Covina Northview's football team never could solve the Budd factor Friday night.

Logan Budd, Morro Bay's star 6'2”, 185-pound senior quarterback, ran or threw for every Pirates touchdown as the top-rated team in the CIF Southern Section's Northwest Division played up to its ranking.

The Pirates routed overmatched Northview 42-7 in a first-round game at Morro Bay. Budd (165 yards on 14 carries) ran for four touchdowns and threw for two more. The Pirates (11-0-0) play at St. Bernard in Playa del Rey at 7:30 p.m. next Friday in a quarterfinal game.

Northview finished third in the Valle Vista League. The Vikings wound up 7-4-0.

It was clear from the start that the Los Padres League champions would advance. Morro Bay drove 68 yards for a score on just five plays after the opening kickoff. Budd hit an open Wyatt Gerbracht on a quick pass over the middle, and Gerbracht did the rest for a 20-yard scoring play.

“It was a great way to start out,” said Morro Bay lineman Jacob Williams, a 6'2”, 285-pound junior. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”

Williams is part of an underclassmen minority for Morro Bay. The Pirates have 33 seniors.

Advertisement

Northview senior tailback Jason Knowles had 1,093 yards on 170 carries, with 11 touchdowns, going in. He gained 33 yards on 13 rushes Friday night. The Pirates kept him out of the end zone.

“Our coaches gave the defense a great game plan for (Knowles),” said Williams. Morro Bay stayed in a four-man front most of the night. It worked.

Northview scored the last touchdown of the game. A roughing the passer penalty on an incomplete fourth-down pass kept a drive alive, then quarterback Oscar Robles connected on a six-yard lob pass to Kevin Jones in the end zone with 2:09 to play.

Before that, it was a lot of Budd and his friends.

Williams and Brett Mobley were some of the guys who gave Budd fine blocking as he ran for scores of 11, 3, 33 and 50 yards.

The rout was on after blocks by Ronnie Cain and Stephen Rodriguez in the backfield helped spring Budd for a three-yard touchdown run. Budd kicks too, and his third PAT kick made it 21-0.

Oh yes, Budd can also play some defensive back. He intercepted Robles' pass and returned it 10 yards to the Vikings 25 to set up Budd's own three-yard touchdown run.

The Pirates picked off four Robles passes in the first half. Budd had two interceptions himself. Gerbracht and Jonathan Coss had the others.

Budd's last score came in the third quarter. He faked a handoff, the Vikings' defenders went for it and, after a delay, Budd burst through a big hole on the left side and sprinted 50 yards to the end zone.

Dallas Hill kicked the extra point. Budd had kicked the first five.

Sandwiched between all of his running scores was Budd's 15-yard scoring pass to Ben Schrag for the last first-half TD.

Cain backed Budd with some big runs early. Cain wound up with 83 yards on seven carries.

Linebackers Bryan Teixeira and C.J. Moss helped lead the Pirates' defensive surge as they kept the Vikings from mounting much of a consistent offense until their touchdown drive.

Northview had just 175 yards of total offense. Howard Martin was the Vikings' leading rusher with 58 yards. Robles threw for 72.

Budd, with his 165 yards rushing and 81 passing, outgained the Northview offense by himself.

Atascadero 28, Moorpark 14

The top seed in the PAC-7 League shook off an early Musketeers score and moved into the quarterfinals in the Northern Division.

Atascadero snapped a 14-14 tie with two second-half touchdowns. Nick Tenhaeff ran 47 yards for the winning score.

The Greyhounds saw Moorpark's Austin Edmondson run 69 yards to pay dirt and then scored two unanswered touchdowns. Steven Manier, from 17 and 13 yards out, ran in on both.

Paso Robles 49, Ventura 14

Quarterback Tom Bernal ran for two scores and passed for another as the Bearcats (9-2-0) moved into the Northern Division quarterfinals with a win at Flamson Middle School in Paso Robles.

Paso Robles led 28-0 in the second quarter, saw the Cougars score twice and then racked up the last three touchdowns.

Bernal rushed for 114 yards. Bearcats running back Nathan Nelson had 90 yards on 13 carries. He scored on a 28-yard run in the third quarter as the Bearcats began to pull away.

November 17, 2007