The Santa Barbara Community Rowing racing team excelled during the first weekend of December at the Christmas Regatta in Long Beach, California.

On Dec. 7, the team competed in this unique, short sprint event against teams from the southwest U.S.
SBCR’s Jacie Dingman, a Santa Ynez High School sophomore, came home with three medals: gold in the U19 Women’s Single, silver in the U17 Women’s Single, and bronze in the U17 Women’s Double with teammate Lizzie Jacobsen, a sophomore at San Marcos High School.

Other gold medal winners included the U15 coxed quad rowed by Will and Campbell Allen (Goleta Valley Junior High), John Asher (Laguna Blanca), Finn McCauley, and Zen Budden (Laguna Blanca). McCauley and Will Allen also came together in the U16 Men’s Double for a silver medal.

Another foursome took home bronze in a U16 quad that included Aidan Chase (Alpha School), Liam Moore (Alpha School), McCauley, and the Allen brothers.

The SBCR Masters team also competed at the regatta, bringing home an additional three silver and two bronze medals.  

“What a great end of our fall season and start of the sprint season,” said SBCR Coach Gracie Barbara. “I am extremely proud of all of our rowers; we took home a lot of medals, which is a direct result of their hard work. We have several new rowers and it’s great to see them being so competitive so quickly. We have a very bright season ahead of us.”

Santa Barbara Community Rowing, based at Cachuma Lake, is the only rowing organization in Santa Barbara County. If you are interested in donating to the club, or learning more about rowing, SBCR offers summer camps for youth ages 11-plus, as well as Learn to Row programs throughout the year for adults and kids.

For more information visit www.rowsbc.org/

SYHS boys soccer edges Mission Prep to go above .500

Vince Guerrero scored the first goal of the match and then the game-winner in the second half as the Santa Ynez High boys soccer team defeated Mission Prep 3-2 on Saturday, Dec. 13, in San Luis Obispo, raising its record to 3-2.

Guerrero was assisted by Mario Villegas for the Pirates’ first goal of the half. Mission Prep scored twice to take a 2-1 lead into the half. However, the Pirates were able to come back in the second half, scoring twice on direct free kicks — Cristian Sandoval tied the game, and then Guerrero made scored the tiebreakers.

Guerrero currently leads SYHS on the young season with 4 goals and 9 points.

Two days earlier, SYHS dropped a 2-1 decision at Lompoc. After a scorless first half, Guerrero tallied the first goal, again with an assist from Villegas, but the Braves came back with two goals for the win.

Coach Hector Garcia’s Pirates began Sunset League play at home Tuesday, Dec. 16, against Atascadero, and will play visiting Nipomo on Friday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. The team will then go on winter break, with its next game on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Morro Bay.

SYHS boys basketball goes 1-2 at Morro Bay tournament

The Santa Ynez High boys basketball team defeated Hilmar 67-48 on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Morro Bay HIT Tournament, salvaging a win after three losses in the three-day affair.

Lucas Ollenburger had 21 points and 9 rebounds against Hilmar, while Gael Villalobos added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Jude Pritchard posted 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Ollenburger had a total of 53 points over the four games, and leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game. Pritchard is second with 14.5 ppg, and Villalobos third at 13.3 ppg as of Dec. 13.

The PIrates lost their first three games of the tournament to San Luis Obispo (55-51), Nevada Union (66-42), and Central East of Fresno (68-57), and are 4-7 after the Hilmar win. After games against Laguna Blanca (Dec. 16) and Morro Bay (Dec. 18), SYHS returns home to play Channel Islands on Friday, Dec. 19, its last game before winter break.

SYHS girls basketball off to 4-1 start

The Santa Ynez High girls basketball team beat visiting Pioneer Valley 54-24 on Dec. 9. Lexi Molera led the way with 13 points, while Jazmine Juarez added 8 points, and Elena Sleiman and Lilli Palacios had 6 points and 4 steals apiece.

The Pioneer Valley game was the team’s last until they go to the Oxnard Tournament on Dec. 26 and play three Ventura County teams: Oxnard (Dec. 26), Buena (Dec. 27), and Rio Mesa (Dec. 29).

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As we enter December, the winter sports teams at Santa Ynez High School are starting their seasons with hopes of postseason action around February. A rundown on earlier season action starts here:

Boys soccer edges Cabrillo in season opener

The Santa Ynez High boys soccer team hosted Cabrillo in its season debut on Thursday, Nov. 20, opening up a big lead and then withstanding a CHS comeback to win 3-2.

In a game played in the rain, Marcos Rivera and Santos Orozco each had a goal in the first half to make it 2-0 at intermission. Vince Guerrero then scored the Pirates’ third goal at the start of second half, before the Conquistadors found the net twice to make it 3-2. However, SYHS was able to hold on for the win.

Abner Banegas, designated as Man of the Match said “was very happy to get the start in my first varsity match and help the team get their first win of the season. Santos [Orozco] and him were a great team as center backs, and I hope it’s one of many more wins for the season.”

Coach Hector Garcia’s team, which finished just short of the .300 winning percentage required to make the CIF Central Section playoffs in 2024-25, had two road games this week: Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Arroyo Grande and Thursday, Dec. 4, at Orcutt Academy (results not available at press time). The Pirates play next at Lompoc on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 6 p.m. They return home on Tuesday, Dec. 16, for their first league game against Atascadero at 6 p.m.

