FILLMORE — Royal came into Friday night’s football game undefeated, but Fillmore made sure the Highlanders wouldn’t leave that way.
The Flashes dominated Royal in a 35-0 shutout at Fillmore High School, handing the Highlanders their first loss of the season in a Tri-County League showdown.
Andrew Estrada and Saul Fraga-Sandoval each scored two touchdowns, while Micah Harm added another as Fillmore celebrated a homecoming victory.
Fillmore (6-2) improved to 3-0 in league play, while Royal (7-1) fell to 2-1.
The Flashes took a 21-0 lead into halftime and added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Royal was unable to get on the scoreboard, giving Fillmore its second shutout of the season.
Fillmore head coach Charlie Weis said his team was prepared for the challenge of facing an undefeated opponent, especially with the game taking place on homecoming night.
“We always feel like we have an advantage, especially when we play at home,” Weis said. “One of the beautiful things about Fillmore is we really do a great job of coming out for our own, especially our youth.”
Weis said the community had spent the week celebrating homecoming, including a parade and float building Thursday night. Despite the weather causing uncertainty about where the game would be played, Fillmore was able to host Royal as scheduled.
The Flashes were also familiar with facing undefeated opponents. Weis said Royal was the third unbeaten team Fillmore had played this season, and the Flashes had already defeated one of the previous two.
“We’re always going to be considered the underdog,” Weis said. “We’re a school of 900 kids.”
Weis said his team’s defense and special teams played a major role in controlling the game.
“I think when we got up to that 21-0 lead before the half, I felt pretty confident,” Weis said.
Fillmore’s offense was able to add another touchdown early in the third quarter, putting the game further out of reach.
Estrada said Fillmore entered the game with confidence despite being considered a smaller school.
“Our mindset’s always the same,” Estrada said. “We’re always going to come in and just think that we’re the better team and we’re always going to be underlooked.”
Estrada said Fillmore found success offensively by getting the ball into the hands of its playmakers.
“We were throwing a lot of screens. We’re just getting the ball to our skill players in open field and just letting them make their plays,” Estrada said.
After handing Royal its first loss of the season, Fraga-Sandoval said the win meant a lot to the team.
“It means everything to us. It means everything to me and my team,” Fraga-Sandoval said.
Royal head coach Cody MacArthur credited Fillmore for taking advantage of his team’s mistakes.
“They were the better team today,” MacArthur said. “They’re a really good squad, and they’re coached well.”
MacArthur pointed to poor blocking and defensive hesitation as areas where Royal struggled throughout the game.
The loss came one week after Royal rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Dos Pueblos 21-17 and remain undefeated.
MacArthur said his team now has to learn from its first setback and prepare for the remaining games on its schedule.
“We failed badly today, but if we can learn from it and grow from it, it’s not a failure,” MacArthur said.