Victor Bryant

Santa Barbara will learn its playoff fate on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Quinn Donnell and Charlie Angeles were named Co-MVP's of the Battle for the Goodland. | Credit: Ryan Cruz San Marcos and Dos Pueblos had both already secured playoff spots before Friday night's “Battle For the Goodland” matchup, but there was still plenty at stake in the 58th meeting between the two crosstown rivals. The winner would claim second place in their new Tri-County League; the outcome could determine their seeding in the CIF playoffs; and of course, there would be another year of bragging rights as the best team in Goleta. Before the game, San Marcos Head Coach Ralph Molina said he didn't have to say much in the locker room to get his team focused: “I hardly said anything,” he said. “I just let the seniors talk.” The Royals had lost only three games this year — by a combined nine points — and after suffering a tough loss to Agoura last week, Molina said the team was determined to prove they could finish. Dos Pueblos was also heading into the game with some momentum, riding a two-game win streak and finding a rhythm with new transfer Simon Alexander, who had taken over as starting quarterback after sitting out the first five weeks of the season. The game started a bit sloppy, with both teams losing the ball on early fumbles. After forcing a punt, San Marcos was mounting a drive into Charger territory when running back Nate Jones lost the ball on a fumble recovered by Dos Pueblos's Andrew Cook. Dos Pueblos running back Caleb Williams then broke loose for a few first downs, but the Chargers lost the ball on a bad snap recovered by San Marcos defensive end Roman Gislimberti, setting up the Royals at Dos Pueblos's 40-yard line. San Marcos began to lean on the running back trio of Jones, Cole Dominguez, and Anthony Obisbo, who were able to find holes in the Dos Pueblos defense and march down the field to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jones to take a 7-0 first-quarter lead. The Royals really started rolling in the second quarter, forcing a punt and then orchestrating a 71-yard drive with a few big plays. First, Jones broke free on a tackle-breaking 28-yard run; then quarterback Danny Diaz hit tight end Charlie Angeles for a 20-yard pass down the right sideline, setting the Royals up at the Dos Pueblos one-yard line. The next play, Dominguez bullied his way in for a rushing touchdown to give San Marcos the 14-0 lead with just under eight minutes to go in the quarter. San Marcos's staunch defense forced another fourth down on the Chargers' next drive, and Dos Pueblos attempted a fake punt that, after officials measured the spot, was just inches short of a first down. After taking over on downs at the Dos Pueblos 41-yard line, it took San Marcos just two plays to score, with Diaz finding senior wideout Quinn Donnell twice in a row, finishing the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Donnell give the Royals a 21-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the half. On the very next drive, Angeles provided another highlight — this time on defense — coming up with an interception on a tipped pass to give the Royals the ball in Dos Pueblos territory once again. Starting from the 31-yard line, the Royals handed it off to Dominguez three straight times, with the junior finishing the deal on a one-yard run to score his second touchdown of the game and give San Marcos a 28-0 lead. Before halftime, it seemed as though Dos Pueblos's offense started to get going, with the Chargers getting two first-down passes in a row before Alexander threw his second pick of the day, this time to San Marcos's Donnell, who returned the ball for nearly 40 yards to set the Royals up inside the Dos Pueblos 30. With just over a minute left before the break, the Royals got the ball to Angeles on a screen for an eight-yard touchdown, leaving San Marcos with a comfortable 35-0 halftime lead. “[It was] a great first half,” coach Molina said of San Marcos's performance. “Best first half we've played all season.” Dos Pueblos Head Coach AJ Pateras said the turnovers made the difference for the Chargers in the first half. “You can't spot them extra possession at any point of the game,” Pateras said. The second half was much slower, with San Marcos's defense holding strong and the Royals sticking to the run game for much of the third and fourth quarters. With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, San Marcos finished a run-heavy drive with a two-yard touchdown from Jones — his second of the game — to extend the Royals' lead to 42-0. The closest Dos Pueblos came to scoring was a 41-yard field goal attempt with just over five minutes left in the game, which fell to the turf short of the uprights. With the 42-0 win, the Royals have now won three straight over Dos Pueblos, and San Marcos is playing its best football heading into the CIF playoffs. The Jeff Hesselmeyer Memorial “Battle of the Goodland” MVP trophy went to two co-players of the game — Donnell and Angeles — who both came away with big plays on offense and defense with an interception and a touchdown catch each. Coach Molina said that it was important that his team set the tone with physical play heading into the playoffs. “We controlled the line of scrimmage,” he said. “We're physical. We cause problems for people.” Both teams will be heading to the postseason, and on Sunday they will find out their playoff matchups. For Dos Pueblos (4-6), it will be their first time in the playoffs since 2019, and for the Royals (6-3-1), it is their first time in the playoffs since 2005. Both are expected to compete in lower divisions this year, and coach Molina is hoping that the Royals will be able to convert their late-season momentum into a deep playoff run. “One game at a time. But depending on where we end up…we could do something,” he said.

