElnearney hobbled off the field after a carry as the Tigers were running out the clock.

“He said someone hit him in the shin, and his shin just seemed tender,” said Winninghoff. “I think he'll be all right.”

Oct. 27, 2007