The postseason fortunes of the Dos Pueblos and San Marcos football teams, as well as the Battle for the Goodland, came down to a single kick.
San Marcos senior Austin Downing has cemented himself as the best kicker in the Santa Barbara area, if not the entire Central Coast, this season. His 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity before thudding off the goalpost, sending the Dos Pueblos faithful into a field-storming frenzy.
The Chargers captured a 16-15 victory in their regular-season finale and clinched the third and final automatic playoff berth out of the Tri-County League on Friday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
“An old coach, Coach McCune, used to say sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and luck was always defined as when preparation meets opportunity,” said Dos Pueblos coach AJ Pateras. “Our guys met the moment, and that was just a beautiful ending.”
The Dos Pueblos victory snapped a four-game San Marcos winning streak in the rivalry game.
The two teams got off to slow offensive starts, but Caeden Lee returned a punt 28 yards to the San Marcos 20-yard line. Five plays later, the Chargers fumbled a handoff at the goal line, and San Marcos defensive lineman Logan Vargas recovered the ball.
Three plays later, San Marcos quarterback Hayden Feleay connected with sophomore wide receiver Krew Gray on an 85-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.
Dos Pueblos responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped by a Grady Felix eight-yard touchdown run with 7:04 left in the second quarter. Felix had been battling a shoulder injury for the past several weeks and returned to the lineup against San Marcos.
The Royals maintained a 7-6 lead after the ensuing extra point was blocked.
After a San Marcos punt, Dos Pueblos drove down the field again and took an 8-7 lead on a 24-yard field goal by Brandon Stock with 39 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Royals opened the second half with an 18-play, 75-yard drive that drained more than 10 minutes off the clock. Feleay finished the drive with a fade pass into the end zone that sophomore tight end Caden LaPlante snagged with one hand. LaPlante then converted the ensuing two-point conversion on a gadget play to give the Royals a 15-9 lead with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter.
After a three-and-out by Dos Pueblos, it appeared San Marcos might put the game away with another long drive. However, Downing’s 45-yard field goal attempt went wide right, giving the Chargers just over three minutes to score the go-ahead touchdown.
On fourth-and-6 from the 41-yard line, backup quarterback Seth Orosco tossed up a jump ball to Lee, who came down with a spectacular catch through contact. Three plays later, Chase Johnson plunged into the end zone from three yards out, and the Chargers converted the ensuing extra point to take a 16-15 lead with 46 seconds remaining.
San Marcos made the most of its final opportunity, as Feleay completed four of six passes to march the Royals down to the 29-yard line, setting the stage for the decisive kick.
“We were able to move the ball down the field and get into field goal range. We’ll live with that kid kicking that ball any day of the week,” said San Marcos coach Isaiah Veal. “No questions asked, we’ll do that 100 times out of 100.”
Caeden Lee was named the Jeff Hasselmeyer Battle for the Goodland MVP after hauling in five catches for 64 yards, including a crucial fourth-down reception on the Chargers’ go-ahead drive.
With the loss, San Marcos drops to 4-6 on the season and will have to sweat out the release of the playoff brackets on Sunday to see if it receives an at-large bid.
“This group has been so special. The boys have been so hungry for growth, for coaching,” Veal said. “We are coming. Get us now while you can, because we are coming.”
Santa Barbara 28, Thousand Oaks 14
The Dons overcame an early 7-0 deficit and clinched the outright Channel League title with a 28-14 victory.
Oaks Christian 51, Bishop Diego 7
The Cardinals lost their final eight games of the regular season and finished 0-5 in Marmonte League play. Sophomore quarterback Kaleo Satele scored Bishop Diego’s lone touchdown on a short quarterback keeper.
Nordhoff 41, Carpinteria 0
The visiting Rangers jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and cruised to a 41-0 victory. Nordhoff bounced back from a 35-14 loss to Grace Brethren last week.
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