Cross town rivals ready for 'Big Game'

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

The Big Game means different things to people around the country.
In Michigan it’s a chance to tear apart the Ohio State Buckeyes, at USC it’s all about mauling the UCLA Bruins and up north it’s a chance for UC Berkeley to beat up on Stanford, or the other way around.
While Santa Barbara doesn’t have a nationally televised pigskin rivalry match-up, it does have the deeply entrenched, always passionate Big Game between the San Marcos Royals and the Santa Barbara Dons, which is scheduled for kickoff at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Valley Stadium.

The official record is difficult to track down, but according to San Marcos Head Coach Dare Holdren, it sits at 25-22 in favor of the Dons.
The Royals however will go into Friday night’s Big Game after winning the past three meetings between the cross town rivals.
Like any of the national rivalries, records, talent and who has home field advantage means a little less in such situations, and a good game is generally on tap.
“The Big Game is always a good game,” Holdren said. “The great thing is you know both teams will be ready, both teams will be physical and emotional.”
With this in mind, the Royals likely hope to have a bit of the Big Game magic in their corner. They are nursing a lowly 0-7 record and will look to get their first victory of the season against a strong looking Santa Barbara team that is 5-2.
To do it, the Royals will look to running back Andy Segal, who has been the core of the San Marcos offense despite dislocating his elbow five weeks ago during a 14-7 loss to San Luis Obispo.
“He’s a trooper,” Holdren said of Segal. “He never complains. If I had 11 Andy Segals out there we’d probably be undefeated.”
During the Battle of Goleta against Dos Pueblos two weeks ago, Segal accumulated 165 of the Royals’ game total of 201 yards. Segal’s effort that night was just four yards short of Dos Pueblos’ 169 yards of offense.
While Segal carried the team on his shoulders that night and the Royals looked poised to win the game, two interceptions returned for Charger’s touchdowns in the fourth quarter sealed a 17-7 Dos Pueblos win.
Holdren said the key to a successful San Marcos outing will be to establish a passing attack in order to take pressure off Segal’s running game.
“We need to be able to throw the ball and catch the ball in order to keep them from stacking the line on us,” Holdren said.
Defensively, Holdren said Santa Barbara’s fleet of weapons, which includes quarterback John Uribe, wide receiver Roberto Nelson, tight end Bryson Lloyd and strong safety Tad Slaff, need to be muted in order for a Royals victory.
“They’ve got a lot of weapons and we’ve only got a couple,” Holdren said.
Holdren said his team has struggled most against stronger, bigger teams, which Santa Barbara is not. He did say the Dons sport a more physical squad, but believes this fact can be offset by some extra effort on the Royals' side.
Santa Barbara Coach Will Gonzales said playing a winless San Marcos team is anything but settling.
“I’m more nervous right now than I would be if they were 5-2 like we were,” Gonzales said. “They’re probably the most dangerous team out there right now because they are looking for that elusive win.”
But Gonzales seems confident his talented squad can get the job done.
He said Nelson, a junior who is also a star on the Dons' basketball team, is at full strength after battling some mid season injuries.
During a 34-29 win over Righetti on Sept. 21, Nelson scored four touchdowns, two of which came from interceptions, which were run back for a total of 102 yards. The other two were rockets fired by Uribe. The first of Nelson’s offensive receptions was a 55-yard touchdown scamper and the second was for 18 yards.
During a 43-23 rout of Pacifica on Oct. 5, Uribe tossed three touchdown receptions, two to Lloyd and another to Slaff.
After the victory over Pacifica, Gonzales offered up a quote that is more meaningful than ever now, since many of his weapons will be back on the field Friday after nursing injuries for the past couple of weeks.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons,” Gonzales said after the Pacifica game. “If you’re going to try and take something away, we’re going to go with something else.”
The one thing the rival coaches can agree on is that the storied tradition of the Big Game will be in full force come Friday.
“I hope it goes well for us,” Gonzales said. “I think we are ready, we’re just trying to build on the season we’ve been having and play hard.”
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Holdren said. “It’s a great tradition in Santa Barbara. Win or lose, it’s the funnest day of the football season, although winning is a lot better than losing.”