The Golden Tornado was on a rampage Friday night, and that was bad news for visiting Fullerton High.
Junior quarterback Griffin Arnold tossed five touchdown passes, and the Santa Barbara High football team cruised to a 45-7 victory behind a dominant defensive effort in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs.
“Our wheels were spinning on Sunday. We adjusted our defense, stuck to the game plan, and the kids bought in,” said Santa Barbara coach Nate Mendoza. “We threw them a big curveball Monday when we showed them what we were going to do. We were concerned all week. (Cyrus Aviles) won Orange County Player of the Week. He ran for 300 yards two weeks in a row. I’m not sure what he had tonight, but our boys put on a show.”
After stopping a productive Fullerton drive to start the game, Santa Barbara marched 84 yards in six plays, capped by a 38-yard touchdown pass from Arnold to Keegan Roessler to take a 7-0 lead with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter.
Roessler’s short catch in the flats that turned into a big play was a sign of things to come, as the Golden Tornado repeatedly relied on yards after the catch, exploiting soft coverage by the Red Hawks.
After adding a field goal late in the first quarter, Santa Barbara broke the game open with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Arnold to Cade Mault to take a 17-0 lead with 3:10 remaining in the first half.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Santa Barbara got greedy as Arnold connected with Fin Congdon on a 46-yard touchdown pass, extending the Golden Tornado’s lead to 24-0.
“We knew they were going to kind of be off on us, so we just let the receivers, let the athletes work with the ball in their hands,” Arnold said. “I kind of took a backseat this week and let the boys do the work.”
In the second half, Santa Barbara extended its lead with touchdown passes of 77 and 13 yards from Arnold to Mault.
Congdon displayed his two-way versatility with a pick-six after jumping a Fullerton pass near midfield.
“It feels good to carry on the legacy,” Arnold said of wearing the Golden Tornado uniform. “We just want to keep putting on a show for our alumni and fans.”
Santa Barbara will travel to Baldwin Park next week for a second-round matchup.
Dos Pueblos, 14 Brentwood, 7
The Chargers advance to a second round matchup against Granite Hills after surviving a defensive slugfest with Brentwood School.
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