Girls basketball bests Nipomo to tip-off season

The Santa Ynez High girls basketball team is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw a memorable postseason run, and on Thursday, Nov. 20, got its 2025-26 season off to a rousing start with a 47-32 victory over Nipomo.

Lexi Molera (14 points, 4 steals), Nelina Pecile (9 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals), and Rylan Agin (6 points, 6 rebounds), all standout on last year’s team that was CIF Central Section Division IV runner-up and had a win in the state tournament, led the way for the Pirates, while Jasmine Juarez, a sophomore on last year’s squad had 9 points and 7 rebounds.

“The girls were playing with impressive intensity, unity, and focus tonight,” SYHS head coach Jennifer Rasmussen said. “We only lost one senior from last year’s team, so we are looking forward to this year!”

The Pirates are currently playing in the Lompoc Tournament this weekend with game tonight, Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5.

Boys basketball drops two at Santa Clara Tournament

The Santa Ynez High boys basketball team went to the Santa Clara Tournament on Thanksgiving weekend, losing games to Eastside (86-51) on Friday, Nov. 28, and Bishop Diego (68-31) on Saturday, Nov. 29. That give the Pirates a 2-3 start to the season.

SYHS won its first two games of the season. In the opener on Nov. 18, the Pirates defeated host Pioneer Valley 70-54. Lucas Ollenburger led the way with 24 points and 9 rebounds, with Gael Villalobos adding 13 points and  Mason Skidmore 10. Two days later, on Nov. 20, the Pirates traveled to Nipomo and beat the Titans 70-37. Ollenburger had 14 points and 13 rebounds, with Skidmore (15), Villalobos (10), and Jude Pritchard (14) all scoring in double figures.

SYHS played its first home game Tuesday, Dec. 2, against Cabrillo (result not available) and will next travel to Arroyo Grande for a 6:30 p.m. game Monday night.

PIrates boys, girls wrestlers compete before Thanksgiving

Sean Yamasaki has started as SYHS’s new boys and girls wrestling coach and reported during Thanksgiving week, “it was a busy last couple days for the Pirates — almost everyone competed.”

The boys wrestling squad had a good showing at the Santa Maria Tri Tip Duals on Wednesday, Nov. 26, as the team was 4-1 on the day, defeating San Marcos, Buena, Del Sol, and Atascadero and losing to Pioneer Valley.

“We had three of our wrestlers Neal Cunningham (157), Kaj Kretschmer (190), and Joey Duarte (285) go undefeated as well,” Yamasaki said. “Andrew Badger (138) and Curren Lane (150) also went 4-1 on the day.”

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Pirates’ first-year wrestlers also competed in the novice tournament at Santa Maria, with Dylan Zepeda, Luke Kruse, and Zeke Virgen all claiming first place in their weight classes.”

SYHS’s girls wrestlers also competed, as on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Lompoc High.

“Our girls competed, with Dallana Margarito taking first place, Patricia Silva taking second, and Melody Lopez taking third.”

The SYHS girls wrestlers will next see action Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, for the Island Girlz Tournament at Channel Islands HIgh. Boys wrestlers will next see action at the Mad Ranch Tourney Dec. 13 at Liberty High School in Bakersfield.

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With the way Von Gordon has been playing golf while a student at Santa Ynez High School, one might think he’s been at it since he was a little kid. Not quite so.

“So, yeah, I started it up in 2020,” he said. “I think tail end of 2019 or 2020, I started golf; and you know I played baseball, but when COVID hit, it just shut down baseball. Then I started playing more golf and I fell in love with it.”

That led to team MVP honors at SYHS as a freshman and sophomore, helping the Pirates capture back-to-back CIF Central Section titles in 2023 and 2024, success in several junior tournaments, and a berth in the U.S. Junior Amateur tournament in 2025, and now acceptance into a university that has seen incredible success in many of it sports over the past few decades.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Gordon signed his letter of intent to the University of Oregon to play golf for coach Casey Martin, a former PGA player, at a short signing ceremony in the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

“Going to play a college sport, no matter what level, is an unbelievable challenge to meet,” said SYHS Athletic Director Josh McClurg in introducing Gordon. “It’s even bigger when you play for a power 25 school in every sport. It takes a ton of hard work, which I know Von has put into it.”

Before signing his LOI, Gordon paused to thank the people that supported him throughout his journey.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s supported me, and made this possible,” he said. “Thanks to Mom and Dad, love you guys; I want to thank the friends supporting me and always having my back. I appreciate that.”

Gordon was joined at the ceremony, which happened during the school’s lunch hour, by his mother, brother, and a multitude of friends, most of whom were wearing the (usual) Ducks colors of kelly green and gold.

After signing, Gordon described the recruiting process that eventually took him to Oregon.

“It took a while and there were other school that came in and out of the picture,” he said. “But at the end with my offer from Oregon, and connection with the golf coach, it was just green lights all throughout with the coach and the program.”

Gordon will be going to a program which has become a national power in golf under Martin throughout its time in the Pac-12 and now the Big Ten. Martin, a former PGA Tour player now entering his 20th season as Ducks coach, has led the team to 11 NCAA Championship appearances, including winning the 2016 NCAA title and finishing runner-up in the 2017 championships. Among his former players is 2023 U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark.

Martin said he is excited to have Gordon begin his Oregon career.

