They don’t give out letterman jacket patches for having a winning pre-league record.
It’s all about having the best record in league play and winning a championship.
Four Santa Barbara area football team begin their quests for those coveted league championship patches on Friday night.
Channel League play kicks off with winless Dos Pueblos hosting unbeaten Ventura and San Marcos playing at Buena in a battle of 1-5 teams. Santa Barbara has a bye.
In the Frontier League, 4-1 Bishop Diego is home to Malibu (4-2) at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium. Carpinteria (4-1) travels to Fillmore (4-2) for a Tri-Valley League opener.
Dos Pueblos went 0-6 in pre-league play, but the Chargers played a tough schedule. Their six opponents posted a combined record of 29-5.
Ventura will be the third unbeaten team they’ll play (Lompoc and Canyon are the others). The Cougars are playing solid football as they enter league play. Their 6-0 record is their best start since 1996, which was also the last year they won the Channel League championship.
San Marcos will look to rebound from a rough pre-league finale at Nordhoff. The Royals struggled to execute their offense and lost 42-6.
“We’re heading to league, and practice is going to be a little more serious and tougher,” coach Dale Perizzolo said. “We want to execute the stuff that we practiced.”
Carpinteria’s only loss is a 21-0 weather-suspended game against Santa Ynez. The Warriors have rebounded from that setback in a big way, scoring 40 or more points in their last two games.
Bishop Diego limps into league play after some impressive pre-league results. Anthony Carter left Saturday’s game against St. Genevieve with an injury and Brandon Gonzalez is nursing an ankle injury.
Coach Tom Crawford said the team’s depth will be the key.
“We’re a little banged up going into this contest having lost Anthony Carter last game to an injury, and having a lot of guys nursing injuries,” Crawford said. “But we’ve talked about having more depth than the last few years, so hopefully we see that on Friday.”
Ventura (6-0) at Dos Pueblos (0-6). The Cougars have a high-octane offense that has outscored opponents 220-56. Quarterback Rodney Stanley threw for 221 yards and four TDs in a 42-7 rout over Oxnard. Their other weapons include running back Conner Armstrong (691 yards rushing and 13 TDs) and 6-4 wide receiver Nick Rudolph. DP, the defending league champion, but the Chargers has struggled at the quarterback position, and running back Josh Bartley tweaked his hamstring in last week’s loss to Canyon. If the Chargers can’t produce on offense, it could be a long night. The Pick: Ventura
San Marcos (1-5) at Buena (1-5). Quarterback Kendrick Mathis makes things happen for the Bulldogs. He’s passed for 610 yards and rushed for 616. Buena was involved in several high-scoring games in pre-league play. That bodes well for San Marcos. The Royals have some playmakers in speedy receiver and return man Andrew Thayer and running back Marquis Glover. If those players get in the open field, San Marcos can do some damage. The Pick: Buena.
Carpinteria (4-1) at Fillmore (4-2). These two teams put up big scores in pre-league play. The defense that steps up and prevents the big plays will win. Carpinteria will need to stop running back Colin Farrar (683 yards, 13 TDs), while Fillmore needs to keep close tabs on Alex Rodriguez (304 yards rushing, 235 yards receiving). Jeff Moorhouse and Andrew Sova have been solid on defense for the Warriors. They run the Wing – T and do a great job with it,” Carpinteria coach Ben Hallock said. “We will have to play very disciplined defense to slow them down. Like us, they have a lot of 2 way players — so who can play hard the longest will be a factor.” The Pick: Carpinteria
Malibu (4-2) vs. Bishop Diego (4-1), at SBCC. The Cardinals face a feisty and confident opponent in the Frontier League opener. Malibu has won four in row, including a victory over a previously ranked Brentwood team. The Sharks are led by running backs Devon Baldinger and Nate Dowler. “Their numbers are still low roster-wise but they are more athletic with a solid couple of runners and a TE and WR who are both listed as about 6-2 190 pounds,” Bishop coach Tom Crawford said. “Most impressively, they appear much more aggressive and fast and they are trying to take advantage of that with a blitzing, pressure type defense. We’ll have to be physical and take advantage when they try to bring pressure by getting some big plays. We also have to tackle well as their runners seem hard to break down.” The Pick: Bishop Diego
