Carpinteria High football battled to a 29-13 loss to Calvary Chapel to round out non-league play on Friday at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium.
The final score was not indicative of the game’s competitiveness, as the Warriors trailed by two points with just under eight minutes left on the clock before Calvary Chapel pulled away.
The first quarter was a defensive battle, as both offenses struggled and the game remained 0-0 into the second.
Calvary Chapel snapped the scoring drought in the second quarter with a long drive that ended in a 6-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0.
Carpinteria High answered with a 68-yard scoring drive of its own, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Blayden Bryant to sophomore Brayden Real to tie the game at 7-7 heading into halftime.
The Calvary Chapel defense struck first out of the break, coming up with a 55-yard pick-six and a two-point conversion to regain the lead at 15-7, which held for the rest of the third quarter.
The Warriors opened the fourth with another scoring drive, as Bryant found junior Gabe Chung for a 34-yard touchdown connection. However, the ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, and Carpinteria trailed 15-13 with 7:56 to go.
The final eight minutes were dominated by Calvary Chapel, which marched down the field for a touchdown drive and a two-point conversion before securing its second pick-six of the night to bring the game to its final score of 29-13.
“It was a tough, gritty game,” Carpinteria High head coach Van Latham said. “We had big plays both positive and negative. Our inability to establish a ground game hurt us.
“In the long run, too many turnovers did us in. We played with good effort and energy, but we need to learn how to finish.”
The Warriors (0-5) will begin Citrus Coast League play next Friday on the road against Channel Islands.
