The Friday Night Lights were back on at Lompoc’s Huyck Stadium, and the Lompoc Braves and Santa Ynez Pirates celebrated the return of high school football to the area on the stadium’s new turf field.
Lompoc sophomore quarterback Cavin Ross threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns and Cailin Ross caught seven passes for 95 yards, leading the Braves to a 24-7 victory.
Ross had two TD passes in the first quarter. He fired a 34-yard strike to Daniels for the first score and later found Deville “Joker” Dickerson on a 45-yard pass for a 12-0 lead.
A long third-down completion to Elijah Perkins set up a 6-yard Sheldon Canley touchdown run for an 18-0 advantage early in the second quarter. Canley rushed for 107 yards.
Santa Ynez had a touchdown pass from quarterback Bennett Redell to running back Logan Ast nullified by a penalty in the first quarter.
Santa Ynez put together its best drive of the half behind the running of Ast. He led the Pirates down to the Lompoc 10, but the Pirates turned the ball over on downs as the Braves’ defense stopped Redell a half yard short of a first down.
Redell broke off a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter and threw a 22-yard pass to Ast to set up the first Santa Ynez touchdown of the spring season. Redell did the honors, running five yards for the score. Aiden Sim kicked the PAT to make it 18-7.
But Ross struck again for Lompoc, hitting a wide-open Rudy Elizondo for a 77-yard touchdown play. The fourth failed PAT by the Braves left the score 24-7.
A long kickoff return by Tyler Gregg put Santa Ynez at the Lompoc 25, but the Pirates couldn’t cash in and turned the ball over on downs.
Lompoc travels to Lompoc next Friday while Santa Ynez plays host to Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.