“Von is sort of a late bloomer and shifted to golf a few years ago. He had a terrific summer,” Martin said on the goducks.com website. “I watched him several times and feel like he will have an immediate impact on our program. He has a great golf swing and works so hard. I can’t wait to have him on the team.”

Gordon is just as excited to be going to the campus in Eugene, where he plans to major in business.

“I’m just looking forward to the whole atmosphere,” he said. “The football program and the athletic culture — it’s just really exciting because there’s so much energy and so much effort that goes into it.”

But for now, Gordon can concentrate on his senior year and his boys golf season coming up in the spring.

“It’s really good to have this decision made, and the weight off my shoulders,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to finishing my last year here [at SYHS].”

Among many others to join Gordon at the ceremony was his mother Amy — she said Von’s father Rob, a professional photographer, was on assignment in Lanai — and she expressed gratitude to the community and the role it played in her son’s journey.

“Von is dedicated and self-motivated, but he been helped by so many people,” she said. “I think being at Alisal (Golf Club) and having this special community and having found golf has been such a blessing in his life. I just can’t thank the community enough.”

The post Santa Ynez High golfer announces commitment to University of Oregon appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

On Friday, Nov. 7, the Santa Ynez High football team got to do something it hadn’t done in 15 years — host a CIF playoff game as the Pirates took on the Dos Palos Broncos of the West Sierra League in the Central Valley in a Central Section Division IV game at Rio Memorial Field. 

However, the contest would end up being the end of the season for the No. 6-seeded Pirates as they fell to the 11th-seeded Broncos 14-0. The loss not only meant elimination for SYHS, but was the first time since 2019 the Pirates had been shut out in a game. 

The game was not an offensive masterpiece as the Pirates gained 212 yards of offense, a season low. While offensive statistics for Dos Palos were not provided, the Broncos were able to move the ball at times, and while able to score the two touchdowns, had other scoring chances foiled by an opportunistic Pirates defense. 

SYHS forced three turnovers on the night, with Diego Pulido getting an interception to stop a DPHS scoring threat just before halftime, and Greyson Foy and Levi Snow had fumble recoveries. Also, Ayden Finley blocked a Broncos field-goal attempt in the third quarter to prevent another DPHS score. 

However, the Pirates were partly done in by a familiar bugaboo: Penalties. At least one of the Broncos’ scoring drives was helpled by flags thrown against SYHS. In the second quarter — after the Broncos had a touchdown called back on a penalty — DPHS’s Jesus Bon kicked a field goal, but a Pirate defender was called for rough- ing the kicker. The Broncos decided to accept the penalty and take the field goal off the board, and a couple plays later, DPHS’s Andre Flores ran it in from the 1-yard line and with the extra point, the visitors had a 7-0 lead. 

On their next drive, the Pirates thought they had a potential game-ty- ing TD when Jude Pritchard hit Jaxson Glover with a 35-yard scoring pass, but SYHS was called for an illegal man downfield penalty to negate the score. That drive ended when Pulido missed what would have been a school-record-tying 47-yard field goal. 

The Broncos added to their lead in the third quarter when quarterback Quinton Herrera threw a 62-yard TD to Bon, who added the extra-point to make it 14-0, where the score would stay until the final siren. 

The game was a disappointing end to the season for the team and head coach Josh McClurg, who was frustrated at the penalties that hurt his team.

“We just killed ourselves tonight,” McClurg said. “I’ve been telling these guys all year not to lose their composure, and tonight we kept getting these unsportsmanlike-conduct flags, which I have to say about 90 percent of them were warranted. They just need to learn they can’t keep taunting or they’ll get called on it.” 

Despite the ending, the coach had a lot of praise for the team and how they rose above expectations this year. 

“I’m very proud of these guys, proud of the work they did to get here,” McClurg said.“For instance, with our defense, at the beginning of the year, we didn’t know what we had, and they really stepped up and improved, and they kept us in the game tonight.” 

The Broncos went to lose to third- seeded and undefeated McLane High of Fresno 46-7 in a Division IV quarterfinal on Nov. 14. 

Girls tennis duo advances to CIF Individual Tournament 

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team is out of the team playoff for this year, but one of its doubles teams qualified for the CIF Individual Tournament at Garces Memorial High in Bakersfield last weekend, Nov. 14 and 15. 

Keegan Withrow and Haley Townes breezed through their two matches in qualifying on Nov. 9, defeating Atascadero’s No. 2 team of Castorinas and Carbona 8-0 in Round 1, and then AHS’s No. 1 team of Sanchez and Luchetti 6-0, 6-2. They are the No. 9 seed in the CIF tourney; results were not available at press time. 

SYHS’s Danielle Hyland won her first match against Morro Bay’s Maggie Apple 8-6 and lost her second match 4-6, 2-6 to SLO’s Zoe Stackhouse. She did not advance to CIF. 

Girls water polo falls to top seed in CIF-CS Division III 

After defeating Exeter in the first round of the CIF Central Section Divi- sion III playoffs, the SYHS girls water polo team got to face Sierra Pacific, the division’s top seed in the second round. There, the Pirates’ season came to a close with an 8-3 loss to the Golden Bears from Hanford. 

Angelina Lefemine, Eleanor Murphy, and Paige Reynolds got the goals for SYHS, who finished the season at 13-11, including a 3-3 mark and third-place finish in the Sunset League. 

