A thrilling non-league matchup slipped away from the Santa Barbara High flag football team in overtime as the Dons suffered a 20-14 loss to Santa Paula on Thursday night at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons trailed 7-0 midway through the third quarter when Alyssa Ortiz caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Laila Hernandez that cut the Santa Barbara deficit to 7-6 after a failed one-point conversion.
On the ensuing Santa Paula possession, Santa Barbara freshman Vanessa Esparza came away with an interception that got the ball back for the Dons with excellent field position.
“She is a freshman, who is playing a lot. She is going to be making plays for us for a long time,” said Santa Barbara coach Travis Manach. “There are a lot of positives to take from this game, but it’s football, and it can break one way or the other when it’s that close.”
Santa Barbara capitalized on the turnover with a four-play, 14-yard drive that was capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass from Hernandez to Ortiz on fourth down that gave Santa Barbara a 12-7 lead with 1:25 remaining in the third quarter. It was Ortiz’s second touchdown catch of the game.
“It’s a good way to start the new season. I’m not happy with the ending, but we played with our heart and that’s what matters,” Ortiz said. “I went with the mentality from last season where I look for the ball, and if I’m open, I make the catch; if not, I just make sure I help the rest of the team.”
The ensuing two-point conversion was a thing of beauty as Hernandez dropped back and tossed the ball up high where only wide receiver Shea Gannon could get it, increasing the Dons’ lead to 14-7.
Santa Paula tied the score with a quarterback run into the end zone with 7:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
After a Santa Barbara punt, Santa Paula was driving with a chance to win the game with less than two minutes to play, but Gannon made a leaping interception and returned the ball past midfield; however, she was injured on the play.
The Dons took over possession with 18 seconds remaining, but they were unable to move the ball down field for the go-ahead touchdown.
Santa Barbara got the ball first in overtime but failed to score, and Santa Paula made the most of its ensuing possession to capture the victory.
San Marcos, 31; Westlake, 7
After a slow start offensively, the Royals ran off 24 unanswered points in the second quarter on their way to a 31-7 rout of visiting Westlake.
With the victory, San Marcos improves to 2-0 on the season, having outscored its opponents 70 to seven.
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