Theo Anderson has spent countless hours on the Dunn School baseball field, not just during the Earwigs’ games, but using Dunn’s Fungoman machine to take grounder after grounder with one goal in mind — playing shortstop.

With idols like Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, Anderson has proven that height is an advantage on the left side of the infield. At 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, Theo has followed the careers of tall infielders like De La Cruz and Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz closely, finding inspiration in their ability to dominate the position. Now, Theo is set to make his own mark in collegiate baseball, signing his scholarship agreement on Nov. 13 to play for Saint Mary’s College.

“I look up to Elly and Oneil Cruz,” Anderson said. “Because they’ve shown that you don’t have to fit a certain mold to be great at shortstop. Watching them gave me the confidence to push myself and believe I could do the same.”

St. Mary’s, located in the Northern California town of Moraga, is a Division I school that plays in the West Coast Conference. Head coach Eric Valenzuela has coached the Gaels for seven seasons over two stints; he has also coached at Long Beach State. Last year, the Gaels went 34-22 overall and finished third in the WCC with a 16-8 conference record.

Anderson’s signing ceremony took place in front of family, friends, and the Dunn School community in the school’s Assembly Area, where the towering shortstop celebrated his commitment to the Division I program. His signing comes after a stellar 2024 season, where he ended the regular season ranked among California’s top high school players. According to MaxPreps at the time, Theo finished the season with a .577 batting average (tied for 28th in the state), 6 home runs (also tied for 28th), and a slugging percentage of 1.019 (20th). His on-base percentage of .711 ranked him an impressive 12th statewide.

“Theo represents everything we hope a Dunn student can become,” said Kelsey Sullivan, Dunn’s director of athletics. “He is someone who leads by example. He’s an ‘all-in’ kind of man. He builds community and puts others first. He’s a player everyone would want in their lineup. And he has the right balance of kindness and a playful nature to bring joy and success to any locker room.”

The ceremony was a joyous event for the entire Dunn community. Anderson’s parents, David Anderson and Mary Heyden, sat proudly by his side as he signed his scholarship agreement, while teammates, classmates, and teachers cheered him on. Dunn’s Head of School Kalyan Balaven spoke about Theo’s leadership on campus, not only as an athlete but as a student who exemplifies the school’s values of character and hard work.

“If you’ve seen Theo play, it’s a beautiful thing,” Balaven said. “You see laser focus in his eyes, beauty in motion, and you get to see that at school in his relationships with students and in the classroom. He doesn’t just live on the baseball field, he lives throughout this campus in so many ways. When I saw him with his family at the Saint Mary’s campus and saw him in his element, I couldn’t be more proud.”

For Anderson, the day was about more than just the excitement of playing Division I baseball — it was the culmination of years of hard work and the realization of a dream he’s had since he first picked up a bat.

Dunn School is proud to have supported Theo, who has attended since first stepping on campus as a sixth-grader.

“I’ve always loved this game,” Theo reflected after the event. “Getting to take this next step with Saint Mary’s means the world to me. It’s everything I’ve worked for.

“The facilities here, I get to use them all the time. I’m in the batting cage twice a day, and when I first started working out, it was at the Dunn gym over there. This is where I learned how to put the work in. Before, it wasn’t real. But when I got here, it became real and there were facilities and resources to use.”

As the event concluded, Theo posed for photos with his teammates, coaches, and family, proudly wearing his new Saint Mary’s gear. The reception afterward buzzed with congratulations and well-wishes as the community celebrated Anderson.

With a Division I future ahead of him and his sights set on following in the footsteps of some MLB stars, Anderson is ready for the challenges and opportunities that await him at Saint Mary’s.

About Dunn School: Dunn is a boarding and day school (grades 6-12) nestled in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Founded in 1957 from its campus in Los Olivos, Dunn has remained true to its mission of providing whole student education for more than 67 years through its character-based educational pillars: Emotional Wellness, Physical Readiness, Intellectual Growth, Social Responsibility and Moral Courage.

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Santa Ynez High boys basketball coach Rod Caughell, starting the third year of his second stint in the position, said a sign his team’s depth for the 2024-25 season is how he’s running practices.

“I told my wife today it’s the first time in all my years here that I have been able to run a five-on-five scrimmage at practice,” Caughell said the day before the team’s season opener against Carpinteria. “I would be short because I had some players still in football season, and others who weren’t quite ready yet.

“However, this year, with the football players able to join us, and the team being able to play with 10 guys, it’s more than exciting.”

The Pirates got off on the right foot in their season opener at home on Nov. 22 as they defeated Carpinteria 68-63. Jude Pritchard, one of those players fresh off the gridiron, led all scorers with 27 points. Lucas Ollenburger had 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Luke Gianis added 10. SYHS followed that up with wins over Bishop Diego (86-69) on Nov. 27, and Eastside High of Lancaster (51-47) to get off to a 3-0 start.

Santa Ynez is coming off a 2023-24 season in which it made the second round of the CIF Central Section playoffs despite a 12-18 record, including an 0-8 record in the loaded Mountain League. However, this year the Pirates will be playing in the new Sunset League, along with Cabrillo, Morro Bay, Nipomo, and Righetti.

