Greyhounds’ season opener spoiled in 28-21 loss to the North Stars
– The Atascadero Greyhounds football team fell to the Bakersfield North Stars in their season opener by a score of 28-21. Atascadero starts their year with a 0-1 record while Bakersfield earns their first win to put them at 1-1.
There were many questions for the Greyhounds to answer coming into the game, with a new head coach in Dan Loney following the retirement of longtime coach Van Cooper, and a sophomore quarterback making his varsity debut in Michael Trejo.
Atascadero was quick to shut down any skeptics in their first offensive drive. On the first play, Trejo earned a first down with his legs, and the Greyhounds were rolling from then on. After a couple more first-down rushes from Austin Smith and Joseph Hyde, Smith found the endzone on a 4-yard rush to put Atascadero up 7-0.
However, Bakersfield was given a great field position as the Greyhounds elected to go for a pooch kick. The Stars recovered the ball at the 40-yard line and had a short field to work with as they went on offense. They drove down the field with ease before junior quarterback Bradley Dockery kept the ball for a two-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter, knotting the game up at 7-7.
Atascadero got the ball back to begin the second quarter, sticking with their rushing attack that worked so well on their first drive. Senior Joseph Hyde rushed for a 12-yard gain that was called back for holding, but followed that with a 30-yard run all the way to the endzone for another Greyhound touchdown to make it 14-7.
On their following offensive drive, Bakersfield refused to back down from the offensive shootout. The Atascadero defense bit on a North Star play fake, leaving a receiver open down the field for an 80-yard touchdown to once again tie the game at 14-14.
The Stars would get the first stop of the game, forcing a Greyhound three and out and getting the ball back quickly. Dockery scored his second rushing touchdown of the night from three yards out, giving Bakersfield their first lead of the game at 21-14 to end the first half.
The Greyhounds finally got their first stop of the game in the opening drive of the second half, after forcing some Bakersfield incompletions. On the 4th down punt, a high snap that landed on the ground forced the Stars’ punter to pick it up and throw an incomplete pass to give Atascadero great field position.
With the ball at the North Star 44-yard line, the Greyhounds put together a short drive to the goal line after a pass interference call on an endzone shot to junior receiver Jeremy Hendrix. Senior Austin Smith ran the ball in from 5 yards out, making the score 21-21 at the end of the third.
Motivated after their offense tied the score, the Atascadero defense came to play on the next drive. Bringing the pressure on 4th down, the Greyhounds forced an errant toss attempt by the North Stars on 4th down that hit the running back’s side and luckily landed right back into the quarterback’s hands. However, Atascadero would get the ball back for another offensive possession.
Some great runs from Hyde had the Greyhounds set up well again in Bakersfield territory as time winded down. Their drive was threatened with a flat finish before Trejo scrambled on 4th down to keep the possession alive. It wouldn’t be for much longer though, as a nine-yard loss stalled the Atascadero drive and they turned the ball over on downs with two minutes remaining.
Both teams traded three and outs with the game approaching a rapid end. WIth 29 seconds to go, the Stars were set up at the Atascadero 45 with a shot at breaking the tie. A pair of runs by Bradley Dockery put them at the 27-yard line with 14 seconds to go. Dockery would then throw a jump ball downfield to his 6 ‘3 receiver Evan Lawshe for the go-ahead touchdown to give the Stars the 28-21 victory.
The Greyhounds will search for their first victory on the road next week in a showdown with the Roosevelt Rough Riders in Fresno on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
-By Lano Somotun
