By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
TAFT — Third-seed Santa Maria was dealt an early University Interscholastic League Class 2A Division I playoff exit at the hands of Weimar with a 35-13 loss Thursday night at Taft.
“We tried to withstand their initial pressure,” Santa Maria coach Israel Gracia said. “We tried to hang in there, and we hung in through the third quarter. They made us pay.”
After quarterback Nathaniel Rodriguez completed a 45-yard pass to Bernie Castellanos, Rodriguez helped even the game at 7 points apiece with a first-quarter touchdown run.
With about two minutes to go in the second quarter, Rodriguez threw an interception that enabled Weimar to drive for the go-ahead score and take a 14-7 lead at the half.
The second seed in District 15-2A Division I proceeded to reel off 21 second-half points — which were interrupted only by a 30-yard touchdown reception on a slant to Santa Maria’s Bernie Castellanos — to cruise to a bi-district win.
“(Weimar’s players) were big,” Gracia said. “They were real tough to stop. They got us through the air, that was the catch. We stopped the run a little bit, and we made them work for it. But they got some cheap ones through the air. It happens. … They pulled away on a trick play, it was a toss-pass. It got a little chippy.”
The Cougars (7-3, 3-2 16-2A DI) had won four of their previous six games and two in a row to close the regular season, including a come-from-behind 35-30 victory against Freer to clinch the third seed in District 16-2A.
The Wildcats (10-1, 3-1 15-2A DI) advance to the area round to play Mason, which defeated Thrall 41-20 on Thursday.