“Last year was tough; we really shouldn’t have been in that league, having to deal with St. Joseph, a highly ranked team in the state,” Caughell said. “And add to that a couple of strong teams in Arroyo Grande and Mission Prep, and it was tough having to battle in that league.

“In the Sunset, I think Righetti will be our main opponent, but every league game will be though. It not like anyone’s dominant.”

The Pirates will go into the season with plenty of experience. They will be returning their top three scorers from last year: Ikenna Ofiaeli, Pritchard, and Jayden Mendoza. 

Caughell is looking at Ofiaeli, who was tops on the team with 13.0 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, to be the focal point of the offense.

“I’m looking for the offense to go through Ikenna,” Caughell said. “He’ll get his touches in the paint, and I look for our guard to penetrate get him the ball.”

The Pirates expect Mason Skidmore and Alex Molera to split time at point guard, while Ollenburger is expected to contribute with points and rebounds.

The Pirates return to action Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a home game against Templeton. Sunset League play will start Jan. 7, 2025, with a game against visiting Mission Prep.

Lady Pirates start 4-1; win second place in SM Winter Tournament

Meanwhile, after a 52-17 win over Atascadero on Nov. 25, the Santa Ynez High girls basketball team is off to a great start at 4-1. Their early season action included a second-place finish at the Santa Maria Winter Tournament at Santa Maria High.

Like the boys team, Coach Jennifer Rasmussen’s squad is welcoming quite a few returning players, like Helina Pecile, Kylie LaPointe, and Rylin Agin, who were the Lady Pirates’ three top scorers last year.

“What’s been nice is that our junior core has been on varsity since they were freshman,” Rasmussen said after her team’s loss to San Luis Obispo in the Santa Maria tournament final. “So this is their third year playing together. It’s been great seeing them get that consistency, and they’re syncing and gelling on the court.”

SYHS went 3-1 in the Santa Maria tournament, which lasted from Thursday, Nov. 21, to Saturday, Nov. 23. The Lady Pirates beat, in order, Bishop Diego (61-29), Santa Maria (58-30), and Simi Valley (57-39) before losing to San Luis Obispo 46-36 in the title game.

Despite the loss, Rasmussen thought the title was a good experience to learn from for her team.

“We played against some tough defenses in the tournament, and especially SLO,” she said. “They were fast and they were tall, so we really were tested on our ability to make something happen and it was the first time we were playing from behind all weekend. So it was good.”

Pecile led SYHS with 13 points in the title game, while Agin, who hit double figures in all four of the tournament games, added 11. A couple standouts in the semifinal against Simi Valley were Lexi Molera, who led the team with 17 points, and LaPointe, who added 15.

SYHS is coming off a 2023-24 season which saw them go 8-0 in the Ocean League, and 18-7 overall, and reach the second round of the CIF playoffs.

This year, the Lady Pirates will move up from the Ocean to the Sunset League, along with Lompoc and Templeton, where they will join Cabrillo, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo.

“We’re excited for the competition,” Rasmussen said. “I think we’ve showed we can compete with the bigger schools in the area, and last year we didn’t have any blowouts, so that just showed how good the competition is in this area.”

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The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team captured the school’s second CIF Central Section championship in two weeks, beating Clovis West 5-2 in the Division II championship match Tuesday, Nov. 12, on the SYHS courts.

Kate Mazza got the final point, wrapping up her 6-2, 6-2 match at No. 3 singles to clinch the Pirates’ match and championship, which brought celebration and the abrupt end to the two matches still going on.

The title win came 13 days after the Santa Ynez High girls golf team successfuly defended its CIF title won last year.

Santa Ynez got wins in the Nos. 2 to 4 singles to get the five points needed to clinch the match. In addition to Mazza at No. 3, Haley Townes won her match 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2, and Natalie O’Shaughnessy went 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4.

The Pirates began the match by taking two of three in doubles. Townes and Keegan Withrow won their No. 1 doubles match 8-2, and Mazza and O’Shaughnessy took an 8-3 win at No. 2.

“The team showed incredible grit and teamwork throughout the match,” said girls tennis head coach Jennifer Rasmussen.”Haley and Keegan faced a tough start, dropping the first two games. But they didn’t back down — winning eight straight games to seal their victory.

“Our senior duo, Natalie and Kate, showed their experience and leadership, dominating their match 6-3 to set the tone.”

The championship win was a glorious end to a season that saw the Pirates struggle at times as they scheduled competitive preseason opponents and then played in a tough Mountain League. However, the came into the Division 2 tournament as the top seed, and showed it in the first two rounds, beating Righetti High and Justin Garza High by identical 9-0 scores.

“We had a difficult schedule, but we just kept playing the best that we could, and I knew it would prepare for the postseason,” Rasmussen said.

After the first two rounds, Santa Ynez ran into a competitive opponent in Garces Memorial, whom it beat 5-3 in the semifinals.

“We breezed through those first two rounds, but we had a tough match against Garces,” the coach said. “We pulled that out, but they had some solid players and a couple of those matches could have gone either way.”

