Dons offense continues to struggle in 21-6 loss

Santa Barbara High coach Jaime Melgoza was impressed with his team’s defense at San Luis Obispo on Friday night.

The only problem was, the defense was on the field too much.

The Dons failed to get a first down in the first half and ultimately fell to the host Tigers 21-6 to fall to 0-4 on the season. They have scored just 24 points on the year.

“Our defense played an unbelievable game on the field almost all night, but we just couldn’t get things going on offense,” said Melgoza.

The coach added that quarterback R.J. Rosborough played an exceptional game on the defensive side and played tough on offense.

“He ran hard, but he also got hit hard,” said Melgoza, who specifically highlighted defensive coordinator Mike Knapp for putting together a solid game plan.

The Dons were called for roughing the kicker on a controversial play in the second quarter that changed a SLO (2-2) punt into an extended possession. Santa Barbara didn’t get on the board until fullback Mark Perez scored on a dive in the fourth quarter.

The Dons host a strong Pacifica team next week before beginning Channel League play at Ventura.