The Braves Sweep Nipomo

Would you like some Defense with that ?



The Braves dominated the Nipomo Titans in the varsity finale that sent Lompoc fans home happy with a sweep of all three levels of football. Events started slowly on Thursday as the Freshmen squad held on to win 7-3, escalated with a 53-0 JV blowout and culminated with Friday nights 32-0 whitewash of a game Nipomo team.
[Initial Post- Frosh/JV recaps , stats etc to follow as soon as possible]
Varsity Recap
Lompoc 32 Nipomo 0

1st Quarter
The game started quickly for Lompoc when super-soph Jamel (not his brother Jamal) Whitaker picked off an attempted pass from Titan QB Josh Correia on the first play of the game. Unfortunately, the Braves gave it back three plays later, when a high pass from Lompoc QB Ryan Bower was tipped into the deep secondary and hauled in by Titan Kevin Britt.

Starting from their own 44 yard line the Titans had their best drive of the game - 9 plays for 38 yards with two first downs. The primary feature of which a 12 yard run by Garrett Robinson on a fake punt on Nipomo's initial fourth down at the Lompoc 49. But, that drive stalled at the Lompoc 18 and Nipomo's 35 yard field goal attempt was wide left. Lompoc responded with a 7 play, 40 yard drive before punting the ball back to the Titans.
Nipomo went 3 and out, but punt returner Scott Aguailar was absolutely rocked when he tried to pick up the bouncing ball and Nipomo recovered the fumble at the Braves 29. The very stout Lompoc defense again stoned the Titans forcing a punt from the 33 to end the first quarter.

2nd Quarter
Bobby Collins started things off with a 26 yard rip - but was called back due to a holding penalty. The Lompoc three and out led to a 49 yard Ryan Bower punt (he was great all night punting the ball). Nipomo couldn't move the ball, in part due to two Illegal Procedure penalties caused by blitzing Braves linebackers and it appeared that a punting battle was going to break out.
Fate,however, and Lompoc linebacker Jake "The Snake" Morehart took a hand. Morehart blew into the backfield as Correia (also the punter) was picking a low snap out of the dirt, and cleanly plucked the ball off his foot. The blocked ball was swarmed on by a group of Braves and Lompoc took over at the Nipomo 6 yard line.

This is where things got both better and yet more frustrating for the folks in blue, as the Braves offense went through a stretch when the just couldn't get the ball into the endzone. Collins left, and Collins right, left the ball sitting just outside the target. As Greg Ratcliff put it on the LLR broadcast - "If the ball hadn't shaved this morning, that would be a touchdown". Exactly right , Greg !. Favi Vargas up the middle lost a yard, and Lompoc went for it on fourth down, but Bowers throw was just off Collins hands in the left corner of the south enzone.

Nipomo's FB Ken Knudson was drilled in the endzone on the ensuing play but, in the opinion of the officials, just managed to squeeze the ball back into the field of play. A second attempt by Knudsen was not successful. Morehart hit him about 4 yards deep in the backfield, and the Matt Kronick / Favi Vargas combo drilled him short of the goalline for a Lompoc Safety. Braves lead 2-0.

After the free kick Lompoc set up shop at the Nipomo 44, and proceeded to march down the field in eight plays for the TD. Vargas was able to punch it in from the four - on the Braves fourth play from inside the ten on the possession. Drew Sapp drilled the extra point through the uprights, as he did all night, and the Braves were up 9-0.

The ensuing Titan trip began with the customary penalty on the kickoff return and resulted in a 6 yard three and out. Bobby Collins took the 33 yard punt back 45 yards to Nipomo 14 with the clock ticking down. A 13 yard effort by Collins was stopped just outside the goalline with 0:14 left in the 2nd quarter, and Lompoc burned their final timeout. Collins was stopped on a sweep to the left, and the half ended with the Braves on the outside looking in.

3rd Quarter
The Braves managed a first down after receiving the kickoff, but a negative run and two missed passes led to the only Bower punt that was returned all night - for a one yard loss! Nipomo again went three and out and punted out of bounds at the 25 to avoid the Braves returners.

Lompoc managed another first down, but again the drive stalled and Drew Sapp was called upon to hit his first ever varsity field goal. He got an assist from holder Rudy Yruegas, who had to deal with several questionable snaps, and absolutely stuck it. Lompoc has some kickers, folks! Lompoc up 12-0 with 5:09 left 3rd quarter.

The teams ran out the rest of the third period by exchanging punts - a competition won by Lompoc, pinning the Titans at their own seven.

4th Quarter

After a first down at their 24, Nipomo began the fourth with a timeout, a penalty (Ill.Pro.), and a turnover. A swing pass to running back Duane Hanna on second and 14 was rudely interrupted after a two yard gain when he was stung by a jarring hit and coughed up the football. Defensive End Roman Campos, who seemed to spend half his time in the Titan backfield, scooped up the ball and returned it to (guess where) - the one inch line of Nipomo.

This time Morehart, deciding if you can't run through them, or run around them, jump over them - so the CIF hurdles qualifier somersaulted over the pile into the endzone. Sapp, et. al. were money and the Braves pushed out to a somewhat more comfortable 19-0 lead.

Nipomo again got a first down, before stalling at the Lompoc 46 and attempting a second fake punt. Kevin Britt, a WR/DB/ Whatever you need player all night, was wide open at the Lompoc 35 but inexplicably dropped the pass. Lompoc punted after a three and out, and suddenly a flag throwing demonstration broke out. There was a wave off on the punt return, and were holding, offsides, and illegal procedure penalties sandwiched around three Nipomo offensive plays.