But things went the Pirates way in that match and continued on to the championship match.

“Every single player gave it their all, and their determination, drive, and teamwork were truly inspiring,” Rasmussen said.”This victory is a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the season.

We couldn’t be prouder of these incredible athletes.”

O’Shaughnessy and Withrow advance in CIF doubles

O’Shaughnessy and Withrow competed in the indiviual doubles tournament in San Luis Obispo and will play Sectional CIF Individual Doubles Tournament next weekend in Clovis. 

The duo defeated Misamore/Camacho (Nipomo) 8-3 and White/Arias (Lompoc) 6-1, 6-3 on Nov. 8 in SLO.

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After a 3-7 regular season, the Santa Ynez Valley football squad was put in the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs as the ninth seed and had to take a 155-mile trip to the Central Valley and a game against eighth-seeded Arvin on Oct. 8.

And the Pirates were able to make that trip a happy one, rallying to defeat the host Bears 35-21 in the first-round matchup.The victory was the first in the postseason for head coach Josh McClurg, and the first for SYHS since a 28-14 first-round win over Torrance’s North High in 2010, back when the school was still in the CIF Southern Section.

The win also necessitated an even longer road trip as the team traveled to Bishop, 354 miles away, for a game against top-seeded Bishop Union last Friday, Nov. 15.

Against Arvin, who came in at 7-3 and the South Yosemite Horizon League champions, Santa Ynez quarterback Jude Pritchard excelled as a passer and runner: He completed 15 of 18 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, and led a very balanced Pirates’ rushing game with 49 yards and a score.

The game was nip-and-tuck most of the way, with the Pirates and Bears trading touchdowns on their way to a 21-21 tie into the third quarter, but the SYHS defense stiffened in the last part of the game, and the offense scored twice to put it away.

“That was a great showing; the guys were really locked in as the game went on,” said Pirates head coach Josh McClurg. “I’m always trying to avoid the ‘negative momentum’ from piling up, but we stayed away from that.”

The coach admitted it was potentially tough to take the field after a long bus trip like they did for the game, but he made sure that the players didn’t dwell on that.

“It’s just a matter of putting them in the right mindset,” McClurg said. “I just tell them ‘hey, we know it’s going to be a long ride, but we just have to control what’s controllable.”

The Pirates got off to a great start for the playoff contest as Austin Willis returned the opening kickoff to the Santa Ynez 45-yard line and then six plays later finished the drive with a 12-yard run to put SYHS up 7-0.

The host Bears went on a long 75-yard TD drive to tie it up at 7 at the end of the first quarter, but in the second, the Pirates benefited from a short punt, healthy return and a 15-yard penalty by Arvin to start at the Bears’ 11, and two plays later, Max Andrade caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Pritchard put SYHS ahead. 

Arvin came back to score a touchdown on the next drive and the teams would go into halftime knotted up 14-14. Then, on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Bears scored on a 71-yard pass play to give them they’re only lead of the night. However, those would be the last points Arvin would score on the night.

On the next Pirates drive, Brendan Foy would finish it with a 15-yard run to tie it up at 21. Then, Andrade made a play on defense, intercepting an Arvin pass and taking it to the Bears’ 21. From there, Pritchard ran it in from 20 yards out to put SYHS back in front for good 28-21.

Arvin threatened to score in the fourth quarter, taking it down to Santa Ynez’s 21-yard line, but the Pirates’ defense stopped the Bears on a 4th-and-1 and a few plays later Pritchard hit Jaxon Glover on a 10-yard pass for last score of the game.

For its second-round matchup in Division 5 last Friday (Nov. 15) the Pirates (4-7, 1-3 in the Sunset League) faced top seed Bishop Union. The Broncos were 10-2 after a 41-6 first-round win over Sanger West and were undefeated at 5-0.

“I’ve seen film of them in about five games this, and they are a really solid team; they have a lot of big guys and are well-coached” McClurg said last week before the matchup. “I won’t be easy, but I like our game plan and I’ll keep telling the players that they’re only three wins away. Three wins!”

The result of the Santa Ynez-Bishop Union came after press time, but can find the results at santaynezvalleystar.com

Feature Image: Santa Ynez High quarterback Jude Pritchard gets ready to take a snap during the Pirates’ Oct. 25 game against Pioneer Valley. Pritchard passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the Pirates’ 35-21 win at Arvin in the first-round of the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs. Star File Photo

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On Oct. 29, the Santa Ynez High girls golf team successfully defended its CIF Central Section Division 2 title in Visalia at the par-73 Valley Oaks Golf Course. 

The Pirates beat runner up Atascadero by five shots, shooting a team score of 483. Cabrillo (522) and Lompoc (523) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Senior Mackenzie Phelan led the Pirates with an 87. Phelan, Katherine Becerra and Sierra Freedman (who both shot 95) all had top 10 finishes in the Division 2 tournament. Other Pirates in the tournament included Addison West (96), Savannah Hudley (110), and Kacy Caplan (112).

