For Templeton High School varsity football team standout Tyler Gray, it was another big night Friday in his team’s 46-7 win over Pacifica.

Gray had a little company though, as Daniel Wheeler was the other big name of the night for the Eagles. Wheeler recovered three fumbles in the second half, with two of those setting the Eagles up for eventual touchdowns.

Coming into this game, Gray said he felt a little underprepared, believing that Pacifica would prove a worthy adversary.

“I knew they were going to come out strong, and I thought I had underpracticed for this game,” he said. “But we just stepped it up all week, and came into the game strong and the line’s blocking was amazing.”

Gray acknowledged that having a dependable line makes his job of getting into the end zone a little easier.

“Our line really worked hard tonight, and stopped them,” he said.

Wheeler agreed that the linemen really came through in the game.

“The whole team was hard hitting, getting their helmets in there and it was a lot of holding them up and slow tackling, and just popping it loose,” he said.

Gray rushed 12 times for 57 yards and scored three touchdowns. One of those scores was a 38-yard interception return with 35 seconds left to play in the third quarter that put his team up 39-7 on the way to a 46-7 victory over the Tritons.

Gray started it off in the first quarter when he rushed in from 12 yards out, and with the extra point from Dakota Oropeza, the Eagles led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Eagles added three more touchdowns, the first on a 29-yard run from Chad McGill, the second on a 41-yard pass reception from Nolan Hildebrand to Oropeza and the last a one-yard run from Gray with five seconds left in the quarter to put the Eagles up 26-7 to end the first half.

Hildebrand went 6-for-9 for 96 yards and a touchdown.

The Tritons’ lone touchdown came in the second quarter when quarterback Max Mondol handed off to Jose Garcia on fourth and goal. Garcia rushed 15 times for 42 yards, and Mondol went 13-for-24 for 135 yards.

The Eagles added three more touchdowns in the second half, one from Gray, one from Kory Dearie. Gray’s final touchdown of the night came on his interception return. Then Kevin Kutz closed out the night for the Eagles with a 41-yard touchdown run with a minute and a half left to play off a pass from junior quarterback Simon Roth.

With the Eagles already up 33-7 when Gray intercepted for the touchdown, Wheeler said he felt at that point the Tritons just kind of gave up.

“I think their heads kind of got out of it once Tyler intercepted for a touchdown,” he said. “And then after that, it was just bulldozing for us.”

The Eagles have a bye this week. They play one more non-league game on the road against King City on Friday, Sept. 25. Then they come home for their first league game against the defending Los Padres League champions, St. Joseph, on Friday, Oct. 2.





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