Facing a fourth and 8 from the 22, The Titans attempted to punt, but were again thwarted by Jake Morehart who collected his second blocked punt of the game. Lompoc took over on the Nipomo 5. Then Ryan Bower picked up his first ever TD pass, when he hit Frankie Martinez on a five-yarder over the middle. The Braves "Sapp"-ed them again to ease out to a 26-0 advavantage.

Nipomo punted after three plays "gained" minus one yard. The Braves then gave the ball to Whitaker on three consecutive pitch sweeps (alternating sides), and he scored from ten yards out as time expired. No PAT was attempted.

Varsity Stats:
[a Brief summary until tech problems overcome]

============ Lompoc Nipomo
First Downs 10 5
Total Yards 219 125
Rush - Yards 33-177 34-104
Passing Yards 43 21
Passing 4-15-1 5-16-1
Penalties 4-30 6-45
Fumbles - Lost 2-1 3-1
Punts - Ave 5- 35.8 6- 28.0

Rushing - Lompoc
Morehart 5-21 TD
Vargas 8-50 TD
Aguailar 4-19
Bower 3-6 Fbl
Collins 10-36
Whitaker 3-39 TD
Recieving - Lompoc
Aguailar 1-23
Collins 1-14
Martinez 1-5 TD
Yruegas 1-1

JV Recap
Lompoc 53 Nipomo 0
Lompoc scored on the opening kickoff and on 8 of 11 posessesions. The Titans turned the ball over on downs twice, by fumble 4 times, and interception on two occasions. They punted two times (25 yd ave) and their final drive consisted of getting the ball with one second left in the game and a running clock. Lompoc held them to 68 yards on 32 plays [17- 19 rushing] - and half of that came on a 9 play, 34 yard drive just before halftime with the Braves in 'prevent' mode. Lompoc used 12 different ball carriers in compiling 262 on 34 carries. QB Evan Aguilar hit 3 of 3 for 60 yards to three recievers.
Drive Chart
L1: Jordon Collins 82yd KOR TD, EP wd lft 6-0
N1: 7 plays - 7 yards ; Fbl - Rcvr by Abie Luna No Return
L2: 2 - 55 yd ; J Collins 46 TD RUN, Pass Brkn Up 12-0
N2: 3- 3 Punt
L3: 9-62 yd (31 yd pass to D. Morgan); L Haynes 10 yd TD RUN, 2PT PASS to A Luna 20-0
N3: 3 - 5 yd Punt
L4: 5 - 39 ( two complete passes - 29 yd) ; Lost on Downs (two penalties )
N4: 1 - 0 ; INT Ret by J Collins 29 yd to 12 Np 12 ydln
L5: 3- 12 yd ; L Haynes 1 yd TD RUN, Kick Blocked 26-0
N5: Fble after 20 yd KOR - Rcvr by Sergio DeAlba No Return
L6: 3- 35 yd ; L Haynes 25 yd TD RUN, Kick Blocked 32-0
N6: 2- (-2) ; Pass Rcpn (0 yd) Fmbl- Rcvt by Larry Moorman
L7: Larry Moorman 29 yd TD RET, D Morgan kick EP 39-0
N7: 9- 34 [12 y run, 19 y pass, (-7 ) SAC by D Chambers] ; Lost on Downs
L8: 1- (-1); QB Evan Aguilar took knee /// Half
[Running Clock]
N8: 3- (-2) ; Lost on Downs
L9: 8- 74 yd (A Luna 45 yd run) ; Cristin Garcia 1 yd TD RUN, Morgan Kick EP 46-0
N9: 1- (-2) ;Fble Xchg (new QB) - Rcvr by Thomas Lintner No Return
L10: 3-34 [New QB Dalton Chambers]; Cristin Garcia 34 yd TD RUN Morgan Kick EP 53-0
N10: 3-25 (all three = pass) ; INT by Dalton Chambers No Return
L11: 3-12 (Holding Pen) ; Punt 16 yd out of bounds
N11: Game Ends

One interesting incident during the game. The PA Announcer, located on the home side of the field, had been provided with the Lompoc "home" roster which didn't match the numbers he was seeing on the field, including the very active #44. [LHS doesn't have complete sets of uniforms in both colors]. So after several "not on roster" comments the announcer began crediting tackles to 'Roy Howell', 'Casey Candaele', and other Brave icons. If Thomas Lintner lives up to those players, he will be a very special player indeed !

Frosh Recap
Lompoc 7 Nipomo 3
After you Gaston. That seemed to be the theme through most of this one, as neither squad really established much offense. Both teams generated 9 first downs in 15 possessions, and the scoring occurred on one big play and due to a fortuitous turnover. Lompoc turned the ball over twice on fumbles and received three turnovers from the Titans. The Braves generated 162 yards total offense with 69 of that coming on a Brandon Moorman jaunt on their third snap of the game. Nipomo kicked a field goal after receiving a gift fumble at the Lompoc 10 yard line at the end of the third quarter. Quarterback Keldon Marmolejo completed 2 of 4 passes for 31 yards - both to Braves fullback Aaron Kucharski who picked up 44 yards on 12 carries and accounted for 3 of the 4 Lompoc first downs. Moorman finished with 82 yards on 4 carries. Oscar Villa and Damion Black had picks, while Virlin Donelson recovered a fumble, as part of a stifling Braves defensive effort. Nipomo managed only 97 yard on 33 plays including 94 yards on 25 carries. Passing was almost impossible for the Titans as the Lompoc rush was contantly in the backfield. Nipomo finished 1 of 8 for 3 yards with the two interceptions. ---- el stato