Sports

Since starting the CIF state Division V girls volleyball playoffs last week, Coast Union has fought its way out of tough situations. They have battled back from the brink of elimination, and beaten an all-too-familiar rival.

Andrew Gardner is an easy target.

At 5-foot-7, 162 pounds, the Mustangs’ junior place-kicker is dwarfed by just about everyone on the Cal Poly sideline — even some of the ball boys.

When he trots on the field, you can’t help but point a finger, especially after all of the ups and downs the Cal Poly kicking game has endured this season.

Despite four interceptions in Saturday's 49-35 playoff loss to Weber State, Mustangs QB comes away with stellar career numbers

There was no room to blame Andrew Gardner this time.

Cal Poly’s beleaguered junior placekicker did his job perfectly. It was the rest of the Mustangs football team — especially an offense that looked little like the statistical monster it was coming into the game — that dropped the ball on Saturday.

Ramses Barden couldn’t put it into words.

Seven days after playing turnover-free football in a near-upset of a bowl team on the road, Cal Poly fumbled and bumbled its way to a postseason letdown against Weber State.

FRESNO - For the past three seasons, Mission Prep senior Jordan Hasay has dominated the Division V girls race. In her final race for the Royals at the CIF state cross country meet at Woodward Park, Hasay continued that trend in convincing fashion.

What a difference a few minutes makes.

The Coast Union girls volleyball team avenged its loss nearly two weeks ago in the CIF-Central Section Division V finals to Mission Prep by eliminating the Royals 25-23, 14-25, 14-25, 25-23, 15-8 from the CIF Southern California Division V state playoffs.

Sophomore quarterback Cameron Higgins threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevyn Smith rushed for 137 yards and two scores as Weber State downed Cal Poly 49-35 in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs Saturday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

David Fullerton and the rest of the redshirting freshmen were all gathered around the big screen TVs at the Cal Poly dorms.

The year was 2005. Fullerton and the others watched running back James Noble, a redshirt freshman in his second year in the program, and the rest of the Mustangs oust Montana 35-21 on the road in the first round of what was then the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Noble rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow redshirt freshman Ramses Barden caught three passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Back home, Fullerton was just happy to be wearing a new T-shirt commemorating the game.

And before tonight’s 6:05 showdown with Weber State (9-3) in the first round of the FCS playoffs, that was the last time Cal Poly (8-2) was in the postseason.

Greyhounds fall to Moorpark in second round of Northern Division playoffs.

The Paso Robles High football team was already without leading receiver Cheston Holguin.

Morro Bay pulled out a narrow victory, defeating Harvard-Westlake 15-14 in a CIF Southern Section Northwest Division playoff game on Friday night at Pirates Stadium.

Dylan Morrow and the Mission Prep football team were in unfamiliar territory midway through the second quarter Friday night.

Jordan Hasay has more than made her mark at the CIF state cross country meet.

After withstanding a late surge by Missouri-Kansas City, including 19 second-half points from Chazny Morris, Cal Poly came away with a hard-fought 69-62 victory in the Courtyard by Marriott San Luis Obispo Holiday Beach Classic in Mott Gym on Friday.

Tribune high school sports reporter Erick D. Smith will host a live blog from the Moorpark (10-1) at Atascadero (9-2) second-round CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff football game. The live blog will begin around 7 p.m. and the game is scheduled to begin at 7:30.

Cal Poly baseball head coach Larry Lee announced Wednesday that the Mustangs have signed seven new players.

Recent CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoff history hasn’t been kind to the football teams coming out of the PAC 7.

IRVINE – UC Irvine gained the rights to the storybook postseason run while leaving Cal Poly with the bitterest of endings.