The kids from the neighborhood who’ve grown up playing football together have finally reached their senior year at Santa Barbara High.
They’ve won a lot of games together, and they’re looking forward to finishing their high school careers on a winning note.
It’s hard to find that kind of chemistry today in high school sports, as many players transfer because they believe the grass is greener somewhere else.
It doesn’t get any greener than the turf at Peabody Stadium for seniors such as Abel Renteria, Koa Herrera, Chaz Rosales, Winston Bartley, AJ Gomez, Adrian Chavez, Noah Napoles, Jaden Reath, Jordan Mitchum, Ivan Contreras, Noah Valerio, Devin Forney, Jack Holdren, Julian Espinoza, Michael Cabral, and Alex Menibles.
They have history, with most of them playing on the same youth football teams together.
“We have a lot of chemistry,” said Renteria, a three-year starter at quarterback who was honored as the Channel League’s offensive MVP after leading the Dons to a share of the league title with a 7-1 record.
“We have a lot of people who have played together since they were 8 years old, and we have new guys that are really contributing to the team.
AJ Gomez, the Dons’ all-league first-team center, and the other senior offensive linemen (Javier Tinoco, Chavez and Napoles) have enjoyed playing with Renteria over the years.
“We’ve been playing with him for all our lives,” he said. “We just try to make it easy as possible for him. That’s our job, we protect him.”
Bartley, one of Renteria’s favorite passing targets, said they go back to the seventh grade.
“We’ve always had a connection.”
Herrera has been competing with most of the guys since he was 8.
“Playing with each other from such a young age is cool,” said Herrera, who will be the Dons’ primary running back this season.
“Everyone has definitely improved skill-wise. It makes you proud to see how our connection has grown and how our skills have grown.”
Herrera said there is pride of being a homegrown player and being part of the great legacy of Santa Barbara High football.
“I think it means a lot and it means a lot to the team, too. Having that bond of being homegrown is super important.”
The players had a curveball thrown at them last season when coach JT Stone announced he was leaving after the season and moving his family to North Carolina.
Stone led the Dons to playoff seasons of 9-2 and 8-4 in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The 2021 team reached the CIF-SS quarterfinals.
“It was a shock,” said Bartley, when Stone announced he was leaving SBHS. “But we got Coach Nate. He’s been working us and making us more disciplined. I’m excited for what the season has for us.”
Gomez likes the enthusiasm and excitement Mendoza brings.
“He’s definitely honest. He’s very aggressive and very into the team. He has a lot of passion,” Gomez said.
Senior cornerback Jordan Mitchum appreciates some of the things Mendoza says to light a fire under the players. On lifting weights, Mitchum says Mendoza tells them, “We’re putting armor on ourselves to make ourselves stronger and better for each game we play this year.”
Associate head coach Dave Stott said, “The kids bought in pretty quickly” to Mendoza’s process of preparing a football team and bringing everyone together.
“They obviously know him from seeing him on campus (as a vice principal); he’s in the hallways. He already had a relationship with them, it’s not like he just showed up one day and nobody knew who he was.
“So, I think the buy-in was a little bit easier. There’s not a lot of turnover on our staff.”
Mendoza has kept an eye on the Dons football team since he arrived at the school. As he supervised the area around the snack bar during home games, he’d catch a glimpse of the action from the far corner of the south end zone.
“It’s been hard for me,” he admitted. “I spent time being an administrator on the sideline, wishing I could coach.”
He’s back on the sideline coaching the kids from the neighborhood, where the turf is greener.