Student-athletes from 21 high school and college sports teams poured into the Ranchero Room at Harry’s Plaza Cafe on Monday for the second Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon of the school year.
The six fall sports have almost all kicked off their campaigns, with the high school and college cross country seasons beginning this weekend.
The SBART Press Luncheon is sponsored by Fidelity National Title Group, Investec Real Estate, Knight Real Estate Group and Carp Physio.
Football Rivalry Week
With Santa Barbara High flag football playing in a different league than rivals San Marcos and Dos Pueblos this season, the crosstown showdowns will take place this week in non-league action.
The Dons begin their week at home on Tuesday when they will roll out the welcome mats for the Chargers at Peabody Stadium at 6 p.m.
While Santa Barbara High is off to a 5-0 start to the season, Dos Pueblos is now 8-2 and ranked No. 11 in the CIF Southern Section, according to MaxPreps. The Chargers have been on the road for their first 10 contests.
“We have not had a home game yet, so this is a great week for us,” Dos Pueblos assistant coach George Hedricks said. “We get to be at Santa Barbara, which is close right down the street, and then we actually have our first home game, which will be our 12th game of the year on Thursday against Pacifica (at 6 p.m.).”
Santa Barbara High will continue its rivalry week on Thursday when it heads across town to clash with the Royals at 6 p.m. at Warkentin Stadium.
San Marcos is 7-2 and slots into No. 34 in MaxPreps’ CIF Southern Section rankings, while the Dons are the No. 46 team in the Southern Section.
“We’re excited for those two challenges,” Santa Barbara High head coach Travis Mañach said of the two games. “We all are well aware of how good those teams have been over the last few years.”
Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara High’s tackle football teams will also face off this week with kickoff set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Peabody Stadium.
The Chargers split their first two games and are coming off a convincing win over Buena, while the Dons have fallen to Camarillo and Corona Del Mar to begin the season.
“All these guys are friends, so it should be a fun game,” Dos Pueblos head coach AJ Pateras said of the matchup. “We’re excited. We think [Santa Barbara High] is one of the better teams on our schedule, so it’s a good test for us.”
Big Week in Isla Vista
While UCSB has yet to welcome students back to campus, the Gaucho fall sports teams have opened up their seasons and have a busy week ahead.
The week begins on Monday night when the UCSB Men’s Soccer team welcomes No. 2-ranked University of San Diego to Harder Stadium at 7 p.m. The Gauchos are 1-0-1 to begin the 2026 season, including a 1-1 draw with 12th-ranked Marshall last week.
Later in the week, the UCSB Women’s Volleyball team is set to host the annual Gaucho Invitational inside the Thunderdome with games spanning from Thursday to Saturday.
The Gauchos, who are 3-0 after an undefeated Wildcat Classic, will host Iowa State on Thursday at 6 p.m. before taking on Utah State on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The UCSB Cross Country team is set to begin its campaign this week as well, hosting the Gaucho Twilight meet on Thursday at 5:40 p.m. at Mission Club Golf Course in Lompoc.
Meanwhile, SBCC Football attended its first luncheon of the year following a season-opening loss to El Camino last Saturday. Head coach Craig Moropoulos brought Bishop Diego graduates Tua Rojas and Oscar Anoai, who will see significant playing time with the Vaqueros this fall.
“We’re going to get better, and we’re going to get better because of some of the young men that we have in our program. We are very fortunate to have two of the best right here, and they’re local guys,” Moropoulos said of Rojas and Anoai.
“If you know anything about Santa Barbara City College and the level of football that we’re playing at, there are no breaks. Every week, all 10 weeks are going to be a challenge for us. Last week was a big challenge. This week will be just that. We are on the road; we play Pasadena College down there (on Saturday at 6 p.m.).”
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Santa Barbara High Girls Golf: Cecilia Duarte, Jazmin Mislang
SBCC Football: Tua Rojas, Oscar Anoai
San Marcos Girls Golf: Sierra Kaderali, Cana Spieker
Santa Barbara High Flag Football: Elina Stump, Alexandra Arnold, Shea Gannon
San Marcos Football: Kevan Vatan, Alejandro Pulet
San Marcos Flag Football: Drea Obispo, Marilyn Monroy, Jaylee Perez
Laguna Blanca Football: Luke Popovich, Jaden Yanez
Laguna Blanca Girls Volleyball: Lauren Kenny, Maritt Blabey
Santa Barbara High Girls Volleyball: Grace Costner, Kira Elliott
Dos Pueblos Flag Football: Gracie Baker, Alma Basave
San Marcos Cross Country: Beck Pirozzi, Drew Vogel, Gabby Jaramilla, Jesse Minne
Dos Pueblos Boys Water Polo: Grant Nelson, Adam Gelman
San Marcos Boys Water Polo: Titus Fernandez, Ryder Wilson
Carpinteria High Cross Country: Max Soto, Jaqueline Guadian
Carpinteria High Girls Volleyball: Evelyn Aviles, Leona McLellan
Carpinteria High Boys Water Polo: Stefano Picoletti, Chris Reed
Carpinteria High Football: Edwin Nova, Erasmo Frausto-Elizarraraz
Bishop Diego Girls Volleyball: Karina Urzua, Natalie Chan
Bishop Diego Football: Terrence Tasila, Mateo Williams
San Marcos Girls Volleyball: Ava Mast, Riley Miller
Dos Pueblos Football: Chase Johnson, Wyatt Mitchell, Marcus Carbajal
