Mission accomplished, en
route to a convincing 41-22 win that lifted the Pirates’ record to 2-0 on the
young season.
Throughout that victory,
however, another problem reared its head — penalties.
Not the typical offside or
pass-interference calls, but something that sticks in the craw of every head
coach: personal fouls, primarily for unsportsmanlike conduct. (Other
infractions were for excessive celebration — all depending on one’s
definition of “excessive.”)
“Our kids were disciplined
Saturday with extra conditioning,” said Pirates’ coach Ken Gruendyke.
Reducing such mental
mistakes could work wonders against Nordhoff on Friday, when Santa Ynez
ventures to Ojai for a 7:30 p.m. showdown. The Rangers, representing the
Tri-Valley League, dropped their opening game to Pioneer Valley, 38-13.
Not unlike the Pirates, the winless
hosts have seen their share of costly errors — but don’t expect Gruendyke
to take any opponent lightly. Overlooking Nordhoff is the last thing he’s
doing.
“They will be a good test,”
Gruendyke said of the Rangers. “They have a fine quarterback, receivers and run
well. We’ll have to adjust our defense for more of a passing threat, which is
something we haven’t really seen thus far.”
Nordhoff coach Tony Henney
said his players must reduce turnovers if they expect to win against quality
opponents.
But he found a silver lining
in the Rangers’ season-opening defeat.
“We learned that despite the
mistakes, we have a lot of potential,” said Henney.
He noted the Pirates are
playing with passion, and it’s evident on their game film.
“They’ve got to be jacked-up
being 2-0, and we will have to match that,” Henney said.
One factor foremost in the
Pirates’ minds is special teams play, which has periodically been less than
special.
“We really have to clean it
up,” Gruendyke admitted.
That’s partly because last
Friday, Santa Ynez’s kickoff unit had a couple of breakdowns, one of which
allowed Lompoc to dash 75 yards to pay dirt.
“We didn’t do a good job,”
said the coach, “and got ourselves in a hole.”
Fortunately for the hosts,
they had offense to burn against Lompoc, representing the Pac-7 League.
Senior quarterback Tyler
Shean got the scoring under way with a 1-yard sneak. Moments later, the Pirates
pounced on a Braves’ fumble at their 38 yard line. Shean immediately launched a
perfect ball to Junior Alejandre (remember that name) for a 13-0 lead.
The visitors wouldn’t
relent. After Santa Ynez botched a punt with less than two minutes left in the
first quarter, Lompoc responded with a scoring strike of its own and a 2-point
conversion.
For most of the second
quarter, both teams moved the ball, but their drives were negated by a flurry
of penalties (adding new meaning to “flag day”). Circumstances would swiftly
change.
One minute before
intermission, the Pirates recovered a fumble and Shean instantly connected with
Alejandre again, for another two-TD lead. But seconds later, Lompoc returned
the ensuing kickoff all the way, trimming the halftime deficit to 20-15.
That led to a Pirates pep
talk, of sorts, in the locker room.
“Coach told us what to do,
and we listened,” said Alejandre.
That’s an understatement.
Santa Ynez’s defense stiffened until the offense got rolling again.
Midway through the third
quarter, Shean bolted 28 yards down the right sideline for another touchdown.
Early in the fourth frame, Cole Hollingsworth scored on a short burst for a
34-15 lead.
After the Braves connected
on a TD pass, the Pirates’ backup quarterback Parker Johnson ran in from a yard
out to cap the scoring, 41-22.
Santa Ynez starting QB Tyler
Shean said the tide turned after halftime.
“We ran the option more, and
I trusted our linemen,” said Shean, who tossed for 189 yards and a pair of
touchdowns.
Gruendyke was pleased with
the team’s overall performance.
“Our kids were really
focused and fought hard,” he said. “Our defense, particularly the linebackers,
played really well.”
Physically, the Pirates didn’t
emerge unscathed: Andrew Miller sustained a knee injury, while Travis Porter
has a bruised kidney and won’t see action against Nordhoff.
That couldn’t dampen Santa
Ynez’s outlook.
“I love my teammates,” said
Scott Arellano, who supplied 60 yards receiving and 92 on the ground.
Added Alejandre: “We’ve
brought Pirate pride back.”
Extra points:
Following a “bye” Sept. 25,
the Pirates start Los Padres League play Oct. 2 against visiting Pioneer Valley ….
Prior to the Lompoc game on
9-11, the Pirates honored a pair of former players, late Sgt. Josh Townsend and
Cpl. Aaron Allen with a ceremony at midfield. The event included a program
cover in their honor, a moment of silence, the Color Guard, a special coin toss
and retired jersey numbers with commemorative patches.
jluksic@syvjournal.com