A marquee matchup against defending CIF-SS Division 2 champion Newbury Park was a rough introduction to Conejo Coast League play for the Santa Barbara High football team.
The Dons struggled with miscues early and could never get over the hump in a 31-21 loss to the Panthers on Friday night.
“If I could have that effort and that heart for the next four games, I’ll be excited for that, and I know the boys will,” said Santa Barbara coach Nate Mendoza. “They’re disappointed, but they fought until the end.”
Newbury Park received the opening kick and marched 57 yards on ten plays, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run from Tyler Stromsoe that gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead after a successful extra point.
After a quick Santa Barbara three-and-out, Newbury Park came after the ensuing punt, which was blocked by Darrien Johnson, setting up a scoop-and-score by Ryder Janton to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
“The blocked punt was a stinger. That extra seven points kind of lingered on in the game,” said Mendoza of the special teams miscue.
The Dons responded to the early deficit with a nine-play, 63-yard drive that was capped off by an Aaron Baizan touchdown plunge. Baizan also had a 24-yard run on the drive.
Late in the first half, Santa Barbara was driving in Newbury Park territory in search of the tie, but the Panthers’ defense held on 4th-and-5 at the 39-yard line, setting up their offense with excellent field position.
Seven plays later, University of Michigan quarterback commit Brady Smigiel leapt through contact into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown run, putting Newbury Park ahead 21-7 with 21.4 seconds remaining in the first half.
Smigiel was down on the turf for a short period after a rough landing before being helped off the field by trainers. He returned in the second half but exited for the remainder of the contest after a sack midway through the third quarter.
The Dons received the ball to open the second half and marched 63 yards on eight plays. Freshman Keegan Roeseller made his presence felt with a 41-yard touchdown catch on a crossing route from Griffin Arnold, cutting the deficit to 21-14 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
After Smigiel was sidelined, Newbury Park backup quarterback Tyler Mayer connected with Devin Olmande down the sideline on 3rd-and-26 from the Santa Barbara 39-yard line to shift the momentum. The Panthers eventually settled for a 21-yard field goal that increased their lead to 24–14 with 1:25 remaining in the third quarter.
Newbury Park delivered the knockout blow on a 47-yard touchdown run by Darrian Johnson, who took snaps as a wildcat quarterback, with 7:03 remaining in the game.
Santa Barbara continued to take their shots offensively, and Arnold connected with Monty Lopez on a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 31-21 with 3:35 remaining.
“Arnold got hit hard a bunch of times and he stayed out there. He’s a sophomore that kept making plays,” Mendoza said. “He just continues to get better, and he showed a lot of toughness tonight.”
With the loss, Santa Barbara drops to 3–3 on the season, but their defeats have come against teams with a combined record of 16–2, including undefeated Corona del Mar and undefeated Moorpark.
You must be logged in to post a comment.