“We expect Mackenzie Phelan to advance to the Section Championship; this will be finalized after today’s D3 tournament,” said SYHS golf coach Sara Ovadia. “Players that shoot 91 or lower and finish in the top 25 of players from the D2/area/D3 tournaments advance as Individuals to the Section Championship Monday in Fresno at San Joaquin Country Club where the D1 teams will compete for a D1 title and the other players will compete for a chance to advance to the SoCal Regional tournament.”

The win gives Santa Ynez back-to-back girls golf titles. Combined with the boys golf team, also coached by Ovadia and having won two straight CIF Central Section titles, give the SYHS golf program four straight CIF titles.

SYHS girls tennis wins playoff opener

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team, the top seed in the CIF Central Section Division II, swept Righetti 9-0 in their first-round matchup.

All the Pirates’ single players won in straight sets, with Danielle Hyland putting a double goose egg on her opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5, while Natalie O’Shaughnessy (6-0, 6-1 at No. 4) and Haley Townes (6-1, 6-1 at No. 2) also had impressive wins.

The doubles team were also impressive as Keegan Withrow/Haley Townes won 8-1 at No. 1, Kate Mazza/Natalie O’Shaughnessy won 8-2 at No. 2, and Claire Tipich/Ainsley Haws won 8-2 at No. 3.

With the win, the Pirates earned a second-round matchup with Justin Garza High of Fresno, which happened last Thursday after press time. If they got past that match, they’ll play today against the winner of Garces Memorial and Bakersfield.

Cross Country competes at Mt. SAC Invitational

Some Santa Ynez cross country runners took part in the Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Oct. 25 and 26.

Brooke Phelan was the standout for SYHS at the event, according to cross country coach Gary Semerdjian.

“Brooke was leading the first part of the race and held on to second place at the end, out of 123 runners in her Varsity group,” Semerdjian said. “We have a strong team for a small school.”

“Dimitri Nicolaou, a first-year freshman runner, scored big with a fourth-place finish,” the coach continued. “Alex Sutherland finished eight. Gavin Babcock scored 27th, and Mateo Sotelo scored 34th out of 126 runners.  Varsity boys Josue Salinas placed 12th out of 193 runners.

“Ilan Torres came in at 129th, and Gael Torres finished 137th. Sophomore Adam Lett came in at 19th place, and Gabriel Silva came in at 41st place out of 195 runners.”

The cross country team will next compete in the Ocean League finals this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Pirates athletes get CIF championship rings

Three Santa Ynez High athletes were awarded rings to represent their invidual CIF championships during a lunchtime ceremony on campus Oct. 11.

One of those athletes, Malia Ortiz, was awarded twice, winning last year in wrestling (110 pounds) and the pole vault in track and field.

Also, being honored was Santino Alvaro, who won his CIF title in wrestling (128 pounds).

Not present at the ceremony was Vince Casey, who won his titles in the long jump, and as a member of the Pirates’ 4×100 relay team. Casey graduated last June and is now a student and track and field athlete at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut.

SYHS Athletic Director Josh McClurg said that the rings were made possible by SYHS alumnus Ernie Ortiz, who got together with other alumni to raise money for the rings. McClurg said the group will continue to raise funds, so future individual CIF champs can get their rings also.

Feature image: Santa Ynez High athletes Malia Ortiz (wrestling and track and field) and Santino Alvaro (wrestling) show off the rings they received in commemoration of their respective CIF championships they won last academic year. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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Coming off a high-scoring loss to Atascadero in its Sunset League opener, the Santa Ynez High football continued to pile up yards and points on Oct. 18, beating visiting Pioneer Valley 54-20.

In a night that culminated the school’s Go Pink week (the SYHS players wore pink socks), the Pirates put up a season-high in points, getting their first league win. It was also their third win of the year, which made them eligible for the CIF Central Section playoffs.

Santa Ynez took it to Pioneer Valley mainly with its ground attack, as the Pirates rushed for 262 yards. Griffin Brunner eclipsed the century mark in rushing for the second straight week, gaining 130 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Quarterback Jade Pritchard contributed with 66 yards rushing and scored four touchdowns.

On defense, the Pirates stiffened up in the second half, allowing just seven points after halftime. Ben Flores (15 tackles) and Ryder McClurg (11 tackles) led the way for the Pirates, while Max Andrade (interception), Jack Swain (interception), and Jaxon Glover (fumble recovery) had key turnovers.

Pirates head coach Josh McClurg said his team intended to establish the run immediately.

“They gave us some looks on defense we hadn’t seen, so we started off with some plays we knew would work,” Pirates head coach Josh McClurg said. “We got a couple of one-off plays, and then we started taking what they gave us and just waited to get into a groove offensively.”

The Panthers gave the Pirates a short field right at the start when they tried to surprise SYHS with an onside kick to start the game. However, the Pirates recovered at their own 49, and after a long pass play, Rider McClurg took it in from 8 yards out for the first score. Then, after a shanked Pioneer Valley punt gave the Pirates another short field, Pritchard took it from 11 yards out for a 12-0 lead.

