The Santa Barbara High dominance in the Big Game continued on Friday night at Warkenin Stadium, with the Dons rolling to a 48-3 rout of San Marcos in the 66th edition of the crosstown rivalry matchup.
Santa Barbara (3-2) now leads the all-time series against the Royals (2-3) 41-24-1 and is 9-0-1 in the last 10 meetings. Friday’s showdown marked the end of non-league play for both teams as they head into the bye week.
“It’s definitely the biggest game I’m looking forward to in the year. It’s more than just our team, more than just football. It’s for the alumni and all the fans,” Santa Barbara High junior quarterback Griffin Arnold said of the rivalry.
“It’s kind of carrying on the legacy of the Santa Barbara High School, and I just really try to go out there and play my best for the alumni and for everyone that’s cheering on.”
Arnold was in complete control from start to finish, completing 25-of-33 passes for 302 yards and a whopping seven touchdown passes. Four of his touchdowns went to sophomore Keegan Roessler, who hauled in nine catches for 142 yards and four scores.
Roessler was awarded the Gary Blades Memorial Big Game Most Valuable Player Award as a result.
“Keegan Roessler showed up,” Santa Barbara High head coach Nate Mendoza said. “He’s kind of been caged up, and he got loose tonight. It was cool to watch him play and be physical.”
The Dons forced a quick three-and-out to begin the night, and the offense immediately went to work.
Arnold and junior Everett Rabb-Preston helped march SB deep into SM territory, and Arnold found a wide-open Fin Congdon, a senior, in the corner of the endzone for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Dons’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving their lead at 6-0 with 5:58 left in the first.
After another SM three-and-out, the Dons worked around several penalties to get back into Royals’ territory before facing a 4th and 2 from the 15-yard line.
Junior Henry Crafton bulldozed forward for two yards and the first down to keep the drive alive. One play later, Arnold hit junior Cade Mault in the flat and he did the rest, breaking several tackles on his way to a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 13-0 heading into the second.
The Royals then put together their best drive of the night into Dons’ territory, but a holding and back-to-back incompletions led to another punt.
Arnold and the offense clocked right back in, cruising down the field thanks in part to a SM facemask. On a 2nd and 9, Arnold lofted a 24-yard jump ball to Roessler, who came down with the contested catch. The score brought the lead to 20-0 with 2:52 left in the half.
“I heard the play call from the start, and I knew it was going to happen,” Roessler said. “I just trusted my quarterback to throw it up. It’s a mismatch; I’m going to come down with it every time.”
The third SM three-and-out of the half gave way to another Dons scoring drive just before the half, with the Arnold-to-Roessler connection striking once again from 8 yards out to take a commanding 27-0 lead into halftime.
The Royals got a boost out of the break, with the SM defense tipping a pass at the line of scrimmage and sophomore defensive lineman Anthony Rodriguez securing the interception.
The SM offense was stopped in the red zone, but senior Austin Downing drilled a 31-yard field goal to get on the board at 27-3.
“We wanted to come out and try to get a little spark to start the half off, and we were lucky to get a pick and get down to the red zone,” San Marcos head coach Isaiah Veal said.
The Dons didn’t let that momentum last long, ripping off a 10-play drive that was capped off by the third Arnold-to-Roessler touchdown of the night, this one from 24 yards out to expand the lead to 34-3 with 5:48 left in the third.
“Offensive line, keeping Griff clean. That’s what we always try to shoot for. I want to give the O Line a lot of credit; they never get enough credit,” Mendoza said.
The dynamic duo made it a four-peat on the next drive after a SM turnover on downs, as Arnold found Roessler for a 34-yard score less than two minutes later to bring the lead to 41-3.
The Royals then turned the ball over for the second drive in a row, setting the stage for a quick four-play drive that ended with Arnold’s seventh passing touchdown, a 22-yard connection with Congdon to make it a 48-3 lead just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter.
That proved to be the final score, as the fourth quarter proceeded with a running clock and the Dons secured the win.
Arnold was effective to several receivers throughout the night, with Roessler, Mault and Congdon all ending the night with six or more receptions.
“What we like to do is not have pressure on trying to get it to one person. We’ve got four to five good guys out there to catch the ball. We’ve got a couple of good running backs,” Mendoza said.
“Whatever’s going to be needed to win a game, that should be our attitude all the time.”
Both teams will now have next week off as they prepare for league action, and Veal believes Friday’s loss could have a positive impact on the rest of his team’s season.
“I think this was a great game to have before going into league, facing a tough opponent that we know is a winning program,” Veal said. “Getting to learn from this and play high-level competition before going into league, I think, is huge for us.”
Meanwhile, Mendoza believes his team is beginning to find its stride with three straight wins after two losses to begin the season.
“I think the Righetti game showed us what happens when we play as a team and just do our job,” Mendoza said. “We’re playing to our potential. We’ve got a long way to go.”