The Cardinals will matchup with Long Beach Poly in the Division 3 Final on Saturday.

UC Santa Barbara men's basketball opens its season on Monday November 4 against San Francisco State.

Newcomers Shine for UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball in 96-47 Rout of San Francisco State Eight New Players Made Their Debuts Against San Francisco State Jason Fontenet goes up for the jump shot. | Credit: Gary Kim Even the most fervent UC Santa Barbara men's basketball fans needed a roster for the Gauchos season opener against San Francisco State. Eight UC Santa Barbara players made their Thunderdome debuts as the Gauchos overwhelmed the visiting Gators with their talented depth in a 96-47 victory on Monday night. “I thought it was a really good opening night. I thought for us we needed to play in front of a crowd. We had two closed door scrimmages, in which we haven't been able to play in front of anybody,” said UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternak. “It was important to get the nerves out.” The runaway victory was built on a foundation of sound fundamental defense and relentless effort. San Francisco State shot 24.3 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range. The Gauchos opened up with a big and physically imposing starting lineup consisting of Stephan Swenson, Cole Anderson, Jason Fontenet II, Colin Smith and Kenny Pohto. That group set the tone defensively and the steady stream of reserves that entered the game followed suit. “With the depth we have it allows us to demand that they play hard and defend,” Pasternak said. “I'm really proud of the effort today of guys just coming in and out and really just competing at a championship level defensively, playing really hard.” A sloppy start offensively allowed San Francisco State to keep the game close in the early going, but the Gauchos quickly found a rhythm and took control of the game. A layup followed by a mid-range jumper by Ben Shtolzberg on back-to-back possessions put the Gauchos ahead 19-10 at the 11:16 mark of the first half. Shtolzberg was a bright spot off the bench with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Aenean sollicitudin bibendum tortor, eu placerat orci fringilla in. Cras in dictum nisl. Aenean eros ex, aliquam sit amet tellus in, congue pulvinar nibh. In tempor congue sapien sed finibus. Vivamus a nisi dapibus, porta urna ut, finibus est. Aenean in turpis facilisis, consectetur est nec, sagittis metus. Cras aliquam libero ut augue dignissim accumsan ac eu odio. Nunc sollicitudin, turpis aliquet auctor maximus, dui velit molestie dui, at lacinia tortor velit ac erat. Nunc gravida orci nisl, vel ultrices ipsum tempor et. Proin commodo finibus neque eu ullamcorper. Curabitur ornare tempor pulvinar. Fusce egestas velit ac urna vestibulum, in commodo ligula interdum. Mauris quis justo mattis, vehicula magna vitae, convallis mi. Aliquam erat volutpat. Aenean sollicitudin bibendum tortor, eu placerat orci fringilla in. Cras in dictum nisl. Aenean eros ex, aliquam sit amet tellus in, congue pulvinar nibh. In tempor congue sapien sed finibus. Vivamus a nisi dapibus, porta urna ut, finibus est. Aenean in turpis facilisis, consectetur est nec, sagittis metus. Cras aliquam libero ut augue dignissim accumsan ac eu odio. Nunc sollicitudin, turpis aliquet auctor maximus, dui velit molestie dui, at lacinia tortor velit ac erat. Nunc gravida orci nisl, vel ultrices ipsum tempor et. Proin commodo finibus neque eu ullamcorper. Curabitur ornare tempor pulvinar. Fusce egestas velit ac urna vestibulum, in commodo ligula interdum. Mauris quis justo mattis, vehicula magna vitae, convallis mi. Aliquam erat volutpat. Aenean sollicitudin bibendum