The Panthers made a game of it in the second quarter, scoring a TD and two field goals, while Brunner scored on a 6-yard run and Pritchard took it in on the 2-point attempt for a 20-13 Pirates lead at the half.

Santa Ynez then broke it open with 21 points in the third quarter, as Pritchard scored three TDs in the period, while Brunner added a touchdown, and backup QB Glover threw a touchdown to Roman Soto to close out the scoring.

“The important thing is we got that third win to get into the postseason,” Coach McClurg said after the game. “We got that monkey off our backs.”

The game on Oct. 18 was the annual Go Pink game in recognition of Cancer Awareness Month and to help fundraise for a local Pirate parent Trish Robinson, whose son is a former Pirates player and daughter is currently a cheerleader. Robinson is fighting a rare connective tissue disease attacking her lungs called anti synthetase syndrome with overlapping inflammatory myositis.

The game included fundraisers like a bake sale, and a raffle for items provided by the Santa Ynez High School Football Boosters, with all proceeds going to Robinson in her fight against the disease.

A week after their win over Pioneer Valley, played their second straight home game, and last of the season, and suffered a 42-9 defeat at the hands of San Luis Obispo High.

The Tigers amassed 342 yards on the ground for the night, with running back Colbin Garrison gaining 203 of those yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.

The Pirates actually struck first as Diego Pulido, now limited to kicking duties after and early-season injury, kicked a 29-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. However, the Tigers struck back early and often, scoring three first-quarter touchdowns, and never looked back.

Austin Boucher scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter for the Pirates, but SYHS would be shut out the rest of the way.

The loss dropped Santa Ynez to 3-6 (1-2 in the Sunset League), pending the Pirates regular-season finale at Righetti last Friday, Nov. 1. CIF playoff pairings were released on Sunday, and the Pirates will have a first-round road game this Friday, Nov. 8. To find out where and against who, see santaynezvalleystar.com.

Feature image: Santa Ynez High quarterback Jade Pritchard is congratulated by teammates after scoring one of his four touchdowns Oct. 18 in the Pirates’ 54-20 win over Pioneer Valley. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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A week after getting back into the win column, the Santa Ynez High football team began league play on Oct. 4, and renewed a rivalry.

For the first time in more than two decades, the Atascadero and Santa Ynez football teams faced off as league opponents, this time as competitors in the new Sunset League. And in a game with tons of offense, Atascadero outlasted SYHS by a 42-34 score.

The Pirates (2-5, 0-1 in the Sunset League) were effective on offense during the evening, piling up 489 yards. Quarterback Jude Pritchard completed 25 of 43 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed for 92 yards, including a 46-yard TD run on a quarterback draw.

SYHS running back Griffin Bruner became the first Pirate with a 100-yard game on the ground this year, rushing for 118 yards and two TDs. Greyson Foy and Mason Skidmore also had scored for SYHS.

However, Santa Ynez could not stop Atascadero’s powerful rushing attack, gaining 346 yards on the ground. In fact, the Greyhounds only passed the ball four times all night, though one of them was for a touchdown. 

The Greyhounds held a 42-27 lead with less than four minutes left, but the Pirates nearly caught them at the end. SYHS went on a 78-yard drive and Bruner scored his last TD with 48 seconds left. Santa Ynez was able to recover the ensuing onside kick and take it down as far as Atascadero’s 19-yard line, but after a penalty, Pritchard attempted a Hail Mary pass to the end zone that receiver Max Andrade had a hand on, but could not bring down, resulting in an incompletion to end the game.

A week earlier, the Pirates were able to get their second win of the season on Sept. 27, rolling up 519 yards of offense in a 38-14 win over Santa Maria.

After a scoreless first quarter, a Saints punt had the Pirates starting at their own 8-yard line. SYHS moved it to the 37, and that’s when Foy took the ball and ran it 63 yards for the touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Later, Pritchard, who completed 21 of 26 passes for 217 yards, hit Andrade with a 29-yard scoring pass, and just before halftime, Austin Willis — taking over the kicking duties for an injured Diego Pulido — hit a 38-yard field goal to make it 17-0.

Santa Ynez put it away with three touchdowns in the third quarter, with Willis, Bruner, and Skidmore (reception) getting into the end zone.

The Pirates had a bye last Friday, Oct. 11, and return home this Friday night, Oct. 18, against Pioneer Valley. They will then host San Luis Obispo on Oct. 25, and wrap up the regular season at Righetti on Nov. 1.

Lady Pirates tennis plays ‘First Serve’ tournament in Huntington Beach

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team took a break from Mountain League play to take part in the USTA Pete Brown “First Serve” Tournament on Oct. 5 in Huntington Beach. Santa Ynez and St. Joseph were the only two Central Coast schools in the eight-team field, and they ended up in the final, with the Knights beating the Lady Pirates 5-1.

In the tournament for Santa Ynez, Keegan Withrow was 4-0, while Haley Townes, Natalie O’Shaughnessy, and Danielle Hyland each won three of their four matches.

The team defeated Edison 4-2, La Quinta 5-1, and Whittier Christian 6-0, on its way to the final.

