Unprecedented football season ends with rivalry game at Memorial Stadium in Atascadero  

The Bearcats and Greyhounds met Friday night for the season finale of the 2021 spring football season, and Paso Robles ran away with the victory, 42-13, at Memorial Stadium in Atascadero. The Bearcats were unstoppable Friday night, scoring on their first four possessions of the game while not giving up a first down until there was only 4:10 seconds to go in the second quarter.

Sophomore running back Leo Kemp led the way for the Bearcat offense, rushing for over 100 yards again this season, and was joined in the century club by Devin Mowreader, who burst through the line for a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Paso Robles offensive line, which has been the Bearcat’s strongest unit all season, took over Friday night and created big holes that allowed for rushing touchdowns from five different running backs and one from their quarterback Trevon Bridewell.

The Hounds first hit pay dirt near the end of the second quarter when quarterback Evan Moscardi hit John Tae Jackson, who was all alone behind the Bearcat defense, for a 46-yard touchdown and cut the lead down to 28-6 at halftime.

The Greyhounds received the second-half kickoff and went straight into their bag of tricks for a double pass from quarterback Evan Moscardi to receiver Jarren Fischer who then hit receiver Sean Davis down the field for a big gain. However, the Hounds threw an interception in the red zone and could not turn the drive into points to swing momentum.

The Bearcats went back to work on the ground, and a few minutes later, Coleton Sullivan barreled into the end zone to give Paso Robles a commanding 35-6.

“Atascadero scored pretty quick on us, and we said, out of respect for Atascadero’s coaching staff and players, we have to keep playing hard because those guys could have got back in the game,” Paso Robles head coach Matt Carroll told the Atascadero News. “They had a few chunk plays, scored on us pretty quickly, then opened up the third quarter with a double pass. It was a good chance to see how we react when a team reacts back, so I was really proud.”

The Hounds would score once more in the second half, but the Bearcats would put the game away with their strong running game, winning 42-13.

This 2021 spring season was Paso Robles High School’s first season under new head coach Matt Carroll, and after a bumpy 1-2 start, the Bearcats finished the season with four straight victories and with a record of 5-2 overall, placing them third in the Mountain League.

“The biggest thing, in terms of success, is that we have a great team of young people that we are going to send out into the community that we are proud of,” Carroll said. “That is really the number one thing. Since day one, when I took over, we talked about values and not so much X’s and O’s. If you work on those values, the X’s and O’s will come later. Between the staff and this great group of seniors — just a great group of kids — the plan really came to being because of that.”

The Bearcats will return most of their team next season, including both leading rushers and their quarterback, and should enter the fall as one of the favorites in the Mountain League.

The Greyhounds finished the season winless at 0-7 and in last place in the Ocean League. While the Hounds will graduate several important seniors this June, they will also return some of their top playmakers, starting with sophomore running back Cole Tanner, who reeled off a 60-yard run on Friday night against the Bearcats.

“I have a ton of respect for Atascadero and for coach Cooper and what their staff is doing,” Carroll stated. “They are on the up and up, and they are going to be good here very quickly.