Local high school football teams just completed their spring-early summer workouts and will now, under CIF rules, take a 21-day dead period before they reconvene to begin training for the regular season.
For the first time in decades, all five Santa Barbara area schools that play 11-man football are coming off a season when not one of them made the CIF-SS playoffs.
Presidiosports.com asked the local football coaches what they’re doing to turn things around.
Here is our Q&A with Dos Pueblos coach Jeff Uyesaka.
Jeff Uyesaka and the Chargers are coming off a 4-6 season. Uyesaka is 19-31-1 in five seasons as Dos Pueblos' head football coach.
PS: When will fall practice begin?
UYESAKA: Fall practice begins on August 10th.
PS: How many guys do you have out for varsity football?
UYESAKA: Approximately 60 players on varsity.
PS: Tell us about this group. Do you have size? Speed? Skill? D-1 prospects?
UYESAKA: Barring any injury, we have average size, above average team speed and good skill. Small D-1 schools for five of our players.
PS: Have you settled on a starting quarterback yet? If so, who is it? If not, who is competing for the job?
UYESAKA: Quarterback is a big questionable factor. We have three seniors fighting for job: Michael Spiritosanto, Ben Adams and Matt Soto.
PS: Did you take part in any passing leagues this summer?
UYESAKA: We played in a tournament at Nipomo and played local teams like Carpinteria, San Marcos, Bishop Diego and Santa Barbara.
PS: What does it mean to not have St. Bonaventure in the Channel League anymore?
UYESAKA: Its exciting not to have a state powerhouse in our league. Now the “natural” progression of league champs my resume. When you have a good team, you have a chance to go to the playoffs. When you have a really good team, you can win league. It makes local football exciting again.
PS: We didn’t have any teams make the playoffs last year. Why did that happen. Do you feel football is on the rebound here?
UYESAKA: Yes, I think teams will try to improve on last ‘ efforts. Staying injury free is the key.
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DP hasn’t won a Channel League title in football since 1979!! Iy appears that they will have a good chance to break that long streak should they beat the Ventura schools(Ventura &Buena) since St.Bonny is now out of the Channel and on to the Marmonte. The other league titles came were in 74 and 72. They have won nine city titles dating back to 1971 when San Marcos, Santa Barbara, and Dos Pueblos started playing eachother every year.
Dos Pueblos has a great chance to win a Channel League football title for the first time since 1979. With St.Bonny finally out of the Channel League it seems like it will be finally fair game. Their other league titles came in 1972&1974. They have also won nine city titles which is given to one of the three local SB Channel League schools (Santa Barbara, San Marcos, & Dos Pueblos) when they beat both other rivals in the same season. The city championship first began in 1971 which is when all three local teams began playing eachother every year.