The Santa Barbara City College Football team fell on the road to No. 18 Pasadena 54-21 on Saturday night. The hosts’ emphatic second quarter was the difference as the Vaqueros held their own in the other three quarters, making some big plays.
It was a similar story to week one against El Camino, which was 7-0 after the first quarter. The Vaqueros held firm, forcing a field goal after stalling Pasadena’s 15-play drive at the 16-yard-line thanks in part to a Nelson Smith sack. Another field goal later in the first quarter ended the frame 6-0.
Unfortunately, Pasadena established some breathing room in the second quarter before the Vaqueros could make their mark. On a third-and-one at the Pasadena 47, they took off on a 53-yard touchdown to build a two-possession lead. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, a fumble gave the ball back to Pasadena, who scored on the very next play.
Two more touchdowns in short succession made it 34-0. But the Vaqueros did not quit; they stopped Pasadena on fourth down on their next two drives.
After the second time, Brooks Trimmer found tight end Luke McNeil and Ayden Staricco for 10 and 49-yard passes, respectively—the latter being the longest of the night—before linking with Kerek Kato for a five-yard touchdown. The Vaqueros were on the board right before halftime.
However, that ensuing kickoff was returned for a touchdown—Pasadena’s fifth of the quarter—to make it 41-7 at the break.
Out of halftime, Pasadena scored on their first drive. They looked to do the same later in the quarter, but Eli Gebbie prevented that from happening with a 99-yard pick-six, which was surely the highlight of the Vaqueros’ day.
It was a similar result on the following drive, this time with Blake Childreth grabbing an interception, albeit without returning it to the end zone. Still, the Vaqueros remained competitive in the third quarter.
Pasadena scored their final points midway through the fourth. The Vaqueros followed by going three-and-out, but a roughing-the-punter penalty gifted them a second life.
Two plays later, Tua Rojas found Dominic Dadkhah for a 48-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 54-21. The hosts ran out the clock from there.
Thus, both quarterbacks—Trimmer and Rojas—threw for a touchdown on the day. Trimmer had the majority of opportunities, going 11-for-23 for 102 yards. Neither of them threw a pick in their 33 combined attempts, so they took care of the ball well.
Linebacker Dean Davis led all players on the field with 10 tackles, twice as many as anyone else. The aforementioned Smith, a 2025 All-League Second Team member, recorded the team’s lone sack, another tackle for loss, and forced a fumble.
The Vaqueros return home next Saturday, Sept. 12, to face Cerritos at 6 p.m. Live stats and video and radio links will be available on govaqs.com.