tortor, eu placerat orci fringilla in. Cras in dictum nisl. Aenean eros ex, aliquam sit amet tellus in, congue pulvinar nibh. In tempor congue sapien sed finibus. Vivamus a nisi dapibus, porta urna ut, finibus est. Aenean in turpis facilisis, consectetur est nec, sagittis metus. Cras aliquam libero ut augue dignissim accumsan ac eu Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta Fri, Nov 08 5:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 9:00 AM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 6:00 PM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 All day Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 10:30 AM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 AM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta Fri, Nov 08 5:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 9:00 AM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 6:00 PM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 All day Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 10:30 AM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 AM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta Aenean sollicitudin bibendum tortor, eu placerat orci fringilla in. Cras in dictum nisl. Aenean eros ex, aliquam sit amet tellus in, congue pulvinar nibh. In tempor congue sapien sed finibus. Vivamus a nisi dapibus, porta urna ut, finibus est. Aenean in turpis facilisis, consectetur est nec, sagittis metus. Cras aliquam libero ut augue dignissim accumsan ac eu Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta Fri, Nov 08 5:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 9:00 AM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 6:00 PM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 All day Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 10:30 AM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 AM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta Fri, Nov 08 5:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 9:00 AM Santa Barbara Tue, Nov 05 6:00 PM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 All day Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 10:30 AM Santa Barbara Wed, Nov 06 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 AM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 4:00 PM Santa Barbara Thu, Nov 07 5:00 PM Goleta UC Santa Barbara broke the game open late in the first half as a three-pointer by Swenson extended the lead to 30-17 with 3:14 remaining in the first half. Swenson knocked down 3-of-6 shots from the floor and connected on 2-of-5 shots from three-point range. He finished with ten points, five assists and just one turnover. “The amount of weapons we have just facilitates my job in a way where all I need to do is get the ball to one, two, three sides and we get whatever we want on offense,” Swenson said. “Then defensively we know that we have each other's back.” A three-pointer by the Vanderbilt transfer Colin Smith extended the UC Santa Barbara lead to 40-20 with 40 seconds remaining in the first half. Smith is coming off an Achilles injury and relishes the opportunity to be back on the court and producing for the team. “Having the fans there was a big boost first game of the season,” Smith said. “I felt good moving around. I didn't have anything hurting at all. I was happy to be back out there.” Freshman Zion Sensley and Zachiah Clark were able to display their talents with extended run in the second half. Sensley finished with eleven points and five rebounds. Clark scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field. The Gauchos will play at Portland on Saturday, November 9. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. at the Chiles Center.

