DP wins battle of Goleta

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

As young men clad in gold and blue jerseys slid on their stomachs across a mud-drenched field at Valley Stadium last night, a fleet of red and white San Marcos Royals, heads down, trudged to the locke room after dropping the battle of Goleta to the Dos Pueblos Chargers in a 17-7 grudge match.
The night was won and lost in the fourth quarter, after San Marcos quarterback Sean Kerr tossed two interceptions to Aki Franklin, who single handily won the game on defense for the home team.


But the rest of the game, almost all of the game, was won by the Royals who, with a resurrected Andy Segal at running back, racked up a total of 201 yards to the Chargers’ 169.
With rain falling through the duration of the evening and packed stands that never emptied, it was a game that neither team will forget anytime soon, especially Dos Pueblos.
“That was just a good football game,” said Charger’s Head Coach Jeff Uyesaka. “Hats off to San Marcos.”
Uyesaka also tipped his brim to Franklin, who covered in mud, led the celebrating Chargers in a raucous cheer in the locke room.
“Aki Franklin,” Uyesaka said. “It really doesn’t get any better than that in a cross town game.”
From minute one however, the Royals looked like the winning team.
On Dos Pueblos’ first possession of the game, quarterback Gary Braun fumbled the snap on the third play and San Marcos recovered on the Charger’s 48-yard line.
The Royals rattled off 11 plays, eight of which showcased Segal as the ball carrier, who capped off the drive with a one yard touchdown run with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter.
It would be the Royals’ only points, but well into the fourth quarter looked like it might be just enough.
The Chargers got on the score board with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with a field goal.
San Marcos took over with 4:10 remaining in the half and Kerr threw his first of three interceptions of the night after Segal carried the ball on eight plays for 40 yards. Segal finished the night with 165 rushing yards.
The Chargers took over with 18 seconds remaining, but Braun took a knee and the rivals went into the locker room with the Royals leading 7-3.
With a more intense rain in the second half, both quarterbacks continued to have difficulty handling the slippery football, with Braun struggling to control snaps and Kerr missing his mark on most of his pass attempts.
Kerr was 3-for-13 on the night with 29 passing yards, while Braun was 7-for-9 with 65 passing yards.
After Dos Pueblos punted away their first three possessions of the second half and the Royals punted away twice, Dos Pueblos finally got their break after backing the Royals into a third down and seven situation at their own 19-yard line.
Kerr took the snap out of shotgun and fired a pass down the right side line that was tipped by a San Marcos receiver, then bobbled briefly by Franklin, who took off running for a 29-yard touchdown return, which gave the struggling Chargers a 10-7 lead.
San Marcos took over with 9:22 remaining to play and continued to march down the field behind Segal, who was given all nine carries on the drive for 36-yards before Kerr fumbled the ball at the Dos Pueblo’s 23-yard line. After incurring a 10-yard loss on the fumble, Royal’s Head Coach Dare Holdren elected to go for the tie and attempt a 45-yard field goal.
As the Royal’s crowd on the distant sideline were holding their collective breath, the Royal’s snap came in low and kicker Michael Hodson’s kick fell five yards short of the goal posts.
The Chargers punted away three quick plays later and San Marcos took over on their own 40-yard line with 2:51 on the clock.
After three plays on the Royal’s side of the ball, Kerr found himself in a fourth and long situation again, and Franklin smelled blood.
Kerr tossed a similar looking pass to the right side, but Franklin was the only man there. He sprinted in for a 46-yard touchdown run to seal the victory and ensure that the cross-town rivals remained winless at 5-0.
Holdren, who hasn’t been shy about criticizing his team, continued to do so last night.
“We do just enough to lose,” Holdren said. “We should have won the ball game.”
Holdren did commend Segal, who dislocated his elbow during a game against San Luis Obispo three weeks ago, but carried the embattled Royals on his shoulders last night.
When asked about the game, Braun gave all the credit to Franklin.
“Aki bailed us out of the that one,” he said.
The Chargers are now 4-2 overall, and with the win over San Marcos move to 1-0 in Channel League play.
Uyesaka couldn’t be happier.
“I’m proud of our guys,” he said. “That is a good team out there.”