Dos Pueblos High School stands in the way of Santa Barbara High’s prospects at earning a share of the Channel League football title.
The Dons travel across town Friday night to Scott O’Leary Stadium, looking to stay in the title hunt and improve their CIF playoff chances.
They are 2-1 in league play (6-2 overall) and sitting behind 3-0 Rio Mesa and Pacifica, who play each other on Friday night at Pacifica for sole possession of first place.
A Santa Barbara win at DP and a Rio Mesa victory over Pacifica would give the Dons a shot at a piece of the championship when they play at Rio Mesa in the regular-season finale next week on the road.
In other Week 9 action, San Marcos, looking to stay in the playoff hunt in the Pacific View League, hosts Cabrillo; Bishop Diego travels to Moorpark in the Camino League; Carpinteria plays at Citrus Coast League title-contender Hueneme; PVL title-contending Santa Ynez plays at Channel Islands; and Lompoc is home to Oxnard in a Channel League game.
Even with several new players on the field, Santa Barbara coach JT Stone isn’t surprised his team is this position.
“When I talked to the kids this season, I said everybody has us going 2-8 and not being in any ballgames,” he said after last week’s win over Oxnard. “But I knew exactly what we had, and I knew what kind of football team we had. They’ve already exceeded a lot of people’s expectations.
“But our expectation is to get to the playoffs, period. That’s something we believe in, something we’ve talked about, and something that’s in our culture. Every year we’re trying to get there, and I think our kids are doing a really great job of understanding how important it is for us to get there, so we’re excited.
“We’ve got two more games, and we’re not going to look past DP. We’re going to get after DP, and I expect DP to show up and give us a good game.”
The Chargers (2-6, 0-3) are physical up front, but their offense has struggled to sustain drives. They suffered a blow last week when reliable receiver Dylon Bailey suffered a broken ankle.
Santa Barbara has too many weapons on offense for DP to stay in this game for the City Championship.
The Pick: Santa Barbara
Cabrillo (0-8 0-3) at San Marcos (3-5, 1-2), 7 p.m. — Junior running back Andre McCullough, who went over the 1,000-yard milestone last week with a 261-yard performance against Buena, should have a big night against the winless Conquistadores. The Pick: San Marcos
Bishop Diego (6-1, 1-0) at Moorpark (1-7, 0-1), 7 p.m. (AM 1290 and AM1290KZSB.com) — Michael Luckhurst is in a groove passing the ball, Qu’ran Gossett is running over and around people, and the Cardinals are eyeing a league title showdown with Camarillo next week. The Pick: Bishop Diego
Carpinteria (0-8, 0-3) at Hueneme (6-2, 2-0), 7 p.m. — It’s been a tough year for Carpinteria. Hueneme is looking to keep pace with Nordhoff as they head toward a Citrus Coast League title showdown. The Pick: Hueneme
Santa Ynez (6-2, 2-1) at Channel Islands (2-6, 1-2), 7 p.m. — After beating Ventura last week, the Pirates are now rooting for the Cougars to defeat Buena to keep their Pacific View League title hopes alive. Santa Ynez is playing well on both sides of the ball and should handle Channel Islands. The Pick: Santa Ynez
Oxnard (3-5, 1-2) at Lompoc (3-5, 0-3), 7 p.m. — The Braves’ potent offense will be enough to win their penultimate game in the Channel League and the CIF-Southern Section. The Pick: Lompoc
SATURDAY
Cate (6-0, 2-0) at Thacher (6-0, 2-0), 2 p.m. — The longtime rivals meet for the Mt. Pinos League title and the No. 1 seed in the CIF-SS Division 1 8-man football playoffs. Cate senior quarterback Craig Bouma has been terrific passing and running the football. The Pick: Cate.