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

The bad news on Halloween night for the Santa Ynez High football team was their defeat to Righetti in the regular-season finale, as the Pirates, despite getting off to an early lead, saw the visiting Warriors make big plays leading into halftime and into the second half to post a 34-24 win at Rio Memorial Field.

With the defeat, their second straight to close the Sunset League slate, the Pirates finished at 2-2 in the league, and 6-4 overall. SYHS had lost at San Luis Obispo the previous week by a 28-23 score. Righetti and SLO both finished 3-1 to share the league title.

Despite the setback, SYHS got some good news the next day, Nov. 1, with the release of the CIF Central Section playoff seedings. With a No. 6 seed in Division IV, the Pirates will be at home for their first-round matchup against 11th-seeded Dos Palos. The Broncos also finished with a 6-4 overall record and were second place in the West Sierra League with a 4-1 mark. The winner of that game will travel to Fresno to face No. 3 seed McLane, the North Yosemite League champ with a 10-0 overall record, on Nov. 14.

The game against Righetti was a chance for Santa Ynez to capture at least a share of the Sunset League title, and to begin with, things looked good for the Pirates.

SYHS scored on their first drive, culminating in an 8-yard scoring pass from Jude Pritchard to Austin Willis and the Pirates led 6-0 after a missed extra point. In the second quarter, Diego Pulido added a 21-yard field goal for a nine-point lead, and after Righetti got on the scoreboard with a 5-yard TD run by Michael Mendez, Pulido kicked a career best 44-yard field goal — just three yards off the school record for a 12-7 Pirates lead.

It looked like that scored would hold up by halftime, but Righetti was able to get into SYHS territory in the final second of the second quarter, and then Warriors quarterback Nick Matautia hit received Thomas Harris with.a 38-yard touchdown run as the half ended to give Righetti a 14-12 lead at intermission.

In the second half, Righetti blocked an SYHS punt, and Julian Santos returned that for a touchdown, and Mendez rushed for another to give Righetti a 27-12 lead. After Pulido caught a 3-yard TD from Pritchard to close the gap, Mendez rushed for his third touchdown of the night, and the Pirates’ Greyson Foy closed the scoring with a 1-yard TD run with 3:38 left in the game.

Pirates head coach Josh McClurg blamed the loss on the inability to contain the Righetti offense, which came up with plays at crucial moments.

“We can’t give up big plays,” he said. “No matter where it’s at, the big plays are going to kill us. We can’t do that.”

McClurg also pointed to his team’s composure: “We have to be able to have composure in adversity, and not point fingers. We’ve struggled with that this year; when things are going good, we’ve been good, but when they go bad, we struggle with composure.”

SYHS was riding high on Oct. 17 with a 51-0 shutout at Pioneer Valley that had them at 2-0 in league and 6-2 overall. In that game, Austin Willis returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, the third time Willis had taken a kickoff back all the way this season, and the third time the Pirates have done so on the opening kick. The Pirates also scored touchdowns on the ground (three times), by pass (one), and also with interception return (Pulido) and fumble return (Ayden Finley).

The next week, Nov. 24, the Pirates lost a tough game at San Luis Obispo 28-23 for their first league loss. Like in the Righetti game, SYHS had a lead late into the second quarter until the Tigers scored with about a minute left to take a 14-10 lead at halftime. The Pirates were able to regain the lead at 17-14 as Pritchard threw a 12-yard TD pass to Jaxson Glover, and after getting the ball back, hoped to add to it, but SLO returned a Pritchard interception 35 yards for a score to give the Tigers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Kickoff for Friday’s playoff game against Dos Palos will be 7 p.m. at Rio Memorial Field.

Pirates girls water polo wins first-round playoff match

The Santa Ynez High girls water polo team won its first-round CIF Central Section Division III game over Exeter 7-4. The Pirates (13-10), the No. 8 seed in Division III, scored four goals in the second period to open up a lead, and then, when the No. 9 seed Monarchs drew to within one goal, scored a couple while shutting out Exeter the rest of the way.

Juliet Kerr led a balanced scoring attack with two goals, while Elena Sleiman, Angelina Lifeline, Paige Reynolds, Adriana Bilac, and Eleanor Murphy scored a goal apiece. Goalkeeper Rylan Agin was solid, with nine blocks and even has an assist.

The Pirates now advance to the second round, where they will play No. 1 seed in Hanford at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8

Santa Ynez closed out it regular season by defeating Cabrillo 11-3 to finish its play in the Sunset League finals on Oct. 29.

Lefemine led the way with four goals and four assists, while Bilac and Sleiman had two goals apiece. Goalkeeper Rylan Agin had 13 blocks to turn back the Cabrillo attack. The previous day, the Pirates lost 10-6 to Paso Robles in their first game of the tournament, with Bilac scoring twice and getting four steals, Eleanor Murphy with two goals of her own, and Agin with 15 blocks in goal.

The Pirates stood at 12-10 with a 3-3 league record for the regular season.

Pirates girls tennis eliminated in second round of CIF playoffs

The SYHS girls tennis team, the defending CIF Central Section Division II champions, fell short of a second straight title, suffering a 6-2 defeat to Reedley on Thursday, Oct. 30. The Pirates were swept in singles play, with the doubles teams of Keegan Withrow and Haley Towns (8-6) and Danielle Hyland and Claire Tipich (8-3) earning the only two points for SYHS.

