After 10 out-of-town games to begin its season, Dos Pueblos flag football returned to the area in fashion with a 31-0 rout of crosstown rival Santa Barbara High on Tuesday at Peabody Stadium.
The Chargers (9-2), who are currently ranked No. 12 in California on MaxPreps, dominated in all three facets of the game to hand the Dons (5-1) their first loss of the young season.
“It’s a rivalry game. We don’t hide from it. This is what high school football is about,” Dos Pueblos head coach Doug Caines said. “This is fun, regardless of the results. These rivalries, I know for me, as a football player, I remember these things for years.
“I challenged them to step up. The nerves of the rivalry game always kind of amplify things a little bit, but they responded. I’m proud of them for investing in the team and putting in work and it showed today, just execution.”
Santa Barbara High head coach Travis Mañach was proud of his team for battling one of the best squads in the nation in a non-league game with the realignment for the new school year.
“We knew what we were up against. You want to play teams like this just to see where you’re at, and we learned a lot about who we are,” Mañach said. “We know about [DP]. We know they’re good, but we learned a lot about us and I’m proud of the girls for fighting for four.”
After a Dons three-and-out to begin the game, the Chargers marched right down the field in six plays and scored on an 18-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch from senior Ruby Streatfeild to senior Brooklyn Hedricks.
Hedricks hauled in the pass on the sideline with one foot in bounds to give her team a 6-0 lead with 7:14 left in the first.
The two sides then exchanged punts until Dos Pueblos sophomore Makyla Watt took a punt return and pitched it to senior Hazel Burgess, who took off down the sideline and was brought down at the Santa Barbara 5-yard line.
Two plays later, junior Ava Taiji scrambled into the end zone for a 5-yard rushing touchdown to bring the lead to 12-0 heading into the second quarter.
Taiji and Streatfeild split the quarterbacking duties for Dos Pueblos, which graduated three-year starting quarterback Kacey Hurley last spring.
“I’m excited that we have a two-headed dragon. We’ve got two QBs that have both different intangibles. They’re both mobile. They can both throw,” Caines said.
The Dons were forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but the SB defense stepped up and forced a punt thanks to a sack by senior Shea Gannon. However, the SB offense couldn’t take advantage and punted once again.
The punt flew back into the hands of Watt, who took it herself instead of opting for a lateral. That proved to be the right decision, as she weaved her way through the defense and into open grass for a 60-yard punt return touchdown and an 18-0 lead.
“We put in work (on special teams),” Caines said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you we run 50 minutes of specials a day, but we do work special teams and we do it every day. I was really glad that it showed. I’m proud of them in all three phases of the game.”
Following a SB punt, the Dons’ defense came up with its biggest play of the night as freshman Maddie Stoll came away with an interception to give her team a chance to score before halftime.
The Dons got into Dos Pueblos territory on the next drive, but the Charger defense responded as junior Jane Gibson hauled in an interception to send the game into halftime at 18-0.
Dos Pueblos continued to roll out of the half, with Streatfeild guiding a nine-play drive down the field that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Streatfeild to Kindah Ahmad-Reda.
On the next Santa Barbara drive, Hedricks jumped in front of a pass for the interception and returned it back 35 yards for the pick-six. Hedricks caught the ensuing extra-point attempt to extend the lead to 31-0 midway through the third.
“For teams that know us, we hang our hat on defense, just like every good football team,” Caines said. “We pride ourselves on our defensive fundamentals… Defense wins championships.”
With a running clock for the rest of the game, the two sides exchanged empty possessions down the stretch. Dos Pueblos put the cherry on top of the crosstown rivalry win with a fourth-down interception by sophomore Charlotte Gardiner with just over two minutes to play.
While the Chargers will host Pacifica for their first home game on Thursday, Santa Barbara High will continue its rivalry week against San Marcos on Thursday at Warkentin Stadium at 6 p.m.
“I think the sting is good,” Mañach said of the loss. “I think we will just get back to work tomorrow and focus on SM. Yeah, it’s a quick turnaround, but sometimes that could be good.”
