Santa Barbara Stifles Hueneme to claim First Victory
Dons Bounce Back With Impressive Victory
Spring football in the newly renovated Peabody Stadium brought out the best in the Santa Barbara High football team as the Dons routed visiting Hueneme 34-12 on Thursday night.
Coming off a disappointing performance in a season opening loss to Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara relied on its running game and defense to notch its first victory of the abbreviated spring season.
“For us this season is really to gear us for next season and allow our seniors to come out here and have some fun,” said Santa Barbara High coach J.T. Stone. “Really the message for us, because we have a lot of underclassmen and a lot of young kids, is to get better every week so when we come back in the fall we’ll be exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
Deacon Hill scored the first touchdown in the newly renovated stadium on a 34-yard touchdown run with 9:48 remaining in the first quarter and added a three-yard touchdown run in the second half as the Dons featured a ground and pound attack spread out among a plethora of ball carriers.
Hill finished with a team-high 55 yards on ten carries. He also completed 11-of-21 passes for 129 yards, including a spectacular 37-yard touchdown pass to Robert Boynton after evading a free rusher that closed the scoring with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Junior defensive back Anthony Lopez spearheaded a stingy Santa Barbara defense with two interceptions, the first of which he returned 58-yards for a touchdown as the second quarter clock expired to give the Dons a 21-0 lead.
Santa Barbara will host rival Dos Pueblos next week.
Bishop Diego 23 Simi Valley 20
Bishop Diego improved to 3-0 with a hard fought victory over previously unbeaten Simi Valley. The Cardinals jumped out to a 16-0 lead and managed to withstand a furious comeback by the Pioneers.
With just two games remaining in its spring season Bishop Diego has already notched impressive victories over St. Bonaventure and Camarillo. The Cardinals will travel to defending state champion Bakersfield Christian next week.
