A dominant air attack and a stifling defense combined to power Santa Barbara High flag football to a 51-6 victory over Cabrillo on Tuesday at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons (1-1), who dropped an overtime thriller in their season opener, were led offensively by a seven-touchdown effort from junior quarterback Laila Hernandez, while the defense brought relentless pressure to the Conquistadores (0-1) throughout the night.
“Last week there were just some mental lapses that might have cost us the game there, so we just focused on staying disciplined and staying focused all week, and it showed today,” Santa Barbara head coach Travis Mañach said.
“A lot of positive things from this group, one being youth mixed in with a little bit of experience and then sport is growing and getting a lot more interest, so we’re seeing a lot more athletes coming out… It’s been a fun group so far, and getting this win definitely helps.”
Hernandez, who also plays softball for the Dons, completed 7-of-13 passes on the night for 249 yards, and all seven of her completions resulted in touchdowns.
“She’s pretty calm and collected back there and she’s getting great in the pocket and buying herself a little extra time and then the arm just does its job when she has that time,” Mañach said of his quarterback.
“With the new (rushing) rules, it’s tough to find that time, so she’s finding the ability to do that and make the plays, so it’s good to see.”
A fumbled snap resulted in the Dons facing a daunting 3rd and long on their opening drive, but they were unfazed. On the very next play, Hernandez unleashed a deep ball to junior Elina Stump, who had snuck past the defense on her route.
Stump came down with the catch and scampered into the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown. Hernandez rushed in the 1-point conversion to take a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
The Santa Barbara defense rode that momentum by forcing a quick three-and-out on the ensuing possession. On the Cabrillo punt, Stump made several defenders miss and was finally taken down at the Coquistador 11-yard line.
On the very next play, Hernandez hit senior Sofia Lopez in the flat and she did the rest, finding the endzone for the touchdown. Hernandez once again took the point-after attempt in herself for the 14-0 lead at the 7:33 mark.
After the two teams traded stalled possessions, the Dons’ offense was back making highlight plays at the end of the opening quarter as Hernandez connected with sophomore Summer Maxwell across the middle for what seemed like a good chunk gain.
However, Maxwell turned the corner and left the Cabrillo defenders in her dust down the sideline, completing a 43-yard touchdown pitch and catch as the first quarter came to a close. Hernandez hit Stump for the conversion and the 21-0 advantage.
The Dons continued to roll in the second, following up a defensive stop with another Hernandez-to-Stump touchdown connection. This time, Hernandez hit Stump down the sideline for a 19-yard score to extend the lead to 27-0.
Stump, who has been a standout on the track in recent years, missed the team’s first game due to a minor injury. However, she showed no signs of rust and ended with three catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
“We missed her last game. We just held her out because we’re going to need her this season,” Mañach said. “She’s the team’s biggest cheerleader and then she goes out and she shows her leadership on the field by just making plays on both sides.
“You can’t teach speed and she’s getting the football skills down more and more, which is going to make her more of a weapon.”
The Conquistadores finally got on the board on the next possession thanks to a 62-yard gain on the first play of the drive, which set up a short rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-6 with 6:32 left in the half.
The Dons punched right back, scoring on the opening play of the next possession on another highlight-reel worthy play.
Hernandez rolled right out of the pocket before heaving the ball back to Lopez, who was wide open on the left side of the field. She then took off down the field, juking three defenders on her way to a 66-yard touchdown to balloon the lead to 33-6.
The Santa Barbara defense continued to flex its muscles by forcing another turnover on downs, setting up another drive full of big plays for the offense.
The pass-rushing duo of Stump and junior Camila Salcedo consistently found their way into the Cabrillo backfield, blowing up run plays and contesting pass attempts from behind the line of scrimmage.
“With our speed, even when they started bringing in the blockers, it’s just a tough thing to defend,” Mañach said of his defensive front.
After sophomore Alanah Salas hit junior Lena Fackler for a big 24-yard gain down the field, the Hernandez-Stump duo connected for a third time via a 25-yard touchdown to make it a 39-6 lead heading into halftime.
The third quarter was played at a much slower pace, with the lone score coming on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Hernandez to sophomore Maria Cardoza, bringing the dominant lead to 45-6 with one quarter to play.
While the Santa Barbara High offense did not put up any more points, the defense got on the board late in the fourth on a pick-six by senior Yadira Soriano-Miguel.
After the pass was tipped by a Cabrillo receiver, Soriano-Miguel rose above the crowd and hauled in the interception before returning it 6 yards into the endzone to bring the game to its final score of 51-6.
The Dons will roll out the welcome mats for Channel Islands on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Peabody Stadium.
“I like what I saw (today) and we’ve got some more good non-league games coming up,” Mañach said. “[Channel Islands] is probably going to bring a little more experience and some better competition.”