SYHS won its first-round playoff match 5-4 over Templeton on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Danielle Hyland won the deciding match at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-3, in a hard-fought battle. No. 1 Keegan Withrow (6-1, 6-4) and No. 5 Clea Malkmus (6-3, 6-3) also won in singles, while doubles duos Withrow and Townes (8-1), and Tipich and Ainsley Haws (8-6) picked up points in doubles.

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The Santa Ynez High football team returned to Rio Memorial Field for the third straight week on Friday, Oct. 3, for its Sunset League opener vs. Atascadero. The visiting Greyhounds opened the scoring with an interception return for a touchdown on the Pirates opening drive, and ended the scoring with a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

However, between those two plays, the Pirates dominated, with four touchdowns on offense and three interceptions on defense, giving Santa Ynez a 28-13 victory, which raised their record to 5-2 overall.

The Pirates marched to the win with a strong ground game, gaining 245 yards rushing, led by quarterback Jude Pritchard, who gained 105.

“We really wanted to establish the run game, and we did,” said SYHS head coach Josn McClurg. “This week we challenged the offensive line, because we felt they did not play a great game last week [against Santa Maria High] and they rose to the occasion and blocked their tails off. I thought we had our way with them in the running game.”

As far as the passing game, Pritchard didn’t have to go to the air often, but he did complete 11 of 19 passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Jaxon Glover only had two reception for 20 yards, but both those catches were for touchdowns. Likewise, Levi Snow’s only catch of the evening was also for a score.

The defense, meanwhile, was stingy, keeping the Greyhounds’ offense out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. Defensive back Jack Swain had two interceptions on the night to go with seven tackles, and Diego Pulido had a pick of his own, and eight tackles.

“Once I saw them on defense, I know that was going to be fine,” McClurg said. “We gave up that interception and fell behind, but the defense stopped them on the next drive and we got the ball back, and we were fine after that.”

The Santa Ynez offense showed its effectiveness right away, taking the opening kickoff and marching down into Atascadero territory. However, that momentum was stopped when the Greyhounds’ Damon Mitchell picked off a Pritchard pass and took it 75 yards for a score. After the missed extra point, Atascadero led 6-0.

Undeterred, the Pirates again took the kickoff and moved down the field. This time, they were not stopped as Ayden Finley took it in on a 2-yard touchdown run. Pulido added the first of four successful extra points for a 7-6 SYHS lead. Later in the first quarter, Glover caught his first touchdown pass, a 9-yarder, to put his team up 14-6, a score that would hold until halftime. Snow caught his 20-yard TD pass in the third quarter, and Glover would have another TD reception in the fourth quarter.

Behind 28-6, the Greyhounds would score on a 29-yard pass with 4:54 left to cut the deficit, and then recover the ensuing onside kick, but the Pirates stopped them on downs and ran out the clock.

The Pirates enjoyed a bye week on Friday, April 10, and returned for a road game at Pioneer Valley on Oct. 17. SYHS goes out for another road game at San Luis Obispo on Oct. 24, then comes home for its regular-season finale vs. Righetti on Halloween night, Oct. 31.

Girls tennis

The Pirates lost to San Luis Obispo 8-1 in their last regular-season dual match of the season.

“Our lone win came from Claire Tipich, who showed incredible resilience — battling back from a 2–5 deficit in the second set to win 13–12 in a tiebreaker and push the match to a third set. An impressive fight!,” said Pirates head coach Jennifer Rasmussen.

The match was also during Senior Day, and three of them were honored.

We had the honor of celebrating our three amazing seniors: Keegan Withrow, Danielle Hyland, and Rylee Arellano,” Rasmussen said. “I’d like to thank them for their leadership, dedication, and the energy they’ve brought to the team. They’ll be missed!”

Girls water polo

The Pirates edged Cabrillo 6-5 in their Sunset League match to move to 10-9 (2-3 in league) on the season.

Juliet Kerr and Adriana Bilac had two goals apiece, while Rylan Agin had a whopping 12 blocks.

SYHS ends its regular season with a home game against Paso Robles on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

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In an annual ceremony to honor its athletic past, Santa Ynez High School used the evening of Friday, Sept. 19, not only to stage a football game between SYHS and Nipomo, but also to recognize five former student-athletes and one former coach and faculty member for their induction into the schoo’s Wall of Fame.

In a ceremony preceding the kickoff, the school honored former soccer, swim, and Iain McPherson, former Pirates volleyball star Meghan Mosebar, former football and track star Josh Hartman, water polo, soccer and swimming standout Chris Pace, former football star Kelley Moore, and football and golf standout Parker Colvin.

Retired SYHS teacher Dave Smith accepted the Wall of Fame plaque for Iain McPherson, a native Scot who spent 26 years as a coach and teacher at SYHS before his untimely death in 1999. Known for his tough love approach, he earned respect from students and players by pushing them to achieve more than they thought possible. As an All-American swimmer himself, he coached numerous athletes to CIF, All League
MVPs, and All-American.

Smith was a colleague and good friend of McPherson’s when both were at SYHS.

“I got here in 1975, and he had been here for three or four years already and we became good friends,” Smith said. “I was a swimmer, and I had a sister who spent some time in Scotland, so we had a lot of common ground.”

