THE BIG GAME / SAN PASQUAL 20, SAN MARCOS 18 : Geddes’ Pass Sets Up Decisive Touchdown

San Pasqual and San Marcos pride themselves on being able to run the football. And for three quarters, both teams took turns grinding yards into touchdowns.

But San Pasqual showed itself the more diverse team when it counted, completing a key 36-yard pass that led to its game-winning touchdown in a 20-18 comeback victory Friday night over eighth-ranked San Marcos in an Avocado League game.

With 1:50 remaining the fourth quarter and San Pasqual trailing, Golden Eagles quarterback Billy Geddes hit running back Daryle Hawkins on a fly pattern that took the Eagles from the San Marcos 38 to the San Marcos two-yard line.

Three plays later, fullback Mike Walters bulled in from the two to give the Eagles (5-2, 3-1) a 20-18 lead. San Pasqual missed the conversion because of a mishandled snap.

“That’s a basic pattern we run,” San Pasqual Coach Mike Dolan said. “They brought a guy up on the line and Daryle just ran by him. Billy laid it right in there.”

Said Hawkins: “I just ran straight up the field, turned around and the ball was there.”

Geddes, who completed four of eight passes for 91 yards, kept the winning drive alive with a 11-yard completion to Curt Marsh on a fourth and five at San Pasqual 49.

But while Geddes was on target when he needed to be, San Marcos quarterback Chaise Bivin threw three big interceptions, two of them in the fourth quarter.

But the biggest came with San Marcos (5-2, 3-1) driving and heading for an apparent game-clinching touchdown. San Marcos had first down on the San Pasqual 24, when Knight Coach Ken Broach took a risk.

Bivin threw a fade pattern in the end zone to Charles Stringfellow, but it was underthrown, and San Marcos defensive back David Villa outfought Stringfellow and came up with the interception in the end zone.

“I’d like to have that one back,” Broach said. “It was there the time before, but that kid played it real well.”

After the first quarter and a half, it appeared San Pasqual would be the team giving away the game. It fumbled three times in the first half and San Marcos converted two of the turnovers for touchdowns. Mark Frazier scored the first on a four-yard run, Bivin got the second on a 10-yard naked bootleg to give the Knights 12-0 lead after the first quarter. Frazier then scored with 9:08 left in the half on 21-yard run. But the conversion failed when Bivin was tackled in the backfield.

San Pasqual showed some life before the half, taking the ball 55 yards in three plays. Geddes scored on a 10-yard run and Geddes threw to Marsh for the conversion.

San Pasqual came out and took the opening kickoff 75 yards on nine plays to cut the San Marcos lead to 18-14. Hawkins capped the drive on a three-yard run, but the kick failed.

San Marcos had 182 yards rushing in the first half but little success afterward. Frazier had 110 of his 131 rushing yards in the first half.