ESCONDIDO – There was some delay for Escondido getting the ball against San Pasqual last night. But once the Cougars went on offense, Ricky Seale didn't hesitate having an impact.

Seale went 81 yards for a touchdown on his first run, then scampered 61 to score on his second. By night's end, the junior running back set a career record with 320 yards rushing with four TDs on 17 carries in the regular-season finale.

The Cougars were not only off and running to a 45-14 victory over their cross-town rival in an Avocado League encounter, but also staking a claim to the second seed in the San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

“Those (factors) weighed equally,” said Seale, who surpassed his previous best of 311 yards rushing, set earlier this season. “Last year, they beat us 42-7, so that pumped us up. Also, we're fighting for second seed. We didn't go to the playoffs last year, so it just made it that much better for us.”

Seventh-ranked Escondido (8-2, 4-1) will find its playoff seeding today. In the Cougars' favor, they have scored at least 42 points in each victory this season.

“We should get a No. 2 seed,” said Escondido coach Paul Gomes, whose club rebounded from a 2-7 showing last year. “We needed to play like it, too. This was a good one. We knew San Pasqual would play us tough.”

The host Eagles (2-8, 0-5) ended up with their seventh straight loss, likely missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

San Pasqual kicked off the first two times in the game and recovered the ball in each instance.

First, Jacob Cruz pounced on a fumble on the Cougars 19 to set up a 6-yard TD run by Andrew Nenow to open the scoring. Eagles kicker Jake Barkheimer then recovered his own onside attempt, but five plays later, Escondido's Dana Walker had a fumble recovery, leading to Seale's first TD.

With his second score, Seale put the Cougars ahead to stay 14-7 with 3:27 left in the first quarter. He added a 32-yard TD run on Escondido's third possession.

“Rushing (yardage) doesn't really matter to me,” said Seale, who also scored on a 34-yard in the third quarter. “It's more that I can help my team win.”

The Cougars' Tim Zier, who finished with 117 yards on 11 carries, scored on a 32-yard pass from Zach Embrey and a 47-yard run.

In a first half of bobbles, Escondido's Riley Wilson and Andrew Wahlquist also recovered fumbles. Also, Barkheimer added another on kickoff coverage for the Eagles.

San Pasqual's Joel Jernigan had 93 yards and one TD on 17 carries before leaving the game with a third-quarter leg injury.