The San Marcos High defense landed a decisive blow to end the Battle for the Goodland in double overtime.
Logan Hale exploded into the backfield for a strip sack, and Cole Dominguez scooped up the ball and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game. The Royals dogpiled in the end zone to celebrate their 16-10 victory over rival Dos Pueblos.
“Our guys stayed with it — they didn’t panic, and they battled,” said San Marcos coach Ralph Molina. “What I’m really impressed with is how hard they kept playing no matter what happened.”
The rivalry game carried added significance, as the winner clinched the third and final automatic playoff spot out of the Tri-County League.
The game was a defensive struggle from the start, with both teams relying heavily on the running game despite defenders crowding the line of scrimmage.
The Dos Pueblos offense broke through first with a seven-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 38-yard touchdown pass from Drew Schultz to Micah Barnhart, who hauled in the ball with one hand over the middle and outraced the San Marcos secondary with 9:54 remaining in the second quarter.
After a San Marcos punt on the ensuing drive, a Dos Pueblos fumble set up a San Marcos scoring opportunity.
Hayden Feleay connected with Brody Green for 15 yards on third-and-eight from the 44-yard line, and four plays later, Green burst up the middle for a 34-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7 with 2:20 remaining in the second quarter.
The two teams traded punts throughout the third quarter before the San Marcos offense gained traction.
The Royals drove 51 yards on 12 plays down to the Dos Pueblos 10-yard line, but back-to-back illegal procedure penalties forced them to settle for a field goal. The 37-yard attempt by TJ Deakyne was no good with around five minutes remaining.
The ensuing Dos Pueblos drive fizzled, setting the stage for overtime.
San Marcos got the ball first and settled for a clutch 24-yard field goal by Austin Downing. Dos Pueblos responded with a 22-yard field goal by Drew Schultz.
Dos Pueblos began the second overtime and faced a fourth-and-five situation from the eight-yard line. Rather than kick the field goal, the Chargers went for the touchdown — which led to Hale’s strip sack and Dominguez’s game-winning return.
San Marcos will now move on to the playoffs next week, with brackets set to be released Sunday morning. The Chargers’ season is almost certainly over, barring an unlikely at-large berth.
“Double overtime against your rival for a playoff spot — it’s like a scripted game,” said Dos Pueblos coach AJ Pateras. “You couldn’t ask for a better environment and a better game. It was just one of those games where any play can dictate the outcome. It came down to the final play — they made the play, and we didn’t.”
Dominguez rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries in addition to his game-winning touchdown and was named the Jeff Hesselmeyer Battle for the Goodland MVP.
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