Survive and advance is the mantra for the fall sports teams that are still alive in their quest for CIF

Lucas Neushul takes the shot. | Credit: Gary Kim For the second consecutive season the Dos Pueblos High boys' water polo team has reached the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs The Chargers defeated visiting Santiago High of Corona 12-10 in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday at the Elings Aquatic Center. Sophomore Lucas Neushul led the way for Dos Pueblos with three goals. Adam Gelman, Eli Carnaghe, Grant Nelson and Ben Fuhrer contributed two goals apiece. Dos Pueblos never trailed in the match and held a 5-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Santiago went on a 3-0 run late in the second quarter and evened the score at 6-6 with 1:54 remaining until halftime. The Chargers closed the first half on a 3-1 run and led 9-7 at halftime after a goal by Nelson in the final moments of the first half. The two teams went back and forth Last season Dos Pueblos reached the Division 2 Finals, but dropped a close match against crosstown rival San Marcos A victory over Capistrano Valley on the road next Tuesday would give them another opportunity to claim the CIF Championship.

Kai Mault finished with 78 yards receiving and 38 yards rushing against El Modena. | Credit: Gary Kim A fast start wasn't enough for the Santa Barbara High football team to advance in the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs. The Dons led 14-0 and 21-7 in the first half, but were shutout after halftime in a 28-21 loss to El Mondena on Thursday night. Laird Finkel and the Santa Barbara offense caught fire early in the game. Kai Mault capped off a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to put the Dons ahead 7:0 with 10:03 remaining in the first quarter. Santa Barbara extended its lead to 14-0 on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Finkel to Mason Morales with 9:40 remaining in the second quarter. However, El Modena responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass on a gadget play from Sam Jackett to Brodie Hitchens. The Dons continued their first half dominance through the air with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Finkel to Sammie Congdon that extended their lead to 21-7 with 4:54 remaining in the second quarter. In the second half, El Modena relied on ball control and stellar defense to take control. The Vanguards opened the second half with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock. Xzavior Guess capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Leonard that tied the score at 21-21 with 3:02 left in the third quarter. El Modena took its first lead of the game on a 23-yard pass from Guess to Deron Taylor with 9:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Santa Barbara tried a fake punt from its own 45-yard line with six minutes remaining that failed to reach the first down marker. Guess, whois a four-year starter at quarterback, finished with 234 yards passing and 72 yards rushing. Finkel, who will return next year for his senior season, completed 17-of-24 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Mault tallied four receptions for 78 yards and four carries for 38 yards in his final high school game. The Dons finished the season with a 6-4-1 record overall.

Historic Season for San Marcos Football Program Comes to an End After Playoff Loss to Chino San Marcos Made the Playoffs for the First Time Since 2005 San Marcos quarterback Danny Diaz delivers the pass. | Credit: Gary Kim Demetrius Alloway found a cutback lane and glided into the end zone from six-yards out to give visiting Chino its first lead of the game with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. The late touchdown was too much for the San Marcos to overcome as the Royals dropped their CIF-SS Division 10 first round game, 14-13, on Friday night at Warkentin Stadium. “I'm proud of our effort. There's no doubt that we battled,” said San Marcos coach Ralph Molina. “We knew that these guys were going to be good. We knew that there was no way that this was a 15-seed team.” Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives of the game, but from that point forward it was a defensive slugfest. The Royals took the opening kickoff and marched 68 yards on seven plays. The key play on the drive was a 28-yard run by Nate Jones on 4th-and-2 from the San Marcos 40-yard line. Three plays later, Danny Diaz connected with Anthony Obispo on a screen pass that broke open for a 35-yard touchdown. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys put together a methodical 14-play, 85-yard drive that was capped off by a one-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Maximus Barroso that evened the score at 14-14. Chino appeared poised to take the lead just before halftime, but a Cole Dominguez interception deep in San Marcos territory with 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter kept the two teams knotted up at the break. After a series of punts San Marcos finally regained the lead, 10-7, with five seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Austin Downey. An interception by Jones ended the ensuing Chino possession and setup San Marcos with excellent field position at the Cowboys' 38-yard line. The Royals advanced to the seven-yard line but a pass from Diaz to Quinn Donnell on third down was incomplete and the Royals settled for a 24-yard field goal by Downey with 6:20 remaining in the game. “It was one of those things, do we take the points or do we try to go for it and try to get a touchdown out of it,” Molina said. “We hit the field goal and I was hoping our defense would be able to stop them.” Based on the pace of the game it was clear that Chino would only have one more legitimate chance to pull ahead and the Cowboys seized the opportunity.Chino marched 66-yards on ten consecutive runs to set up Alloway's touchdown with 1:13 remaining. The Royals had one more opportunity to keep their season alive, but Diaz's third down pass was intercepted to clinch the victory for Chino. San Marcos finished the season with a 6-4-1 record. Chino will advance to asecond round matchup against Silverado of Victorville. San Marcos' 27 seniors created an impressive legacy as the first San Marcos team to make the playoffs since 2005. Dos Pueblos, 35; Crescenta Valley 27 The Chargers survived and advanced in their playoff opener. Senior running back Kaleb Williams scored four touchdowns to lead the Chargers to victory. Sun, Nov 10 3:00 PM Ojai Fri, Nov 15 7:30 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 17 11:00 AM Solvang Sat, Nov 23 2:00 PM Santa Barbara Sat, Dec 14 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sat, Nov 09 10:00 AM SANTA BARBARA Sat, Nov 09 5:00 PM Santa Ynez Sun, Nov 10 3:00 PM Ojai Fri, Nov 15 7:30 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 10 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, Nov 17 11:00 AM Solvang Sat, Nov 23 2:00 PM Santa Barbara Sat, Dec 14 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sat, Nov 09 10:00 AM SANTA BARBARA Sat, Nov 09 5:00 PM Santa Ynez Sun, Nov 10 3:00 PM Ojai Fri, Nov 15 7:30 PM Santa Barbara

