There were quite a few mistakes made by the Dos Pueblos football team, but at the end of the night, the Chargers did more than enough to pull out a 19-0 win over Royal High on Friday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
“The message this week was more about making a statement defensively and I think we did that,” Chargers head coach AJ Pateras said. “We had a lot of kids starting to step up last week and this week it was about making a statement, building confidence and getting the job done.”
With the win, Dos Pueblos improved to 1-1 on the year, avenging a season-opening loss to Santa Ynez the week before. The shutout victory was also the Chargers’ first since the 2023 season when the team beat Channel Islands 55-0. Royal fell to 0-2 on the season.
Senior wideout and captain Micah Barnhart hauled in seven catches for 68 yards and, despite not finding the endzone, made an impact on the game by drawing attention from the defense via double teams, leaving opportunities open for other players.
“I just want to win with the boys,” Barnhart said. “I believe this team can go far, especially after last year losing in the semis. I want to go farther, so I believe in the team and so when I come out here, man, I’m just here for the team. I do everything I can to serve the team.”
Dos Pueblos kept its two-quarterback system in play this week, as both Drew Schultz and Grady Felix made some big plays.
Schultz, the senior righty, did more through the air, completing 10-of-16 passes for 71 yards while adding another 36 yards on the ground.
The senior did run for a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but it was called back due to holding.
Felix was more effective on the ground Friday night, rushing for 82 yards and nearly getting into the endzone, falling down on the one.
“We have an inexperienced sophomore and we have a senior who played only limited last year and so we want to have both quarterbacks,” Pateras said. “Both guys can extend plays with their feet and we had a plan to play both tonight and I thought they both had their moments.”
For the majority of the night, the Chargers were moving the ball seemingly at will, but the points were not coming as the team’s mistakes, whether penalties or turnovers, stalled many drives.
“We just have to be more consistent about the little things,” Pateras said.
The Chargers did score on their third drive, as an eight-play drive was capped off by a touchdown from senior running back Andrew Cook.
The Dos Pueblos defense forced four turnovers on Friday, nabbing two interceptions while also forcing a fumble and blocking a punt.
Perhaps the defense’s most impressive stand came right before the half. After Royal quarterback Griffin Perry laid out a beautiful 59-yard pass to junior wideout Landen Murray, the Highlanders were finally gaining momentum, getting to the DP 33-yard line.
Two plays later, just 20 yards away from the endzone, Perry’s pass was too hot for his tight end and junior safety Patrick Sullivan came up with the interception for the Chargers at their own 8-yard line, stalling out the drive with under 30 seconds left in the half.
“We’ve got a lot of experienced guys on that defense, a slew of three-year lettermen and so they are just consistent and I think when I start to rise up, so do they. We just have a lot of good leadership amongst our players on that side of the ball,” Pateras said.
In the fourth quarter, the Chargers were finally able to finish drives. A 28-yard run from Felix set up a 1-yard score for DP’s Diego Chamu to put them up 12-0.
Later in the quarter, Felix completed a short pass to Barnhart, who broke it free for 29 yards to get down to the 29-yard line.
After a holding penalty, Felix managed to break free for a 28-yard scamper, setting up Chamu for another score, this time from 4 yards out, and securing the Chargers’ 19-0 victory.
“I know we have to clean up the penalties and fix the little things, but I’m super proud of the way the team bounced back, especially after last week,” Barnhart said.
Dos Pueblos will host Santa Barbara High in a non-league game next Friday at 7 p.m.