BALDWIN PARK, Calif. — A long bus ride and driving rain did little to slow down the freight train that is the Santa Barbara High football team.
Griffin Arnold tossed four touchdown passes, and the Golden Tornado overcame a slow start to defeat Baldwin Park 42-15 on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs.
“We got hot at the right time. Couldn’t ask for more than to peak at the end of the year,” said Santa Barbara coach Nate Mendoza. “We got two more to go. We didn’t make a goal to make the semis; we made a goal to win a championship. But one step at a time, and we’ll be home next week.”
Baldwin Park opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal to cap a 13-play drive that included the Braves converting three third-and-long situations.
After Baldwin Park held the ball for the majority of the first quarter, the Golden Tornado recovered a fumble to turn the tide. Six plays later, Everett Rabb Preston exploded off tackle for a 23-yard touchdown run that gave Santa Barbara a 7-3 lead with 10:40 remaining in the second quarter.
Rabb Preston finished with 114 yards on 17 carries, and his touchdown run sparked a previously dormant offense.
“Great blocks from my O-line all night. There were gaps. I bounced it outside, and no one was there,” Rabb Preston said. “It was a great game plan that we implemented all week. We came out and dominated.”
Santa Barbara extended its lead to 14-3 when Arnold connected with Cade Mault on a short pass in the flats that Mault turned into a 46-yard touchdown reception.
On the ensuing Santa Barbara possession, Nate Meister took a reverse 26 yards for a touchdown, increasing the Golden Tornado’s lead to 21-3 with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Santa Barbara defense stifled a Baldwin Park offense that had been dynamic in a 35-34 first-round victory over Ventura, holding standout sophomore running back Jacory Coleman without a touchdown.
The second half was more of the same as Arnold connected with Mault on touchdown passes of seven and 11 yards within a 40-second span, extending the Golden Tornado’s lead to 35-3.
The Braves quickly added two touchdowns of their own. Jordan Minor powered in for a six-yard touchdown run, and senior quarterback Lequand “Jack Jack” Jackson plowed across the goal line from one yard out following a successful onside kick. Baldwin Park went for two after both touchdowns but failed to convert, making the score 35-15 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Santa Barbara closed out the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Arnold to Roessler on a crossing route with 6:06 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“It was a battle there for a quarter and a half, and the offense started clicking,” Mendoza said. “The boys showed up again and played with heart despite a rainy night, travel, and all those things.”
With the victory, Santa Barbara will host Beaumont in the CIF-SS Division 6 semifinals next Friday.