Nicole Schuetz delivers a powerful spike. | Credit: Gary Kim The goal of a CIF Championship was within reach, but the Bishop Diego girls' volleyball team ended up on the wrong end of a five-set classic. The Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking loss to Long Beach Poly 25-27, 25-22, 16-25, 25-14, 15-12 on Saturday in the CIF-SS Division 3 Championship game at Cerritos College. “You couldn't be prouder of this group. Everybody comes to the CIF Championship and wants to win, but only one team gets to walk away with a victory,” said Bishop Diego coach Dillan Bennett. “To get to this position with this group of kids is a testament to how hard they've worked.” The main take away from the Cardinals postgame is that the season is not over. Bishop Diego still has an opportunity to make a run in the state tournament. All teams that reach the CIF Finals are included in the state tournament brackets. Bishop Diego started strong in the decisive fifth set and took a 3-1 led after back-to-back kills by UCLA-commit Eliana Urzua forcing a Long Beach Poly timeout. Urzua extended the Cardinals' lead to 4-1 by adjusting to an awkward set with a left-hand swipe that dropped in. However, the Jackrabbits showed the resilience of champions, ripping off four straight points capped off by an Aleeya Salima spike that tied the score at 4-4. The epic back-and-forth continued as a kill by Long Beach Poly 6' 3” middle blocker Kristen Dear gave the Jackrabbits a 9-8 lead. Bishop Diego's Nicole Schuetz came back with a spike off the block that evened the score at 9-9. A mishandled ball violation on Bishop Diego gave Long beach Poly its first two-point lead of the fifth set a 11-9. But Schuetz delivered a spike that cut the Cardinals' deficit to 11-10. A spike off the block and out of bounds by Salima increased the Long Beach Poly advantage to 12-10 and prompted a Bishop Diego timeout. Eliana Urzua followed with spike from the back row the brought the Cardinals within a point at 12-11. Back-to-back points by Long Beach Poly om a kill by Salina and a hit by Eliana Urzua that was called out near the back line increased the Jackrabbits' lead to 14-11. Urzua hit down the line to keep Bishop Diego alive and cut the deficit to 14-12. The final sequence began with A powerful spike by Long Beach Poly's Cedra Saolotoga-Talaga. Bishop Diego's freshman Natalie Chan came up with a beautiful dig, but a miscommunication allowed her pass to hit the floor, and the Jackrabbits exploded in celebration. “I always say in the fifth set we need to start out really strong because it's only to 15, so that was our main focus. We did a really good job of that and went up by two, but kind of lost it with our serve receive,” Eliana Urzua said. “I'm just trying to keep my head high and wait for the state came that is coming on Tuesday.” Bishop Diego was poised and determined as they built a 2-1 set lead. A brilliant serving tun by Karina Urzua erased Long Beach Poly's six-point lead in set one. The Cardinals clinched set one on a spike from the back row by Eliana Urzua. Karina Urzua and Eliana Urzua both finished with four aces. Long Beach Poly clinched set two on a soft tap to the deep court by Dear that found the floor. The Cardinals dominated set three and took a 2-1 set lead after three consecutive aces by Eliana Urzua closed out the set 25-16. Long Beach Poly turned the tables and took set four 25-14 after a Bishop Deigo hitting error. Schuetz, a Loyola Marymount commit, finished with a match-high 19 kills. Eliana Urzua was right behind her with 17 kills. Salotoga-Talaga finished with 14 kills to lead a balanced Long Beach Poly. “I feel like it's giving us more motivation,” said Schuetz of the loss. “We have that loss and now it's just going to make us want to push harder, try harder, get better and try our best to win state.” State playoff brackets will be released Sunday afternoon.