Santa Barbara Thwarts Thousand Oaks’ Comeback to Win Season Opener
Dons Use Balanced Offensive Attack to Give New Head Coach Nate Mendoza First Win, 29-21
It didn’t take long for Santa Barbara’s offense to get going in the Dons’ season opener at Thousand Oaks Friday night. In the very first possession of the game, Santa Barbara marched 69 yards down the field and took an early lead on a methodical 12-play drive led by the senior duo of quarterback Abel Renteria and running back Koa Herrera.
After handing off the ball to Herrera six times on that first drive and completing two big passes to overcome an early holding penalty, Renteria bullied his way into the end zone on a one-yard run and a two-point conversion to give Santa Barbara an 8-0 lead.
Santa Barbara’s new head coach Nate Mendoza, who made his return to coaching after previously leading Dos Pueblos to a CIF Championship game in 2017, said when he took the position he wanted to make sure that the Dons were prepared to play a physical brand of football.
