For the first time since 2011, the Arroyo Grande Eagles were back in the CIF Central Section championship game last week— already making history under first-year head coach Stephen Field with a win over Bakersfield in overtime.
But in a hard-fought battle packed with highlights, Arroyo Grande came up just short the Division 3-AA SoCal Regional Round, falling 35–28 to the 12–2 Ventura Cougars, a squad loaded with Division I-bound talent.
Ventura wasted no time, with running back James Watson ripping off a 32-yard run into Arroyo Grande territory before quarterback Derek Garcia hit Jack Cunningham on a fade for the opening touchdown.
The Eagles fired back thanks to a wide receiver screen to Caleb Clark, who sidestepped a defender and turned on the jets for the score. A blocked extra point kept it 7–6.
Garcia and Tristan Savage connected on another Ventura touchdown to make it 14–6, but Clark answered with a long scoring run followed by his own two-point conversion to tie the game at 14–14.
Ventura’s last-minute drive was cut short when Leelynd Dean intercepted Garcia deep in the end zone, sending the game to halftime all square.
The Eagles came out of the break blazing — Zach Tayman broke free on the first play of the half for a 60-yard touchdown and a 21–14 lead.
Not to be outdone, Savage responded with his own 60-yard dash to tie it again, then punched in another short run later to make it 28–21 Cougars.
Clark capped the Eagle's answering drive with his third touchdown of the night, tying it at 28–28 heading into the fourth.
With the game hanging in the balance, Garcia kept the ball himself near the goal line and powered in for the decisive score.
Ventura controlled possession the rest of the way, running out the clock to secure the championship.
Arroyo Grande finished the season 10-5 adding a sixth section title making an impressive debut in their first ever regional battle against Ventura.
