Braves Crash Chargers Party

Football


The Dos Pueblos community threw a party on Friday, but the Braves crashed the joint and brought some party tricks of their own. It was a big evening for the school as kids dressed up in costumes, the National Anthem was preceded by a flyover, and the stands were packed. Bright yellow 'Charger Fan' t-shirts, emblazoned with "Straight out of Hicktown" on the front & "you too can drive a tractor to school" on the back, were in great abundance.












Lompoc
The Braves, however, threw a wrench into the works, winning 31-17. It all began with a little 'trickeration'. Lompoc Assistant Andrew 'Jonesy' Jones saw something on tape and talked Head Coach Robin Luken into calling an onside kick to start the game. As he told Charger Assistant Nate Mendoza after the game "you guys kept bailing out into a vee".

1st Half
Drew Sapp's kick hit at the DP 42, was picked up around the 33 yardline by a player who was immediately hammered by two Lompoc players and fumbled the ball. It was recovered by the Chargers at their own 27 after a mad scramble with the ball visible on the ground for a couple of seconds as members of both teams crawed to get to it.


The Chargers took full advantage of possession - marching 73 yards on 7 plays and a personal foul penalty. Shifty scatback Dane Limosnero had 24 yards on 2 carries, but the drive belonged to Junior QB Zach Boytis. He completed his only pass attempt of the drive for 9 yards and rushed 4 times (including a SAC) for 29 yards and the TD. Bradon Tangle kicked the PAT and the home team was up 7-0 with 3 1/2 minutes gone in the first period.


Lompoc tried to respond with the Braves triumvirate of Collins, Aguailar, and Vargas. They gained 15 yards on three plays. They also put the ball on the ground & DP recovered. This time the Lompoc 'D' held the Chargers and forced a punt after 5 plays.


Stating at their own 14, the Braves unleashed a 13 play masterpiece to tie it at 7-7 with 10:09 left in the half after a Sapp EP kick. Bobby Collins (7 carries) had 64 of his 88 first half yards, Favi Vargas (3 carries) hammered the middle for 8 yards and the score, and Scottie Aguailar carried twice (8 yards) and caught a 12 yard pass from Ritchie Hirzel, who was merely perfect on the night. Hirzel, who played all but two series (#3 & #4), was 8-8 for 82 yards, a TD, a 2PT conversion, and no pics.


Ryan Bower led the Braves on that 3rd possession - a 6 play, 34 yard march after a shanked DP punt (a punt that was set up by the snap on third down sailing over Boytis for a 24 yard loss). Drew Sapp picked up 9 yards to start the drive in his sole carry of the game, and Vargas & Collins did the rest. Collins did the honors, diving over the pile at the goalline for the score. Sapp's EP made it 14-7 at 3:28 of the 2nd quarter.


The teams then exchanged punts, but the Chargers coughed up the football on their 2nd play after the Lompoc punt. Boytis hit a reciever in the left flat - but not nearly as hard as Jake Morehart did. The ball popped loose and Jamel Whitaker scooped it up and returned it to the DP 13 with just over 30 seconds left in the half. Hirzel came back in and threw to Rudy Yruegas in the endzone for the score. The PAT attempt was blocked, and the Braves went to the locker room up 20-7.

2nd Half
Lompoc punted after recieving the second half kickoff, and DP responded with a 13 play drive of their own that burned up most of the third quarter. Helped immeasurably by an early pass interference call on 3rd and 13 and a 42 yard pass to Cody Bidlow on the following play, the Chargers were able to set up a 32 yard Tangle Field Goal with 2:43 left in the period.


The next Brave possession was the Bobby Collins Show. Except for a 10 yard pass from Hirzel to Morehart, Collins got the ball on every single play. Seven carries for 41 yards (including a 5 yd TD), and two receptions - a 17 yard swing pass left side and a 2PT conversion for a 28-10 advantage with 11 minutes left in the fourth. Collins finished with 167 yards on 24 carries (just under 7 yards per carry).


But Dos Pueblos wasn't done yet. They struck quickly, with two Lemosnero 3 yard runs, setting up a 60 yard Lemosnero TD reception. The "great Dane" got loose on the Home sideline and outraced the coverage while Boytis lofted an arcing bomb to him at about the Lompoc 30 yardline. He hauled it in, dodged a couple DB's at the five, and strolled into the endzone. Tangle's EP made it 28-17 9 1/2 minutes still on the clock, and the Charger faithfull dreaming comeback.


Lompoc went three and out, and then committed a 15 yard facemask violation that allowed DP to set up shop, first and ten, on the Braves 44 yardline. Anthony Houston (9 att-25 yds) gained 2 yards, and the Chargers tried the air again. Jamel Whitaker picked it off at the Lompoc 20.


The Braves then drove downfield on long runs by Collins (19 yd), and Vargas (13 yd), and a fourth down 19 yard pass reception by Vargas to the DP 22. Whitaker even contributed 9 yards on two carries, but the drive stalled after a fumble and a stiffening Charger defense. So Lompoc called in Drew Sapp for a 37 yard field goal attempt which was good - making the score 31- 17 with 2:09 to play.


When DP got the ball back, they followed two incomplete passes with a 9 yard SAC (4 for 30 yards). On fouth down the snap rolled back to Boytis who tried to do something with it but was swarmed under by the hard hitting Braves defense. Hirzel then took a knee twice, and that was the ballgame. Final 31-17, with Lompoc 4-0 for the first time since 2004.

Stat Brief
Category Lompoc Dos Pueblos
1st Downs 15 11
Total Yards 302 212
Rush-Yards 44-219 32-59
Passing 9-10-0 9-15-1
Pass yards 83 153
Penalties 5-55 1-5
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-1

Indiviual Rushing
Lompoc
Bobby Collins 24-167 2TD
Favi Vargas 10-29 TD
Scottie Aguailar 5-11
Drew Sapp 1-9
Jamel Whitaker 2-9
Ritchie Hirzel 2- (6)
Dos Pueblos
Dane Lemosnero 10-48
Antony Houston 9-25
Zach Boytis 11-0

Individual Passing
Hirzel [L] 8-8-0 82 TD,2PT
Bower [L] 1-2-0 1
*Boytis [DP] 9-15-1 153 TD
* 1H:7-9 51yd 2H: 2-6-1 102 TD

Indiviual Receiving
Lompoc
Vargas 3-28
Collins 2-19 2PT
Aguailar 2-13
Yruegas 1-13 TD
Morehart 1-10
Dos Pueblos
Isaiah Brown 3-22
Tyler McGaughey 2-15
D. Lemosnero 1-60 TD
C. Bidlow 1-42
Leo Ibarra 1-11
B. Tangle 1-3

Cabrillo
The Conqs gave up three first period TD's to the visiting St. Joseph Knights and never recovered falling 41-0. -- el stato