The Lady Pirates faced St. Joseph again on Thursday in an official Mountain League match. They face San Luis Obispo at home on Oct. 15, and travel to Morro Bay on Oct. 17, before playing in the CCAA Mountain League Prelims and Finals on Oct. 23-24.

Phelan does well at CCAA mid-season cross country meet

Seventy-nine female cross country runners came to the Cuesta-Fairbanks course for the CCAA mid-season meet in San Luis Obispo and Santa Ynez’s Brooke Phelan scored third overall and first place as a junior runner. According to assistant coach Gary Semerdjian, Brook mentioned that the hills were a challenge and that this might be the most difficult course to run on the Central Coast.

The cross country team will travel to Santa Maria to compete in the Waller Park Goose Chase, and on Oct. 25-26, they’ll go south for the Mt. SAC Inviational. League finals and CIF competitions will happen in early November.

Pirates girls golfers place third in latest Mountain League tournament

The Santa Ynez girls golf team played in the fourth Mountain League girls golf tournament today at Cypress Ridge golf course (par 72) in Arroyo Grande. The Pirates placed third with a score of 486, behind Arroyo Grande (393) and San Luis Obispo (480). Mackenzie Phelan was the low score for the Pirates with an 89.

The remaining golfers for Santa Ynez were Kacy Caplan (95), Addison West (97), Katherine Becerra (100), Sierra Freedman (105), and Savannah Hudley (110).

Feature image: Linemen for Santa Ynez (white) and Atascadero line up before the snap before their game in Atascadero on Oct. 4. The Greyhounds beat the Pirates 42-34 in the Sunset League opener for both teams.

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A season that started with an impressive win over Dos Pueblos more than a month earlier continued to take a downward turn Sept. 13 as the Pirates suffered a 30-13 Homecoming night defeat to Mission Prep.

Santa Ynez followed that up with a 13-7 loss at Nipomo on Sept. 20 in a game that saw some key Pirates players on the sidelines. That loss dropped SYHS’s record to 1-4 (pending last Friday’s result at Santa Maria) as it prepares to start Sunset League play on the road at Atascadero this Friday, Oct. 4.

The game against Mission Prep seemed to follow the script of the previous two losses against San Marcos and Lompoc: Keep the game close, or even have a lead, into the second half, but let the game get away late.

Santa Ynez High quarterback Jude Pritchard carries the ball during the Pirates’ Sept. 13 Homecoming game against Mission Prep.

The visiting Royals jumped out to a 10-point lead in the second quarter, but the Pirates struck with 36 second left in the first half when quarterback Jude Pritchard hit receiver Luke Gianis with a 26-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7 at halftime.

After all the Homecoming halftime festivities, Pritchard was able to hit Gianis again for a score, this time from 15 yards out, to give the Pirates a 13-10 lead with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

The two touchdowns underscored a big night for Gianis, who had 9 catches for 114 yards to lead the team. Pritchard also put up some impressive numbers on the night, completing 24-of-28 passes, with no interceptions, 285 yards, and the two scores.

Mason Skidmore also emerged as a receiving target, catching 5 passes for 62 yards.

Diego Pulido, probably the Pirates’ best all-around player at kicker, receiver, and defensive back, had 4 receptions for 60 yards, but unfortunately had to come out with an injury after being tackled and didn’t return.

After the SYHS go-ahead TD, it was all Mission Prep. The Royals took back the lead at 17-13 with a touchdown run in the third quarter, and then scored twice more in the fourth for the final margin.

Santa Ynez High defenders Sebastian Perez (left) and Asa Radelfinger (right) bear down on a Mission Prep ballcarrier Sept. 13 during the Pirates’ Homecoming game.

Pirates head coach Josh McClurg was left shaking his head at another second-half fade.

“I don’t know what it is, but we’re just not finishing,” McClurg said. “We play them tough to begin with, give ourselves a chance to win, but then can’t close it.”

“This is probably the best team we’ve played this year,” the coach added. “But, we still need to do better in the second half.”

McClurg did have praise for Gianis and the offense.

“We did make some progress offensively, which was good,” he said. “And Gianis really stepped up with us gearing the offense toward him tonight.”

The next week against Nipomo, Santa Ynez struggled again. Of course, the Pirates had to play without three key players due to injury: Pulido, Pritchard and Max Andrade, a leader on defense.

The game between the Pirates and the Titans was short on points although both team were able to move the ball, with Santa Ynez gaining 362 yards of offense, and Nipomo 302 yards.

However, Nipomo was able to get into the end zone with touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters, while Santa Ynez was held scoreless until the fourth, when Griffin Bruner scored on a short run late in the game.

The Pirates will play their first Sunset League game this Friday night, 7 p.m. at Atascadero. It will be their third straight road game. After a bye week Oct. 11, SYHS will return to Rio Memorial Field for two straight home games, against Pioneer Valley on Oct. 18, and San Luis Obispo on Oct. 25, before traveling to Righetti to close out the regular season.

