The Santa Paula High football team looked totally in control of its Tri-County League opener against Royal.
Then Alex Galvez came roaring off the edge.
The senior defensive end delivered a hit on quarterback Rene Vega that completely altered the course of the game, driving the junior into the turf for a sack and forcing a fumble that was recovered by teammate Julian Gallo for a score.
“The momentum shift was on,” Royal interim head coach Cody MacArthur said.
Starting with the defensive score, Royal scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to rally from a 24-14 halftime deficit to defeat visiting Santa Paula 42-24 on Friday, Oct. 2, in Simi Valley.
The Highlanders (6-0) remain
unbeaten, continuing the program’s longest unbeaten streak since 1991. Santa Paula (3-3) dropped to .500 on the season.
“There's no quit in these guys,” MacArthur said. “We've been tied, we've been up by one, and now we're down 10 in the first half and we've come back and done what we needed to.”
A back-and-forth first half saw the touchdowns pile up for both teams.
Royal slot back Landen Murray scored a pair of TDs for the Highlanders, one in each of the first two quarters, to keep pace with a Santa Paula offense that found a scoring rhythm early.
The senior punched into the end zone from the 2-yard line to tie the game, 7-7, in the first quarter, then scored again from 5 yards out minutes later to make it 14-14 with 7:30 to play in the first half.
Trading TDs!
— Dominic Massimino (@VCSDominic) October 3, 2026
Royal’s Landen Murray scores his second of the night, this one from 5 yards out, to tie the game, 14-14, with 7:30 to play in Q2. pic.twitter.com/PacudBTzZx
Santa Paula defensive end Gael Flores, who is one of Ventura County’s top pass rushers, filled in at running back for the Cardinals with the first- and second-string backs both out with injuries.
The senior piled up three TDs, all in the first half, on just five carries.
“Out of necessity, he was back there,” Santa Paula head coach Mike Montoya said. “He is a tough kid and he probably will play anywhere on the field if we ask him to. The heart that he has, and he has displayed throughout his career, is just incredible. Just a hell of a player on both sides of the ball.”
Flores drove in his third score on a bruising, 11-yard run up the middle, plowing over a pair of Highlanders on the path to the end zone with just over a minute remaining in the first half. A bad snap by Royal on a punt try allowed Santa Paula to score again on a 28-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead at the half.
Make it three scores for Gael Flores!
— Dominic Massimino (@VCSDominic) October 3, 2026
He drives into the end zone from 11 yards out to put Santa Paula up 21-14 over Royal with just under two minutes to play in the first half. pic.twitter.com/CvZSVu4rXz
Galvez’s game-changing play couldn’t have come at a better time for Royal.
After marching nearly the length of the field on the opening drive of the second half, Royal quarterback Preston Murray was intercepted on the Cardinals' 2-yard line by cornerback JuJu Gomez.
When the Santa Paula offense took over, Galvez saw his opportunity.
ALEX GALVEZ! BIG PLAY!
— Dominic Massimino (@VCSDominic) October 3, 2026
The Royal linebacker sacks Santa Paula QB Rene Vega in the end zone with this big hit and brings the Highlanders within 24-21 with 5:15 to play in Q3. pic.twitter.com/3k9JOikChR
“I had like a little jab step to the out and then I hit inside, and it was a wide-open gap,” Galvez said. “I just kept running, running, running — that's when I got him.”
The Highlanders successfully converted an onside kick moments later, punted deep into Cardinals territory, forced a Santa Paula punt and then scored again on a 10-yard run from running back Landon Shaffer, who finished with 169 yards and two TDs on 16 carries.
“It was actually beautiful to watch,” Shaffer said of the turnaround following Galvez’s huge play.
Santa Paula was held scoreless in the second half, forced to punt twice as drives stalled due to the Highlanders’ pressure forcing Vega out of the pocket or into sacks. Vega finished 16 for 22 for 156 yards and an interception.
“Just mental mistakes,” Montoya said. “I thought we were playing very well up until mid-third quarter, and the mental mistakes caught up to us.”
Shaffer had the exclamation mark for Royal. An 8-yard scoring run from Josh Salazar put the Highlanders up two scores late in the fourth quarter, but Shaffer’s 40-yard TD run in the game’s final moments — set up by a 38-yard Salazar carry — made the lead insurmountable.
Royal heads into a Week 7 matchup with Dos Pueblos as one of the last two teams, along with Nordhoff, in Ventura County still undefeated. For the seniors who won just five total games over the last three seasons, every game brings a new level of excitement.
“It’s such an experience,” Shaffer said. ”I've seen all the ups and downs, you know? I got here when it was still a losing team and the vibes were not like it is today. Me and Alex (Galvez), we really got to see this whole program take a turn. It's built up slowly, slowly. Now, we're finally picking it up.”
Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Royal rallies to beat Santa Paula to remain undefeated at 6-0
