Halle Rillie and Danny Viduare of Dos Pueblos Receive SBART Athlete of the Week Awards

Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon was already the second of the school year as student athletes and coaches descended upon Harry’s Cafe to detail their accomplishments thus far.

Danny Viduare was honored as the boys’ Athlete of the Week after leading Dos Pueblos to a 28-25 victory over Nordhoff. He rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. The Chargers won despite an injury to starting quarterback Ryan Marsh.

On the girls side, Halle Rillie received the Athlete of the Week award after racking up 14 assists, eight aces, six digs and three kills in the sweep of St. Joseph. Rillie also led the Royals to a crucial Channel League victory over Dos Pueblos in five sets where she finished with 12 kills as a setter, including a match-clinching dump.

Girls’ Flag Football

The inaugural season of girl flag football is underway and has created a buzz at the local high schools. 

Dos Pueblos quarterback Gianna Nichols was the honorable mention Athlete of the Week after completing 11-of-17 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-0 victory over Bishop Diego. Freshman Brooklyn Hedricks caught five of those balls for 61 yards and a touchdown. She also returned an interception for a touchdown.

“[Nichols] is one of our captains and one of nine seniors, which is kind of  invaluable for a new sport,” said Dos Pueblos assistant coach George Hedricks. “You don’t know what’s going to happen when you build a team with new athletes who are learning at the same time, so to have seniors who have played other varsity-level sports coming into this year sacrifice time they could be spending training for those sports, to learn a new sport, but also mentor young athletes has been invaluable for us.”

The Dons lost a heartbreaker 19-12 to Lompoc in their first official game, but Caro Esparza was a standout with 65 receiving yards, 15 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. 

San Marcos defeated Channel Islands 19-0 in its first ever girls flag football game. Peyton Sperling ran for 140 yards, including a 65 yard touchdown run. The Royals will travel to Rio Mesa on Thursday.

Tackle Football

Carpinteria football came up with a 26-0 shutout over Cabrillo of Long Beach. Sebastian Hernandez was an honorable mention Athlete of the Week with 2 interruptions and 35 rushing yards.

Quarterback Talon Trumble passed for 150 yards and rushed for 56 yards. Judah Torrez was instrumental from his outside linebacker position as the Warriors completed the shutout.

“We actually played very well for the first game. Our defense pitched a shutout and caused five turnovers, three picks, and two fumble recoveries,” said Carpinteria coach Mario Robinson. “We played a clean game. Our guys were very energized. They tackled well and played well.”

The Warriors did not commit a penalty until the fourth quarter and put together the most dominant performance of Robinson’s four-year tenure.

Westmont Climbs to NCAA Division 2

The time is now for Westmont fall sports as they make the jump into NCAA Division 2. The Westmont women’s volleyball team won the GSAC regular season title last season, but they are picked to finish ninth out of eleven teams in the PacWest Conference this season.

“This is kind of a year of uncertainty for us as we venture into NCAA Division 2,” said Westmont women’s volleyball coach Ruth McGolpin. “We used to be top dogs, but now we’re underdogs. I kind of like that feeling. I really have no expectations other than I still want to win.”

The Warriors will open their season at the Cal State Monterey Bay tournament on Friday, September 1 against Northwest Nazarene of Idaho.