A pair of Division 1 soccer players are now getting their kicks playing pickleball.
Scott Buie and Hayden Carlson, who starred in soccer at Dos Pueblos High and continued their careers at UC Davis, joined forces to win the men’s 3.0 age 5-35 division title on the final day of the Pickleball in the Danger Zone/American Riviera Classic on Sunday at the Santa Barbara Municipal Courts.
Buie/Carlson defeated the Goleta twin brothers Hudson and Asher Frei for the gold medal, 11-2, 11-8. The brothers, who attend Goleta Valley Junior High, play regularly at the public Kellogg Courts in the Goodland.
“It was a great match between us and the twins in the final,” said Buie. “They showcased a lot of talent and they have great attitudes.”
In their senior year at UC Davis in 2024, Buie, a midfielder, and Carlson, a defender, played on a Big West championship team and went to the NCAA Tournament last November.
They graduated in December and returned to the area.
After dabbling in pickleball for a few years, Buie and Carlson are now playing on a more consistent basis.
“Super fun sport,” said Buie. “This was our first tournament and it was a great experience getting a feel for it all. Scott and I will be looking to play in another tournament in the near future for sure.”
Another young teen from the Kellogg courts also won a medal in the tournament. Archie Barcelona teamed with his dad, Dave, and captured the bronze in the 4.0 under-31 division. The division was won by Alon Robbins/Mark Van Elderen.
A couple of local celebrities faced off in the final of the 4.0 age 52-64 division. Dave Hanacek, a longtime DJ at modern rock radio station KJEE, and partner Greg Nielsen won the gold medal over Renaud Gonthier, the owner of Renaud’s French Bakery, and Sean McDermott, 15-6.
In the 5.0-plus division, the team of Andy Silverstein/Michael Challen defeated Justin Jordan/Evan Liu for the gold medal, 11-8, 11-0. It was the second tournament title for Silverstein, who won the mixed 5.0-plus division with partner Bryanna Ojeda on Friday.
Men’s Doubles
Level 3.0
(Ages 36-48)
Gold
Alex Escobar/Adam Cemo
Silver
Matthew Payne/Szymon Brzozowski
Bronze
Paul Simon/Jason Anderson
(Age 47-Above)
Gold
Scott Hervey/Jason Hervey
Silver
Hugo Ramos/Ed Luna
Bronze
John Sullivan/Geoff Gilbert
(Ages 5-35)
Gold
Hayden Carlson/Scott Buie
Silver
Hudson Frei/Asher Frei
Bronze
Arkadiy Sudarikov/Tyler Ohara
3.5
(Ages 20-35)
Gold
Andrew Liang/Andrew Strong
Silver
Keith Saito/Calvin Kan
Bronze
Joel Banez/Blake Boren
(Ages 36-52)
Gold
Tony Nardiello/Thomas Minehan
Silver
Javier Prellezo/Jimmy Bledsoe
Bronze
Seth Butchart/Tristan Greenleaf
(Ages 53-63)
Gold
Eric Nelson/Michael Sinclair
Silver
Michael Whorf/Roman Lara III
Bronze
Antonio Cintra/Kenneth Weber
(64-Above)
Gold
Reuben Ruiz/Marc Rosenthal
Silver
Hugh Margerum/David Bader
Bronze
Randy Jones/Tony Moran
4.0
(Ages 32-51)
Gold
Scott Wigton/John Patterson
Silver
Nicholas Behrman/Kelly Vandever
Bronze
Manish Gupta/Bruce Nguyen
Ages 5-31
Gold
Alon Robbins/Mark Van Elderen
Silver
Jake W/Joshua Weil
Bronze
Archie Barcelona/Dave Barcelona
(Ages 52-64)
Gold
David Hanacek/Greg Nielsen
Silver
Renaud Gonthier/Sean McDermott
Bronze
Brian Warren/Mike Visser
(65-Above)
Gold
David Hutchinson/John Ballew
Silver
Dan Reid/Tim Krout
Bronze
Marcus Des Plantes/Brian Zagala
4.5
(Ages 19-49)
Gold
Jeremy Hutt/Steve Bowersock
Silver
Spencer Cross/Mike Roberts
Bronze
Cooper Pickett/Davide Lomellini
(Ages 50-Above)
Gold
Richard Pastoria/Thomas Bramson
Silver
Tyrone Wells/David Wilcox
Bronze
John Sestak/Frank Adler
5.0-plus
Gold
Andy Silverstein/Michael Challen
Silver
Justin Jordan/Evan Liu
Bronze
David Fortson/Shawn Joo
