Santa Barbara cleaned up its mistakes and showed improvement in its win over Beverly Hills last week in the friendly confines of Peabody Stadium
The Dons will have to raise their game a few more notches on Friday night as they travel to play defending CIF Northwest Division champion and undefeated Lompoc in its home opener at Huyck Stadium.
“It will be their first home game since they won CIF,” Santa Barbara coach Jaime Melgoza said “There will be a big crowd.”
The Dons’ defense faces a stiff challenge trying to contain a potent Lompoc running attack. The Braves have rushed for 638 yards in their wins over Arroyo Grande and Pioneer Valley, led by junior running back Lavon Coleman with 345 yards.
Offensively, Santa Barbara hopes to get its passing attack going to complement the running of Cheroke Cunningham (285 yards in two games) and fullback Rudy Corrales.
Dos Pueblos also faces an unbeaten team from Lompoc, as Cabrillo brings a 2-0 record into Scott O’Leary Stadium.
In other Friday night action, Bishop Diego faces a tough assignment in its home opener against Mission Prep at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium — Mission Prep has outscored its first two opponents 89-0. Carpinteria plays its first home game against Nipomo, while San Marcos hits the road for the third straight week, traveling to Beverly Hills.
Santa Barbara (1-1) at Lompoc (2-0): The top-ranked Braves are off to an impressive start with wins over Arroyo Grande and Pioneer Valley. The key for Santa Barbara in this game is to keep its defense off the field as much as possible, because Lompoc can wear you down with its relentless running attack. The Dons will need to mix it up on offense and get receiver Emilio Gonzalez more involved. The pick: Lompoc
Cabrillo (2-0) at Dos Pueblos (0-2): Chargers coach Jeff Uyesaka said before the start of the season that his team would probably taking a few lumps as it breaks in a relatively new offensive line. As the line improves, talented running back Josh Bartley will be able to show what he can do. Quarterback Armando Arzate has played well. He’s got a reliable receiver in Jake Roberts. The offense will need to produce to keep up with a Cabrillo attack that is rolling behind running backs T.J. Babauta and Isaiah Montes. The pick: Dos Pueblos
Mission Prep (2-0) at Bishop Diego (0-1): The Cardinals learned in their last-second loss, season-opening loss at Santa Ynez how mistakes are magnified in a big game. They hope to clean up those mistakes against another tough opponent. Mission Prep has 11 starters back from a team that went 6-4 last year. The Royals, who compete as a CIF independent, need to go 8-2 to make the playoffs, and their coach Chad Henry said that is the team’s goal. With the experience and skill Bishop has on its roster, this should be a wide-open, exciting game. The pick: Bishop Diego
Nipomo (0-2) at Carpinteria (1-0); Don’t let Nipomo’s record fool you, it comes into Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium after playing two good football teams in Pioneer Valley and Arroyo Grande. “We don’t know what we’ll be facing,” Carpinteria coach Ben Hallock said of the Titans, who were steamrolled by AG, 37-6, last Friday after playing PV tough (24-21). Nipomo has an experienced QB in Chris Souza and a solid running back in Justin Springer. Carpinteria sophomore Ian Craddock played well in his varsity quarterback debut. He’s got talent and experience around him in players like running back Alex Rodriguez and receiver Jordan Robinson. The Warriors are coming off an impressive performance at Morro Bay. The pick: Carpinteria
San Marcos (0-2) at Beverly Hills (0-1): The Royals have been road Warriors for the first three weeks of the season. After taking their lumps against strong Cabrillo and Rio Mesa teams, this looks like a winnable game. Coach Dale Perizzolo said the Royals’ spirits are up. “We played two very good football teams and (they) showed us exactly where we need to improve,” he said. “We’re excited about this week’s game. We are confident that with the improvements we made at practice this week we will come home with our first W of the season.” The Royals got some good news this week as linebacker Noah Zimmerman was released from the hospital in Oxnard after suffering a head injury in the Rio Mesa game. The pick: San Marcos