SYHS girls tennis and girls golf teams start Mountain League play

The Santa Ynez girls golf team played in the second Mountain League tournament of the season Sept. 24 at the par-73 Rancho Maria Golf Club. The Pirates placed second of five teams (behind Arroyo Grande), with Mackenzie Phelan leading the Pirates with an 83, the third lowest score on the day. Gigi Gunasayan and Cece Lewis of Arroyo Grande tied for the medalist of the match each scoring 76.

Other Santa Ynez scores were: Addison West, 101; Kacy Caplan, 103; Katherine Becerra, 108; Sierra Freedman, 108; and Savannah Hudley, 126.

The Pirates also placed second Sept. 16 in the first Mountain League tournament (again to Arroyo Grande). Phelan again led SYHS with an 88.

Girls tennis gets first Mountain League win

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team just started its Mountain League schedule, and, after losses to Lompoc and Arroyo Grande, got into the win column Sept. 24 with a 6-3 victory over St. Joseph.

The Lady Pirates swept doubles to start the match as Keegan Withrow/Haley Townes won 8-7, (10-8); Kate Mazza/Natalie O’Shaughnessy won 8-0; Violet Quinney/Rylee Arellano won 8-6. In singles, No. 2 Townes (7-6 [9-7], 7-5), No. 4 O’Shaugnhnessy (6-4, 6-4), and No. 5 Danielle Hyland (6-1, 6-1) were victorious.

“Haley Townes played a great singles match to clinch the last win against St. Joe’s,” SYHS head coach Jennifer Rasmussen said. “She was down 1-4 in the first set and came back to win in a tie-breaker 9-7, and down 0-3 in the second set, pulling out a 7-5 win.” 

Rasmussen also praised Townes and Withrow for their doubles victory.

“Keegan and Haley also played from behind in their first match of the day. They fell behind 0-5, but battled back tie it at 7 all, which lead to a 10-point super tie breaker,” the coach said. “They pulled off the victory, which gave the girls momentum going into singles up 3-0!”  

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Bringing back nearly all of their players from last season, the Santa Ynez High School girls volleyball has gotten off to a strong start for their 2024 campaign.

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the Lady Pirates won a non-league contest against visiting Ventura Buena of the CIF Southern Section, taking a three-game sweep by the scores of 25-14, 25-10, and 25-15.

The win raised SYHS’s record to 5-2, with all five of their victories coming in sweeps. The team’s only losses came during the Cardinal Classic Tournament as Bishop Diego High in Santa Barbara to Capistrano Valley Christian and Newbury Park, both Southern Section schools.

In the win over Buena, senior Callin Glover led the Pirates with seven kills, while sophomore Ivy Moyer and freshman Scarlet Ollenburger had five apiece.

Earlier in the month, Aug. 22 to be exact, SYHS beat visiting Nipomo 25-13, 25-9, 25-13. It was before that match thathead coach Amelia Brown expressed how much she looked forward to having a team with familiar faces.

“Last year was a rebuilding year for us,” Brown said of the 2023 team that finished 17-20 overall, but made it to the second round of the CIF Central Section Division 3 playoffs. “This year we lost only one player, and it’s been great.We’re really playing like a unit.”

In addition to Glover and Ollenburger, Brown is looking to players like juniors Natalie Bailey and Haley Spry to lead the team this year.

Brown also pointed out junior Emma Johnson as one of her top players. However, during the Nipomo match, Johnson suffered an unspecified leg injury when she landed wrong after a spike attempt. It’s still unclear how much time she’ll miss.

The Lady Pirates will compete in the Mountain League this year, along with Arroyo Grande, Mission Prep, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Templeton. 

SYHS will be back in action Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Atascadero. Its next home match will be next Thursday, Sept. 12, against Righetti, and league play will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at SLO.

Girls tennis beats Templeton after hosting trio from NorCal

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team has also gotten things rolling on their season. The Lady Pirates stand at 2-2 after a 9-0 win over Templeton on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

All the SYHS singles player won rather handily. Both No. 1 singles Keegan Withrow and No. 2 singles Haley Townes won by 6-2, 6-1 scores, while No. 3 Kate Mazza didn’t give up a game, winning 6-0, 6-0. Other singles win were by Natalie O’Shaughnessy (6-1, 6-0) at No. 4, Danielle Hyland (6-0, 6-1) at No. 5, and Skyla Oslin (6-4, 6-0) at No. 6.

In doubles play, the top four singles players for the Lady Pirates paired off, with Withrow/Townes winning 8-1, and Mazza/O’Shaughnessy taking their match by the same score. The third singles match saw Rylee Arellano and Violet Quinney win their match 8-6.

Before that, Santa Ynez hosted a trio of teams from Northern California on the campus courts. On Aug. 22, the Lady Pirates defeated a tough Oak Ridge team from El Dorado Hills 6-3. Townes, Mazza, Hyland, and Quinny took singles wins, while Withrow/Townes and Mazza/O’Shaugnessy got SYHS two wins out of the three doubles matches.

The Lady Pirates followed that up with defeats to Chico (7-2) on Friday, Aug. 23, and Rocklin (5-4) the next day.