Smith said McPherson left a lasting legacy with the Pirates’ aquatic sports programs

“He really made a mark in water polo and swimming,” Smith said. “I’m glad I was able to come accept this plaque for him and also happy I got to see some of his former athletes come to see this.”

Meghan Mosebar, who lives in Florida, was also unable to attend the ceremony in person, but Meighan Dietenhofer, a former teammate, was able to accept the plaque for her. After a standout career in high school, she played Division I volleyball at Purdue and William & Mary. She is currently a teacher and club volleyball coach in Rockledge, Florida.

Josh Hartman, who accepted his plaque along with his daughter Willow, was a standout in football and track at SYHS before graduating in 2006. On the football field, Josh was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and honored as the school’s Most Valuable Male Athlete in his final year. After high school, Josh concluded his athletic career at Chapman University, playing football while earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in finance.

Chris Pace, who accepted his plaque carrying his young son, Jonah, not only was a three-sport star at SYHS, but outside of athletics was an Eagle Scout, Boys State School Rep, and senior class president. He continued his water polo career at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he graduated in 2008, and went on to a distinguished USAF career.

“They’ve been calling me for quite a few years, but with me moving all over being with the Air Force, I could never schedule it,” Pace said. “Finally, one year they called and I brought up a few old teammates of mine and asked if they were on the wall, and they said, ‘oh, we got them in years ago!’ So I figured it was time to get this done.”

While some of his fellow inductees came in from out of town, Pace has moved back to the Santa Ynez Valley, bringing his family in to settle here just a couple months ago.

Kelley Moore, whose brother Mitch as on hand to accept his plaque, graduated Santa Ynez in 1972. He went on to play football at Allan Hancock College and Chico State. After graduating from CSU Chico in the spring of 1977, Dr. Kelley Moore has been blessed to have had a lifetime,49 years in the coaching profession. After stints at Hancock and Thiel College, he has been an assistant football coach at Arizona Western University.

Parker Colvin played four years (2005-09) of football and golf at SYHS, earned the Jeff Rio Memorial Scholarship and was named the most Valuable Male Athlete for the Class of 2009. After graduating
high school, Colvin attended Cal Lutheran University, where he played four years on the golf team, serving as team captain. He graduated from CLU with a degree in exercise science with an emphasis on sports medicine.

“I’m super honored to be inducted, I was at this school for four years and I loved it here,” Colvin said. “I made sure to bring my old letterman’s jacket to wear to this, just to show everyone, I still bleed black and orange.”

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After going through the 2024 season without his squad returning a kick for a touchdown, Santa Ynez High football’s special teams coordinator Sean Foy put forth a challenge to his players to get a scoring return, and even promised a special lunch to his special teams players if they “took it to the house,” as the saying goes.

That challenge has been met, and then some. At the Pirates’ Homecoming game against Santa Maria on Friday, Sept. 26, Austin Willis took the short opening kick from the Saints and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown, the Pirates’ third kickoff-return score of the year, as Santa Ynez cruised to a 41-0 victory over Santa Maria.

Coming a week after SYHS’s 23-7 home win over Nipomo on Sept. 19, the victory moved the Pirates’ record to 4-2 going into Sunset League play. SYHS plays its first league game Friday, Oct. 3, at home against Atascadero.

The kickoff return game is a source of pride for Foy this year.

“In 17 years this is the most I can remember us having [return touchdowns] in a season, and we’ve just played six games,” Foy said. “Hats off to the boys. It’s not a super complicated thing complicated thing, it’s just executing your job.”

Of course, the performance so far this year came with some incentive.

“At the start of the season, I told the kickoff return team that I would buy them lunch each time they scored a touchdown,” Foy said. “This is the third lunch; it’s a good thing I stock up for these things.”

Actually, the Pirates didn’t waste any time getting the kickoff return score out of the way this year: In the season opener Aug. 22 at Dos Pueblos, Greyson Foy — son of Coach Foy and one of the Pirates’ main running backs — took the first kick of the season and ran it back 90 yards in a 43-22 win. A week later, Aug. 29, after Lompoc had scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, Willis took the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a score that would have tied the game if not for the subsequent extra-point try being blocked.

After Willis’ game-opening touchdown against the Saints, the Pirates tacked on a lot more points on the night, racing to a 27-0 halftime lead and scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter.

The SYHS offense produced 309 yards of offense in the game, with 167 of those coming on the ground. Cael DeForest led the attack with 73 yards of rushing on just three carries, including a 55-yard touchdown, one of the third-quarter scores. Ayden Finley and Greyson Foy also rushed for scores.

Quarterback Jude Pritchard completed 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards and connected with receiver Mason Skidmore on a 16-yard pass in the second quarter. Diego Pulido hit on two field goals in the first half, from 30 and then 42 yards.

On defense Jackson Glover had a team-high 10 tackles, nine of them for negative yardage, including three quarterback sacks. Meanhwile, Hayden Pahler had 10 tackles of his own, with one QB sack, and Tate Rossler had an interception.

Rossler had actually run back his interception for a touchdown, but the return was called back due to a penalty committed by the Pirates. While SYHS head coach Josh McClurg was happy for the win and had high praise for the defense, the penalty that negated Rossler’s TD was a reminder his team still had things to work on.

