In a topsy-turvy, double-overtime thriller, the Santa Barbara High flag football team was eliminated from the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs with a 20-19 loss to visiting Villa Park on Tuesday night at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons appeared poised to advance after scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 40 seconds remaining in regulation, but Villa Park mounted an impressive drive in the final moments and scored as time expired to force overtime. After two overtime sessions, the Spartans emerged victorious.
“I told them in the (postgame) huddle that was probably the best game, the hardest-played game they played all season,” Santa Barbara coach Travis Manach said of his team. “They brought it. They left it all out there.”
The first three quarters were a defensive struggle, with the two teams locked in a scoreless tie.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the dormant offenses came to life as Villa Park quarterback Kayla Dadabhoy connected with Sienna Swirk on a 53-yard pass to the Santa Barbara 12-yard line.
Three plays later, Dadabhoy found Scarlett Byrnes in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put Villa Park ahead 6-0. The ensuing one-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Falling behind ignited the Santa Barbara attack as senior quarterback Laila Hernandez threaded the needle to Shea Gannon on a crossing route, resulting in a 44-yard gain to the Villa Park 14-yard line.
Three plays later, on third-and-goal from the 10-yard line, Lanaya Solis took a handoff and darted into the end zone to even the score at 6-6 with 2:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With time winding down, senior captain Lena Fackler gave the Dons a chance to win in regulation with an interception that she returned to the 34-yard line.
Hernandez connected with Elina Stump for nine yards on third-and-eight from the 28-yard line, and a Villa Park holding penalty gave Santa Barbara first-and-goal from the 7-yard line. Two plays later, Solis took a direct snap and found a crease up the middle, racing into the end zone to give the Dons a 12-6 lead with 40 seconds remaining.
Stump added the one-point conversion with a short run to increase the Dons’ lead to 13-6.
From that point forward, Villa Park came through with a string of remarkable plays. Dadabhoy jump-started the desperation drive with a 10-yard run and followed it with a 14-yard pass to Kaitlyn Peel.
With 11 seconds remaining, Dadabhoy dropped back and connected with Byrnes on a 31-yard pass to the Santa Barbara 11-yard line. The clock reached zero on the play, but the officials ruled that one second remained.
The Spartans made the most of their second chance as Dadabhoy tossed a pass into the end zone that Byrnes hauled in for a touchdown. Needing a one-point conversion to force overtime, Dadabhoy sent another pass into the end zone. The ball was tipped, but Stella Gogan made a diving catch to tie the game and force overtime.
Sophomore Lylee Harris, who replaced Hernandez at quarterback late in regulation, came through in the clutch with a 12-yard pass to Stump to put Santa Barbara ahead 19-13 in overtime. Villa Park answered on its ensuing possession with another touchdown pass from Dadabhoy to Gogan to even the score.
The second overtime featured dueling one-point conversion attempts, and Gogan caught another tipped ball in the end zone to give the Spartans a 20-19 lead. Santa Barbara had an opportunity to match the score, but a swing pass from Harris to Stump was stopped short of the end zone.
“It just seemed like they got the bounces that we didn’t really get,” Manach said. “They made the plays. It’s going to sting for a little bit.”
Redondo Union 19, San Marcos 14
The Royals’ season came to an end on the road against Redondo Union in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. San Marcos finished the season with a 15-10 record.
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