The Santa Barbara High junior varsity football team continues to provide a high-level of excitement and met their match with a nail-biting 21-21 tie against the Rio Mesa Spartans at Rio Mesa on Friday.
Rio Mesa got on the scoreboard first, but by the third quarter both teams were tied at 13. With 49 seconds to go in the third quarter, Rio Mesa got ahead 21-13. However, by the end of the fourth, the Dons scored again and brought it up to 21-21 with a touchdown and two-point conversion. A key moment was when a tipped ball was caught by Dons ball carrier Will Beightol.
“They played hard until the very end,” said Coach Udy Loza. “They never let down or quit on each other.” He mentioned that Edwin Rivera, Brandon Pineda and Colton Takis played a great game. Defensive Tackle Noe Cuevas battled hard for the Dons.