“I happy with the win,” McClurg said. “I’m not happy with the mistakes and the dumb penalties. We had a guy who could have gotten his first pick-six, but then we had a bonehead play for the penalty, and we can’t have that.”

The PIrates will return this Friday, Oct. 3, for their Sunset League opener, and third straight home game, against Atascadero. The Greyhounds come in with a 2-3 mark.

GIRLS WATER POLO

The Pirates earned their first Sunset League win on Thursday, Sept. 25, by beating visiting Cabrillo 8-5. Paige Reynolds scored three goals and had four steals, while Juliet Kerr had two goals and four steals of her own, and Rylan Agin had seven blocks.

SYHS played at Paso Robles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and return home to play Morro Bay on Wedensday, Oct. 8.

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

The Pirates’ girls flag football team raised its record to 7-3 in its inaugural since with consecutive shutouts, beating Santa Maria 26-0 on Sept. 25, and Righetti 25-0 on Sept. 30.

In the Santa Maria game, quarterback Leighton Casey completed 15 of 25 passes for 125 yard and a touchdown pass to Campbell McClurg (five catches, 44 yards). Presley Pinoli had a team-high 69 yards rushing with a TD, and McClurg, Ella Gotschall, and Skyla Oslin had interceptions. No stats were available for the Righetti game.

The Pirates return to action on Oct. 7 with a home game against Cabrillo, and then close out the regular season with games at Pioneer Valley (Oct. 16) and at home against San Luis Obispo.

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The Santa Ynez High football team’s record stands at 2-2 with a stretch of three straight home games starting this Friday. The Pirates followed up a big home win over San Marcos with a loss at Mission Prep to stay at .500 so far in the seaons. A look at both games:

Santa Ynez 41, San Marcos 14

On Sept. 5, the Pirates trailed early in the second quarter, but then dominated the rest of the way, avenging their loss at San Marcos last year.

After taking the opening kickoff, SYHS drove down the field and opened the scoring when quarterback Jude Pritchard threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Glover. After the missed extra point, the Pirates led 6-0.

However, San Marcos came back to scored two touchdowns, included an 87-yard scoring run by Cole Dominguez, to give the Royals a 14-6 lead with 9:44 left in the second quarter.

After that, though, the Pirates took control with three touchdowns before halftime. Pritchard hit Diego Pulido with a 38-yard scoring strike, and then ran in the two-point conversion to tie it at 14.

SYHS then had two scoring runs, with Pritchard scoring on a 9-yard run, and then Greyson Foy taking it in from the 1-yard line, to give the Pirates a 28-14 lead at the break.

The Pirates defense kept the Royals scoreless in the second half, while the offense had two touchdowns from Mason Skidmore, a 4-yard run on a reverse in the third quarter, and a 17-yard pass from Pritchard in the fourth to close the scoring.

Pritchard continued to prove his worth as a double threat, completing 16 of 23 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushing for a team high 91 yards on 10 carries and another TD. Cael DeForest (76 yards on nine carries) and Ayden Finley (46 yards on five carries) also added to the ground game. Skidmore (four catches, 91 yards) and Pulido (five catches, 87 yards) excelled as Pritchard favorite passing targets.

On defense, Hayden Pahler was credited with a team-high 15 tackles, while Adrian Merritt (fumble recovery) and Dylan Zepeda (interception) had turnovers for SYHS.

Head coach Josh McClurg had blamed the Pirates’ previous-week loss to Lompoc on players “not doing their jobs.” When asked if they did against San Marcos, he said “to an extent. We gave up some plays early on, but the defense settled down and really played well in the second half.”

McClurg had high praise for the Pirates’ offense.

“I’m really proud of our quarterback,” McClurg said about Pritchard. “We had a good game plan and he pulled it off really well. Overall, after the loss to Lompoc, we had a good week of practice and did some soul-searching and came back.”

Mission Prep 24, Santa Ynez 7

On Sept. 12, the Pirates were worn down by the host Royals’ twin rushing attack of Robert Kardashian and Aiden Shelton in a 24-7 loss on the Mission Prep campus.

MP’s Kardashian led all runners with 172 yards on 26 carries and one of the Royals’ three touchdowns, while Shelton tallied 101 years on 10 carries, including a 41-yard TD run in the first quarter.

The Pirates’ offense had trouble getting untracked for most of the game and were behind 24-0 in the fourth quarter before getting a scoring drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Pritchard to Pulido for its only points.

The Pirates will play three straight home games starting Friday, Sept. 19 against Nipomo. After that is a Sept. 26 contest vs. Santa Maria, and then the team’s first Sunset League game Oct. 3 against Atascadero.

Girls water polo team heads into Ocean League play

The Santa Ynez girls water polo team got a couple of big non-league wins last week before heading into Ocean League play.

On Thursday, Sept. 11, the Pirates defeated Santa Maria 14-3. In a balanced scoring attack, Elena Sleiman, Paige Reynolds, and Adriana Bilac had 2 goals apiece. Angelina Lefemine added a goal and 3 assists, while Juliet Kerr had a goal, 4 assists, and 5 steals.

Two days before, on Sept. 9, SYHS beat Lompoc 20-10, after jumping ahead 9-0 in the first period. Rylan Agin had 3 goals, 4 assists, and 4 blocks, and Eleanor Murphy had 2 goals and 5 blocks.

