ROUNDUP : McGaughey Returns to Spark Atascadero to Title

Ryan McGaughey, who was in a hospital bed a week earlier, rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns in 32 carries, caught a touchdown pass of 13 yards and blocked an extra-point kick to lead Atascadero to a 42-20 victory over Ojai Nordhoff and its second consecutive Southern Section Division IX championship Saturday night in front of 6,000 at L.A. Valley College.

McGaughey, who came into the game with 1,861 yards rushing, was hospitalized with meningitis during the Greyhounds’ semifinal victory over Harvard-Westlake the previous week. A return for the final was in doubt.

“He listened to the game on the radio last week while he was getting a spinal tap,” Atascadero Coach Larry Welsh said of the 160-pound senior. “He said he was going to be here. And he came to play.”

Running back Josh Hawkins rushed for 135 yards and scored all three Nordhoff touchdowns. He scored on runs of 11 and seven yards and romped 85 yards with a short pass from Mike Gardia.

In the Southern Section Division VII championship game:

Arroyo Grande 16, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 0--Sophomore Jimmy Pratt scored two touchdowns and led a productive Arroyo Grande rushing attack, as the Eagles gained all 227 of their yards on the ground.

Pratt, who scored on runs of one and 29 yards, finished the game with 71 yards on 15 carries.

In the City 4-A championship game:

Sylmar 38, Crenshaw 6--Durell Price, a junior running back, carried 19 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns to lead Sylmar in front of about 2,000 at El Camino College.