Bella Tomasini was named Homecoming Queen, and Anden Valdez was named Homecoming King at halftime

NORTH COUNTY — The Atascadero, Paso Robles, and Templeton high school football teams all returned to action Friday, Sept. 25, after getting byes the week before, and AHS and PRHS got to celebrate their Homecomings.

Santa Ynez 24, Atascadero 18

The Greyhounds pulled off some big plays against the visiting Pirates, but ultimately fell short in the teams' non-league game at AHS.

Santa Ynez jumped out to a 10-0 lead into the second quarter before AHS got its first score on a 36-yard run by Ernesto Grijalva. His touchdown capped off a 64-yard drive in which the Greyhounds converted on two fourth-and-short plays.

Santa Ynez would score later in the second and take a 17-6 lead into halftime.

The Greyhounds received the second-half kickoff and drove down the field for their second touchdown, a 13-yard run by Michael Trejo, to close the gap to 17-12.

The Pirates scored another TD for a 12-point lead, and then the Greyhounds hit on a long pass as quarterback Cooper Knopf connected with Jacob Perry for a 76-yard touchdown. After the failed PAT, AHS's third of the night, the score stood at 24-18, where it would stay as SYHS got the ball back and eventually took it to the Atascadero 10-yard line before running out the clock.

Knoph completed 9 of 13 passes for 122, including the long TD pass, while Grijalva (65 yards) and Xavi Cano (58 yards) led the Greyhound rushing attack.

Perry (14 tackles) and Cano (13 tackles) were standouts on defense, but the Greyhounds allowed the Pirates to generate 339 yards of offense on the night, 220 on the ground.

Obviously it wasn't our best showing. We looked like a team that just got off a bye week," AHS head coach Dan Loney said a few days later. "The good thing is there are still five more games and this was good learning experience for the team. We refocused and are having a great week of practice.

AHS has one more non-league game this Friday, Oct. 2, and it's a big test: county football stalwart Arroyo Grande.

"AG is the premier team on the Central Coast," Loney said. "They are big, fast and well-coached. Our team is excited to prove last week was an off week and to have a solid performance against AG."

During halftime, AHS held its Homecoming festivities as the Homecoming court was introduced on the field. Bella Tomasini was named Homecoming Queen and Anden Valdez was named Homecoming King. Other members of the Homecoming Court were Maya Broadwater, Maggie Little, Joni Ferreira, and Jacob Perry.

Paso Robles 42, Cabrillo 12

The Bearcats' Homecoming crowd went home happy last Friday night as PRHS's rushing attack wore down Cabrillo's defense on its way to victory.

The game actually started out to be a tight one, as the Bearcats went three-and-out on its first drive, and the Conquistadores were able to drive down the field and score on a quarterback keeper.

PRHS, though, came right back on its next drive as Emmett Dobroth ran for a 52-yard touchdown. After the missed extra point, the first quarter ended in a 6-6 tie.

However, the Bearcats would dominate the second quarter with three touchdowns, including an 85-yard run by Matthew Amman that was the team's longest this year. Quarterback Vincent Berlingeri (14 yards) and Aiden Messina (48 yards) would add TDs later and PRHS went into the half with a 28-6 lead.

Cabrillo would score its second, and last, touchdown in the third, but Messina added two more scores, runs of 15 and 38 yards, in the fourth to cap it off for PRHS.

Messina would lead the team with 192 yards rushing on 12 carries, averaging 16 yards a carry.

"Things are clicking offensively, and I am very happy with the run game," Bearcats head coach Matt Carroll said. "We rushed for over 400 yards on 30 plays."

PRHS will begin Sunset League play at home this Friday, Oct. 2, and it will be a big test: Its opponent, Lompoc High, is currently 5-0 and has outscored its opponents 215-15.

"We have some great momentum going into Sunset League play," Carroll said. "We know Lompoc is a great team on both sides of the ball."

At halftime, PRHS held its Homecoming ceremonies on the War Memorial Stadium field. Kaia Cross was named Homecoming Queen, while Gerald Jackson got Homecoming King honors. Jackson Bedrosian, Emmett Dobroth, and McKinley Huffman made up the the senior Homecoming Court. Quincy Jackson (freshman prince),

Chloe Carroll (freshman princess), Sabrina Paine (sophomore princess), Liam Ellerson (sophomore prince),

and Kaylah Camarena (junior princess) completed the court.

Templeton 50, Pioneer Valley 13

The Eagles continued their regular season win streak, defeating the visiting Panthers to go to 5-0 on the season. Templeton has outscored its opponents 250-26 so far this season.

Quarterback Colten Tannehill was again putting up a bunch of yards, and points on the scoreboard. Against PVHS, he threw for 310 yards on 16-of-22 passes and four touchdowns. He also rushed for two scores.

Tannehill's favorite target on this night was Colby Sims, who caught six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles top rusher was Jesse Grinnel, who carried eight time for 67 yards and a TD.

Templeton will begin Sunset League play this Friday, Oct. 2, with a game at Nipomo High. This game should be a test for the Eagles as they and the Titans are mirror images: Undefeated squads with high-powered offenses and a bunch of lopsided wins in their wake.

Feature Image: The Atascadero High 2026 Homecoming Court — (from left) Maya Broadwater, Maggie Little, Joni Ferreira, Jacob Perry, Bella Tomasini, and Anden Valdez are shown during halftime festivities on Sept. 25. Tomasini would be named Queen, and Valdez would be named King shortly thereafter. Photo by Rick Evans/ATN