The Pirates played their first Ocean League game, at Morro Bay, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and will return home to play Cabrillo on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Girls tennis squad falls to strong Cate team in non-league finale

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team ended its non-league schedule with a 9-0 loss to Cate of the CIF Southern Section to drop to 7-4 going into the Pirates’ Mountain League opener.

“We were short four of our varsity players but played some great matches against a strong, Southern section team,” said head coach Jennifer Rasmussen, who’s team played Lompoc at home in the first league game on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The doubles team of Ainsley Haws and Clair Tipich gave Cate it toughest test, taking some games at No. 2 before losing 8-4.

SYHS was more successful on Sept. 9 with a 7-2 win at Cabrillo. Keegan Withrow, Haws, Tipich, and Clea Malkmus posted singles wins, while the Pirates swept doubles with the teams of Withrow/Haley Townes, Haws/Rylee Arellano, and Tipich/Avery DeJohn.

The Pirates traveled to Arroyo Grande on Thursday, Sept. 18, and return home Tuesday, Sept. 23, against St. Joseph at 3:30 p.m.

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Five former athletes and one former coach from Santa Ynez High are to be the newest additions to the school’s Wall of Fame. Parker Colvin, Josh Hartman, Coach Iain McPherson, Kelley Moore, Meghan Mosebar, and Chris Pace will be honored Friday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 before the Pirates’ football game against Nipomo High.

Parker Colvin

Colvin graduated from Santa Ynez High in 2009. He played four years of football and golf, and he earned the Jeff Rio Memorial Scholarship and was named the Most Valuable Male Athlete for the class of 2009.  After graduating high school, Parker attended Cal Lutheran University, where he played four years of golf. During his college career, his team had a NCAA Division III National Championship appearance in 2012, and 2013. In 2011 he was CLU’s golf team MVP and won Athlete of the Week for Southwest California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Colvin graduated from Cal Lutheran with a degree in exercise science with an emphasis in sports medicine.

Josh Hartman

Hartman graduated from Santa Ynez High in 2006, where he was a standout athlete in both football and track. As a senior, he captured the Los Padres League titles in the 100 and 200 meters and also won the 100-meter dash at the Santa Barbara County Championships. On the football field, Josh earned All-League honors twice. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and honored as the school’s Most Valuable Male Athlete in his final year. After high school, Josh concluded his athletic career at Chapman University, playing football while earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in finance. Following graduation, he began working under one of his former coaches, Jim Colvin, who helped launch his career in the hospitality industry. Josh now serves as a director of revenue management.

Iain McPherson

Iain “Coach” McPherson left an enduring legacy at SYHS as a U.S. history teacher and a devoted coach of the soccer, swimming, and water polo teams. Known for his tough love approach, he earned respect from students and players by pushing them to achieve more than they thought possible. As an All-American swimmer himself, he coached numerous athletes to CIF, All League MVPs, and All-American. Beyond the classroom and pool, Iain was a proud Scotsman and family man, cherished by his wife Linda and daughters Kerry and Heather. In 1998, Coach McPherson was the winningest coach in SYVHS history with 1,359 wins; however, he passed away in February 1999 at the age of 53. It wasn’t the wins he valued most, but the special relationships he built with his students and players.

Kelley Moore

Moore graduated from SYHS in 1972. He went on to play football at Allan Hancock College and Chico State.  After graduating from CSU Chico in the spring of 1977, Dr. Coach Kelley Moore has been blessed to have had a lifetime, 49 years, in the coaching profession. The high-school portion of his career includes coaching tennis, wrestling, basketball, and track and field (28 years as head coach). Moore also spent four years with Allan Hancock College as the head track and field and cross country coach, and as an assistant coach for football.  That was followed by two years as Head Track and Field Coach and Assistant Football Coach at Thiel College. He has as an assistant football coach the last four years at Arizona Christian University.

Meghan Mosebar

Mosebar graduated from SYHS in 1995, went to Purdue University from 1995-1997, and transferred to and graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2000. Mosebar earned high honors each of her four years of high school: She earned varsity letters in volleyball three straight years as a middle hitter, named All-League First Team her sophomore and junior years. Her senior year, she set a school record for most blocks and kills in a single match, leading her team to a Los Padres League championship, and winning Los Padres League MVP honors. Meghan received athletic scholarship offers from many Division I schools and accepted a full volleyball scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana. During here junior year, Mosebar transferred to William and Mary in Virginia, where she also received a volleyball scholarship, graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. While at William and Mary, she earned Dean’s List High Honors, All-Conference CAA Scholar Athlete, and was team Co-Captain 1999-2000. Meghan currently resides in Rockledge, Florida, where she has taught elementary school, and coached club volleyball. She now works with nonprofit organizations on the Space Coast of Florida, serving families with daycare and housing assistance, while enjoying life with her 19-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

Chris Pace

Pace graduated from Santa Ynez High in 2004. While at SYHS, he played water polo and soccer, and was a team captain on the swim team. Outside athletics he was the senior class president, a boys state school representative, and Eagle Scout. He was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in systems engineering management. While at the USAFA, he played water polo all four years, three times winning the varsity’s Hardest Worker Award, and in his senior year won the Derek Argel Memorial Award, for the athlete who demonstrates perseverance and an incredible work ethic, which was named for the former USAFA water polo player and alum of nearby Cabrillo High in Lompoc, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2005.

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