A last-second interception allowed Camarillo High football to steal a 17-16 win over Santa Barbara High in Friday’s season opener at Peabody Stadium in Santa Barbara.
The Dons (0-1) and Scorpions (1-0) exchanged blows throughout the night, but the visitors got the last laugh with a stop at the goal line as Santa Barbara went for the go-ahead touchdown.
“It hurts, but there are learning lessons, and we’ll move on,” Santa Barbara High head coach Nate Mendoza said of the way the game ended. “Everybody’s feeling it the same way, but our character will show. These guys are mentally tough. It’s the first game of the year, and it’s a long, long season.”
After a back-and-forth battle throughout, Camarillo’s Brandon Mariscal hit a 20-yard field goal to give his team a 17-16 lead with 2:56 on the clock.
The Dons then went to work with their 2-minute drill, marching into Camarillo territory before facing a 4th-and-10 from the 34-yard line. Junior quarterback Griffin Arnold came through with a 12-yard strike to sophomore Keegan Roessler to keep the drive alive.
An 11-yard reception to senior Fin Congdon brought the ball up to the 11-yard line with just 37 seconds remaining. However, on the next play, Arnold’s pass over the middle was intercepted by Camarillo’s Cruz Howe to seal the game for the Scorpions.
“Our defense gave us a chance by holding them to a field goal, which was huge,” Mendoza said. “I’m bummed for everybody (about) how it ended. Now we go back to work.”
The SB defense began the night with a big stop, as junior Nate Meister deflected a pass on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. However, the Dons’ offense gave the ball right back with a fumble in the backfield.
Camarillo was forced to punt on the ensuing drive, and the SB offense began to march down the field before facing a 4th and 11 from the Scorpion 22-yard line. Mendoza went for it and Griffin Arnold connected with Roessler for the first down.
The Scorpions stood tall in the red zone as the game flipped to the second quarter, but the Dons jumped ahead when junior Zeb Sage nailed a 26-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 11:08 left in the half.
Camarillo responded immediately, thanks in part to a successful fake punt in its own territory to keep the drive alive.
“That’s not smart football,” Mendoza said of allowing the fake punt. “There’s a ton of lessons we’re going to learn from [the game].
Brad Barlow found his groove under center, completing a 27-yard pass to get into SB territory and connecting with Cruz Howe on a diving 22-yard touchdown pass to take the lead.
The Scorpions then pulled off a fake extra-point kick attempt, completing the pass into the end zone to take an 8-3 lead with 6:55 on the clock.
The two sides then exchanged stalled drives until the Dons found themselves with the ball at their own 35-yard line with 50 seconds remaining.
After a short gain and a false start, Arnold lofted a deep ball to Congdon, who came down with it and was tackled at the 1-yard line for a 63-yard gain.
The Dons then rushed to the line and, following two empty tries, junior Everett Rabb-Preston punched in the 1-yard rushing touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful, giving SB a 9-8 lead heading into halftime.
The SB offense came out of the break on fire and with a new approach. Arnold diced his way through the defense with a six-play, 80-yard drive consisting only of completed pass plays, the last being a 12-yard touchdown catch by Roessler to extend the lead to 16-8.
“I think [Arnold] was pressing in the first half. I think everybody knew that and coming back from what he did, it’s normal,” Mendoza said. “We calmed his nerves, and he’s a great player. He’ll rebound from the end of the game and we’ll live to see another day.”
The Scorpions had a chance to answer when they got into the red zone on the next drive. However, the Dons stood tall and forced a fumble on a 4th-and-1 attempt from the 5-yard line to maintain the 16-8 advantage, which held through the end of the third.
“I was super impressed (with the defense),” Mendoza said. “A lot of heart and fight. Defense really showed up. They were on the field most of the game. It was a really good effort.”
After trading empty possessions, Camarillo took advantage of strong field position and marched down the field before scoring on a 1-yard touchdown rush by Jakaylen Robinson to trim the deficit to 16-14.
The Scorpions then went for two for the tie, and their pass into the end zone fell incomplete to preserve the SB advantage with 9:47 to play.
The two teams then exchanged punts, and Camarillo began a drive from its own 3-yard line with around five minutes left on the clock.
The first two plays went for 15 yards before a broken play left Malakai Mejia wide open down the sideline, and he broke off a 72-yard reception before he was hawked down by junior Reid Miller at the Dons’ 10-yard line.
The SB defense made one final stand, stuffing three consecutive run plays to make Camarillo settle for a field goal, which was good and gave the visitors a 17-16 lead to set up the game’s final drive.
Arnold completed 26-of-38 passes for 268 yards in his return to the gridiron, with Roessler leading the team with eight catches and Congdon’s 116 receiving yards pacing the Dons.
Santa Barbara High will hit the road to take on Corona Del Mar next week, while Camarillo will be on the road against Moorpark.
