Dons roll to first Big Game win in four years

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

The Big Game between the Santa Barbara and San Marcos high school football teams last night at Valley Stadium hinged on who had the most weapons waiting to explode.
It didn’t matter that it was the storied Big Game between the bitter crosstown rivals, or that San Marcos had home field advantage, or that the Royals’ Andy Segal racked up 208 rushing yards on 40 carries.
The only thing that really mattered was that Santa Barbara’s arsenal was deeper, faster, stronger and more timely, which was more than enough to lead the Dons to a 24-10 victory, their first Big Game win in the past four tries.

Surrounded by his team, clutching the Bronze Cup above his head, Don’s Head Coach Will Gonzales let out a mighty scream.
“This is what happens when you put your heart and soul into something,” he yelled.
Much of that heart and soul came on a well-rounded offensive attack led by quarterback John Uribe, who was 11-17 for 176 yards, and by strong safety Tad Slaff, who rumbled for 161 of the Dons’ 282 rushing yards.
The most glaring difference between the Royals and Dons was Uribe’s ability pass, which Gonzales said added a danger to his team which Royals Head Coach Dare Holdren admitted he did not have.
“When you have a guy like John,” Gonzales said. “There’s so many things you can do offensively. He’s so dangerous.”
By comparison, Royal’s quarterback Sean Kerr was 4-14 with 34 yards.
“We weren’t able to throw the ball effectively at all,” Holdren said. “We weren’t able to catch it either; it’s been that way all year.”
Win or lose, the Big Game offered just what it promised; a good game.
Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the desire to do so was so strong that both teams turned the ball over on downs after opting to go for it on risky fourth-down attempts. Santa Barbara did so on fourth and one at their own 32-yard line and came up short, while San Marcos ended a 12-play, five-minute drive with a failed pass attempt by Kerr on fourth and seven at the Santa Barbara 20-yard line.
San Marcos got the first good look at scoring on their first possession of the game, but failed to get points on the board after kicker Michael Hodson missed a 31-yard field goal.
Santa Barbara ultimately struck first after a 39-yard run by Greg Dominguez on the last play of the first quarter put the Dons at the one-yard line.
On the first play of the second quarter, Uribe punched it in for the touchdown. The extra point attempt by Vincent Alvarez missed, leaving the score at 6-0.
The first punt of the game came from the Royals with 10:40 remaining in the first half. After three quick plays by the Dons, which were interrupted by a 10-yard holding penalty on the Dons and an offsides call on San Marcos, Uribe ran up the middle, took a hit and fumbled the football.
San Marcos offensive lineman Nabor Aispuro jumped on the ball and the Royals took over at midfield.
On the first play, Kerr reached back to throw and the all-star night for Slaff, who was awarded the Gary Blades Memorial Big Game MVP award, began. Slaff crept through the onslaught of Royals receivers and came away with an interception.
The Dons took over on their own 21-yard line. Slaff carried on two quick plays and Uribe reached Bryson Lloyd for an eight-yard pass to give the Dons a first down at their own 38. Two plays later, Uribe found Lloyd down field for a 59-yard touchdown pass. The Dons opted for the two-point conversion and Uribe connected with Roberto Nelson for his first reception of the night, giving the Dons a 14-0 lead.
The Dons, however, were not yet satisfied with their lead. Facing a fourth down and six situation at their own 37-yard line during their next possession, the Dons set up to punt, snapped the ball to Tyler Madden, who fired a rocket down the right sideline to Lloyd, who was about two feet behind the pass.
With the foiled fake punt, San Marcos took over 37 yards from the goal line. Segal picked up a quick eight-yard gain, followed by five more to give the Royals four downs to work with at the Don’s 30-yard line. Kerr then found Max Cavalier for a 10-yard pass, and with 10 yards to go, Segal punched it into the end zone to end the first half and breathe hope into the Royal’s effort.
San Marcos dominated the clock in the third quarter with a 68-yard, 13-play drive, during which Segal notched 64 yards on 10 touches. The momentous drive ended after Kerr launched an incomplete pass on fourth down and nine, which gave Santa Barbara the football on their own 30-yard line.
Santa Barbara marched down field behind a 42-yard pass by Uribe to Nelson, which ended with a 32-yard field goal by Alvarez and gave the Dons a 17-7 lead.
The Royals began their next drive with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter and consumed that time with five running plays by Segal, which put the Royals at Santa Barbara’s 33-yard line to begin the fourth quarter. Segal marched 27 more yards before kicker Michael Hodson nailed a 21-yard field goal to bring the Royals within seven.
The Dons sealed the victory on their next possession behind some tough running by Slaff, who rumbled for 64 yards on three carries, but left the touchdown scoring up to the speedy Zach Chavez, who rounded out the drive with a seven yard touchdown scamper to give the Dons the 24-10 edge.
With the loss, the Royals fall to 0-8 on the year and will face Channel League powerhouse St. Bonaventure next week looking for that elusive first win.
Holdren acknowledged the bright moments in last night’s game for his embattled squad, but said things aren’t clicking when they need to click and the record reflects that.
“We’ve had bright spots out there, but unfortunately we don’t have any bright spots on our record,” he said.
Santa Barbara moves to 6-2 on the year and will face Ventura next week.
For Gonzales, last night’s win marked the first Big Game victory while wearing Dons colors. Gonzales played and coached for San Marcos prior to taking the helm at Santa Barbara.
“It’s a pleasure and an honor to be a part of this game, much less win it," he said.