PRE-GAME INTRO – Santa Barbara High travels to Dos Pueblos tonight for a crosstown clash that will help decide this year’s Channel League title and City Championship.
Both teams enter this game with 7-2 records, while Dos Pueblos holds the edge in the league standings with a 3-0 record.
FOURTH QUARTER
GAME OVER – Dos Pueblos gets the ball back but with barely enough time to run a play. Santa Barbara wins game 24-17 and a Channel League championship. Check back later for video highlights and a written recap.
1:20 – Emilio Gonzalez recovers a high-bouncing onside kick. DP has two timeouts to stop the clock and can get the ball back without a Santa Barbara first down but with not much time to do much.
1:40 – The Chargers quickly drive into Santa Barbara territory and decide to take three points. Nico Bornand kicks it through to make it 24-17.
3:13 – Matt Medina’s 35-yard field goal goes straight through the uprights to give the Dons their biggest lead of the game at 24-14.
4:30 – The Dons are eating up field and clock time with several carries. Santa Barbara is well within Matt Medina’s range and a field goal makes it a two-possession game.
5:32 – The James Hale to Emilio Gonzalez connection strikes again, this time for a 31-yard completion on third down. The Dons are within field goal range.
6:57 – Dos Pueblos’ 4th down attempt falls incomplete. Santa Barbara takes over and will probably start thinking clock management.
7:02 – Bell attempts a deep pass on third down, but Jonah Iwanaga is there to knock down the pass. The Chargers are now faced with 4th and 8 from SB’s 43.
8:16 – Malcolm Cellard-Farrall gives the Dos Pueblos fans a much-needed reason to cheer with a strong kickoff return following Santa Barbara’s touchdown. Bell then completes a nice gain to Matt Sessler and the Chargers have moved into Dons territory for the first time this half.
8:50 – A 20-yard pass completion moves the Dons to Dos Pueblos’ 28-yard line. On the very next play, Hale finds Emilio Gonzalez for his second touchdown of the game. Both Gonzalez’s touchdowns have happened in the same corner of the same endzone. Dons retake lead 21-14.
9:09 – Santa Barbara punts to begin the fourth quarter but quickly get the ball back after holding Dos Pueblos to 3-and-out. The Chargers have had very little success on offense so far in the second half.
12:00 – We begin the final quarter with the score tied 14-14. On the final play of the third, Dons quarterback James Hale scrambles 7 yards on 3rd down and 13. The Dons begin the final period with fourth down and six to go.
THIRD QUARTER
1:13 – The Santa Barbara defense stops Anthony Spiritosanto on two straight short-yardage situations, leaving Dos Pueblos with the 4th and inches situation. The Chargers punt to Efren Sanchez, who spins his way 15 yards forward to Dos Pueblos 38-yard line.
3:00 – Santa Barbara committed an illegal procedure penalty and 4th and inches, killing this drive. The Dons now have to punt, pinning the Chargers inside their 10-yard line again.
4:17 – The Chargers dodge a bullet by recovering their own fumble on the 21-yard line. The Dons sack LeShon Bell on the next play, however, forcing DP to punt. The Dons regain possession, starting in Dos Pueblos territory on the 49.
8:00 – Santa Barbara’s first possession of the second half stalls near midfield after a couple of first downs. The Dons punt and Dos Pueblos takes over on its own 9-yard line.
12:00 – Both teams on the field now. An additional three minutes of halftime added to the scoreboard clock. The second half kickoff goes to Santa Barbara and the Dons start at their own 20.
HALFTIME UPDATE – The Dons come sprinting out of the locker room for the second half as Dos Pueblos’ cheerleaders are still doing their routine. With a slightly over a minute until the third quarter, Dos Pueblos still not on the field.
SECOND QUARTER
0:06 – Dos Pueblos lost a few yards after Gulvin’s completion, pushing them out of field goal consideration. Bell, in shotgun formation, throws to the endzone but the Dons secondary knocks down the pass. 14-14 at halftime.
0:29 – Dos Pueblos elects to run some plays rather than staying conservative and head to the halftime locker room. Bell completes a 35-yard pass to Robert Gulvin to move into Santa Barbara territory. With Bornand’s leg, the Chargers are close to field goal range.
1:21 – Emilio Gonzalez is showing his athleticism tonight. After his earlier acrobatic catch, Gonzalez just hauled in a 28-yard touchdown reception. James Hale lofted the pass to the endzone and Gonzalez leaped higher than his defender to pull in the ball above his Charger defender. PAT good, Dons tie 14-14.
6:16 – Emilio Gonzalez’s one-handed 10-yard catch was probably the nicest I’ve seen this season. The pass was overthrown but Gonzalez jumped high in the air and reached up as high as he could with one arm to haul in the pass.
7:02 – After a long pass completion from LeShon Bell to Jordan Degraffinreid gave Dos Pueblos another first down, a sack by Santa Barbara’s Carlos Orozco forces Dos Pueblos into a fourth down situation. On fourth down, Bell goes for it, finding Nico Bornand down the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown. Chargers take first lead at 14-7
10:04 – An injury timeout creates a break in the action. Dos Pueblos still has possession. The Chargers have gained some ground but keep giving it back with penalties. It’s 2nd down and 11 on DP’s 40-yard line.
FIRST QUARTER
0:00 – The two teams exchange punts. Dos Pueblos holds possession at its own 27 yard line as the quarter ends.
4:39 – Dos Pueblos’ Ryan Nuno is the second No. 3 in this game to come up with a turnover. Nuno recovers a fumble for the Chargers. Earlier Santa Barbara’s No. 3 Efren Sanchez intercepted a pass and returned the ball to DP’s 10-yard line to set up Jimenez’s touchdown.
9:14 – An exciting start to this highly anticipated crosstown matchup as Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos both score touchdowns within three minutes of kickoff. Santa Barbara Jason Jimenez catches a 14-yard pass from James Hale. Dos Pueblos doesn’t waste any time responding as Dylan Rohde takes a handoff 59 yards for a touchdown to make the score 7-7.
