Santa Barbara wins 34-29

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbara’s Roberto Nelson was nothing short of spectacular last night in Peabody Stadium, where he outplayed the visiting Righetti Warriors on both sides of the ball, scampering for four touchdowns in a 34-29 Don’s victory.
Nelson snagged two interceptions in the first half, the first of which he returned for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Dons a 7-0 lead and the second, a 40-yard sprint that gave the Dons a 21-0 lead.

Nelson’s first offensive touchdown came two minutes prior to the second interception, after Don’s quarterback John Uribe found his favorite target on the left side of the field for a 55-yard touchdown pass.
“You got a guy that talented you gotta keep him on the field,” said Dons Head Coach Will Gonzales of Nelson. “We’re just scratching the surface with this kid.”
Nelson scratched the surface in a big way, but his performance was put in jeopardy after Righetti surged in the second half for 20 points, while the Dons managed to score only six.
Santa Barbara looked as if they would be as dominant in the second half as they were in the first after they drove the ball 92 yards up the field to score their lone second half points.
It began with three quick plays that included a 12-yard loss after Uribe was sacked and a seven yard loss on the next play after a snap was fumbled.
That left the Dons ready to kick a field goal, but the ball was snapped to wide receiver Angel Tamayo, who tossed a pass out-of-bounds. But a blatant pass interference call on the Warriors gave the Dons an automatic first down.
Uribe promptly tossed a 5-yard dart to Mychal Prieto followed by an 18-yard pass to Tamayo. Nelson put an exclamation mark on the drive with an 18-yard reception for the touchdown, which gave the Dons a 34-9 lead with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Righetti’s second half surge was aided by two errant Don’s field goals, one which was kicked from 31-yards out, the other from 42-yards.
Righetti got serious in the fourth quarter after quarterback Justin Level nailed Austin Sedin for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their first possession.
The Dons took over with 9:30 remaining and after running one play, Righetti recovered a fumble at the Don’s 11-yard-line.
The next two minutes were a blurry flash.
On the first play, Level took the snap and tiptoed into the end zone with 8:31 remaining to play to bring the score to 34-22. He finished the night with 110 rushing yards.
The crowd went silent after Uribe fumbled the ball on the Dons’ first play of the next series.
Righetti marched down the field and Level found Adam Wilson in the right corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown, which brought Righetti within five pints and rounded out the night’s scoring.
“It was a tale of two half's,” said Gonzales, adding that his team just had to find a way to win the second half.
Regardless of the nail biting fourth quarter, the Dons are slowly putting last year’s 1-9 season slowly behind them.
With the victory over Righetti, the Dons are 3-0 for the first time since 1998 and it appears they have plenty of weapons to continue moving forward.
Nelson wasn’t the only guy with a big reception. Tamayo pulled through for the Dons in big way as well, after Uribe found him for a 79-yard touchdown pass in first part of the second half.
Righetti Running back Michael Alexander led in rushing with 124 yards.
The athletic 6-foot, 3-inch, 196 pound Nelson had six receptions on offense for 138 yards, while Uribe racked up 326 passing yards.
“The team made it possible,” Nelson said. “I was just in the right spot.”
Nelson, who is also a star basketball player admitted that there’s no feeling quite like bringing the home crowd to their feet on beneath the friday night lights.
“There’s no better feeling than being out here Friday night under the lights,” he said.
The Dons, who have started the season 3-0 for the first time since 1998, will travel to San Luis Obispo next week where they’ll face San Luis Obispo High School.