A matchup against undefeated Westlake was a tall task for a shorthanded Santa Barbara High football team.
The Dons never quit but ultimately suffered a 33-14 loss to the visiting Warriors on Friday night at Peabody Stadium.
“I can only commend the way the guys finished,” said Santa Barbara High coach Nate Mendoza. “They could have folded on defense the final four drives, and they did not.”
The Santa Barbara offense has been extremely run-heavy over the last few weeks due to the absence of sophomore quarterback Griffin Arnold, who is out for the remainder of the season with a serious medical condition.
On the opening drive of the game, Westlake marched 75 yards on three plays, capped off by a 45-yard wide receiver screen from Ford Green to Niles Davis.
The Dons immediately responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that featured zero passes and evened the score at 6-6 on a one-yard touchdown plunge by Aaron Baizan with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Green notched his second touchdown pass of the game on a jet-sweep flip to Davis from three yards out, putting the Warriors ahead 13-6.
Santa Barbara was moving the ball on its ensuing drive, but a fumble near midfield halted the momentum and set up Westlake with excellent field position. Five plays later, Westlake kicker Gabriel Goroyan converted a 22-yard field goal, extending the Warriors’ lead to 16-6 with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter.
Westlake forced another Santa Barbara turnover by virtue of a strip sack, and on the very next play, the Warriors’ highly touted running back Demanie Bell exploded through a seam for a 16-yard touchdown run at the 6:33 mark of the second quarter.
The defense picked up in the second half, but Green made the Dons pay again with a 41-yard bomb to Davis with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter.
The Dons tacked on a touchdown at the 4:51 mark of the fourth quarter on a three-yard score by Baizan, who also had a 52-yard run on the drive. Baizan and fellow senior running back Monty Lopez combined to eclipse 200 yards rushing.
“We’re not the biggest bunch, as you can see, but we do have some team speed, and we do slant, get on edges, fly around, and try to gang tackle as much as we can,” said Westlake coach Rick Clausen. “That’s a really good football team. Obviously, they are a little hamstrung without their quarterback, and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
Santa Barbara (4-5 overall, 1-3 Conejo Coast League) will host Thousand Oaks next week with an eye on solidifying an at-large playoff berth with a victory. Westlake (9-0 overall, 4-0 Conejo Coast League) will look to complete an undefeated regular season on the road against Calabasas.
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