Hyland got a singles win (6-1, 6-4) against Chico at No. 5, while Arellano and Quinney won 8-1 for SYHS’s only doubles point. Against Rocklin, Mazza, O’Shaughnessy, and Hyland got singles wins, while Mazza and Hyland got the Lady Pirates only doubles wins.

Head coach Jennifer Rasmussen admits that her squad is in a formidable league, the Mountain, along with Arroyo Grande, Lompoc, St. Joseph, and San Luis Obispo.

“There are some tough teams in our league when we reach that part of the schedule,” she said. “I think Arroyo Grande and SLO will continue to be great teams. We’ll keep working on getting our ratings up and prepare for CIF play in our division.”

Rasmussen said she’s looking at players like Withrow, Mazza, and O’Shaughnessy to be team leaders, and also had praise for Townes, who was slotted at No. 2 singles even though she’s a freshman.

Santa Ynez will take part in the California Tennis Classic in Clovis this weekend (Sept. 6-7) in Clovis, and return to the Santa Ynez courts next Tuesday, Sept. 10, against Clovis West.

Santa Ynez girls golf hosts Pirate Invitational

On Monday, Aug. 26, the Santa Ynez girls golf team hosted the 25th Annual Pirate Invitational at the Alisal River Course (par 72). The event had 68 participants representing 17 different high schools from both the Central and Southern CIF sections.

The tournament format was a two-person best ball tournament, the low score between the two players on each hole counting toward the team score. 

“The first Pirate Invitational was held in 1999 and we are proud to have made this fun early-season 18-hole tournament such a long-standing tradition for our Central Coast high schools to participate in,” Santa Ynez head coach Sara Ovadia said.

Gigi Gunasayan and Maya London of Arroyo Grande earned first-place honors with a team score of 69. Cece Lewis and Emma Dodson, also of Arroyo Grande, had a 71, the same score as Sunny Wang and Alesia Barry of Oaks Christian, but the AG duo earned second place on the tiebreaker, which was the lower score on the back nine.

Nina Xu and Joanna Hong of Oak Park finished fourth at 72.

The girls golf team will next see action Wednesday, Sept. 4, with a dual match against San Marcos on the Alisal River Course.

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

For the second straight game for the Santa Ynez High football team, turnovers played a big part in the matchup with visiting Lompoc High. Unfortunately, this time it was to the Pirates’ detriment in a 28-10 non-league defeat to the Braves on Aug. 30 at Rio Memorial Field.

After benefitting from six turnovers in its season-opening win over Dos Pueblos the week before, SYHS was the team giving up the ball in the season’s second contest as Lompoc intercepted five passes and recovered a fumble. Because of that, the Pirates suffered their first loss despite generating 320 yards of offense on the night.

“We had opportunities, but we couldn’t capitalize on it, because of dropped balls and missed throws,” said Santa Ynez head coach Josh McClurg after the game. “Our offensive line played good again, our running back ran hard, but we need to get better in the passing game.”

The Pirates got the ball to start the game, but gave it up almost immediately when Lompoc intercepted a pass on the second play from scrimmage and the Braves’ Marcus Bailon ran it in from 9 yards. With the PAT, Lompoc jumped out to a 7-0 lead.

Santa Ynez got the ball back and drove down to the Lompoc 23-yard line but was stopped on downs. Soon after, Braves running back Jacob White took off on a 74-year touchdown run for a 14-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, a short Lompoc punt gave the Pirates possession at the Braves’ 37-yard line and SYHS capitalized immediately as quarterback Jude Pritchard threw a 37-yard pass to receiver Diego Pulido for the home team’s first score of the night.

Pulido kicked the extra point to make it 14-7, and in third quarter kicked a 40-yard field goal — closing the gap to 14-10 — making him responsible for all the Pirates’ points on the night.

Despite threatening to catch the Braves in the second half, the Pirates wouldn’t score again, and Lompoc scored two touchdowns in the last six minutes of the game to wrap it up.

Despite mistakes made by his team, McClurg gave credit to Lompoc for a strong performance.

“They were opportunistic, but hats off to them. They beat us,” he said. “We didn’t help [ourselves], but they beat us.”

Santa Ynez again had a strong and balanced rushing attack, with 178 yards total on the ground and Austin Boucher (51 yard on 8 carries), Pritchard (48 on 8) and Greyson Foy (43 on 3).

Lompoc, meanwhile, had a run-heavy attack, only attempting 7 passes and rushing for 332 yards on the night. Quarterback Jacob Manzo was the top gainer on the night with 170 yards on 18 carries and a TD, while White also topped the century mark, with 121 yards on just five carries.

“Defensively, overall, I thought we played good, but there were just a couple of big plays that we gave up that killed us,” McClurg said. “We bent but didn’t break for most of the night, but on a couple of plays we didn’t do our jobs, and that put us into a position to not win the game.”

Now with a 1-1 record, the Pirates now look to San Marcos High and their first road game on Sept. 6, and McClurg said the flaws the team had against Lompoc are simple to identify and take care of.

“Turnovers are easy to fix — just do your job and pay attention to detail,” McClurg said. “It’s that simple; it’s not rocket science.”

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