After taking last week off for Labor Day, the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon made its return to Harry’s Plaza Cafe on Monday in grand fashion.
Student-athletes from 15 fall sports teams in town packed into the Ranchero Room as several high school sports kick off league play, competition heats up and rivalry games sit on the horizon.
The SBART Press Luncheon is sponsored by Fidelity National Title Group, Investec Real Estate, Knight Real Estate Group and Carp Physio.
This week’s luncheon featured an appearance by SBART Hall of Famer Bob Dinaberg, who coached football at SBCC and led them to eight conference titles. He brought with him Steve Dudley, who holds the record for most touchdown catches in a season by a Vaquero with 16.
Crosstown Rivalry Week
It’s another packed week of high school sports in town, and there is no shortage of local squads clashing with one another in several different sports.
The matchups begin on Tuesday afternoon, when San Marcos is set to host Dos Pueblos for a girls tennis match at 3 p.m. Later that day across campus, the Royals’ girls volleyball team will roll out the welcome mats for Santa Barbara High. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. inside the Thunderhut.
After a day off from rivalry showdowns on Wednesday, the local schools jump right back into it on Thursday.
Dos Pueblos flag football, which is ranked No. 6 in California by MaxPreps, will welcome San Marcos (No. 51 in California on MaxPreps) for their first matchup of the year. The two squads have gone head-to-head in dramatic matchups for each of the past three seasons since the sport was introduced.
“We’re looking forward to Thursday’s matchup against DP over there… Come out and watch Thursday night,” San Marcos flag football head coach Walt Bazylewicz said.
Meanwhile, Goleta will be the site for a pair of rivalry matches on Thursday afternoon. The Charger girls tennis team will host Santa Barbara High at 3 p.m., while San Marcos will head out to Glen Annie for a girls golf showdown with Dos Pueblos at 2:30 p.m.
In private school action, Bishop Diego girls volleyball will hop over the 101 and into Hope Ranch to take on Laguna Blanca at 5:30 p.m. The Cardinals won their first match in a five-set battle, 25-147, 25-23, 18-25, 22-25, 15-12.
The rivalry week is rounded out with perhaps the biggest crosstown game of the year: The Big Game. San Marcos will host Santa Barbara High on Friday at 7 p.m. at Warkentin Stadium for the 66th edition of the rivalry game. The Dons routed the Royals in last year’s contest, 60-0.
“We’re all excited for Friday night,” Santa Barbara High head coach Nate Mendoza said. “It means a lot. I know not only for our school, but more importantly, our alumni and all the people who put on the helmet before us.
“So we know that, we take that responsibility really seriously, and we’re excited for Friday night.”
Cross Country Season Heats Up
The high school cross country season always gets off to a slower start than the rest of the fall sports, with the first league meet not coming until October and league finals taking place in November.
However, student-athletes from San Marcos, Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara High and Carpinteria High have begun their years at various out-of-town meets over the past few weekends as teams begin to find their footing.
The Royals, Dons and Warriors will all compete in the Ojai Invitational this upcoming weekend, while the Chargers will be at the Woodbridge Invitational in Orange County.
The first league meets for the majority of teams in town will come on Saturday, Oct. 3. San Marcos and Dos Pueblos will be competing in the Channel League, while Santa Barbara High is in the Pacific View League this season. Their league meets will be held together, with scoring being split between the two leagues.
“Cross country in September, it’s really just about finding your identity and finding your rhythm, and just establishing who you are,” Santa Barbara High cross country head coach Olivia Perdices said.
“It’s the first year of [the new league format], and we’ll see how it all plays out. I’m not going to say I don’t like it. I’m just really curious to see how it plays out. It’s very different for us.”
Student-Athletes in Attendance
SBCC Football: Fissal Ahmed, Levi Cavalli
Dos Pueblos Girls Golf: Macy Prahm, Sophie Ralston
Santa Barbara High Football: Cade Mault, Henry Crafton
Santa Barbara High Flag Football: Vanessa Esparza, Eva Hervouet
Santa Barbara High Cross Country: Kik Van Engelen, Sydney Burgoyne, Ethan Walp
San Marcos Flag Football: Bella Bazylewicz, Maya Llewellyn, Norah Leonardi
Dos Pueblos Boys Water Polo: Lucas Neushul
Laguna Blanca Football: Jaden Yanez, Luke Rice
San Marcos Cross Country: Autumn Richardson, Elsie Tuttle, Walker Gregorio, Audric Hallberg
Dos Pueblos Football: Grady Felix, Caeden Lee
Dos Pueblos Cross Country: Iyla Herrick, Claire Anfinson, Adam Costa, Ian McMurtry
Santa Barbara High Girls Golf: Ava Rudd, Camryn Quinn
Carpinteria High Cross Country: Mila Martins, Christian Dominguez
Carpinteria High Football: Peter Casas, Jonah Hernandez
San Marcos Football: Tommy Diaz, Jesse Rodriguez
