After going up to Los Olivos and defeating Dunn School a month earlier, the Santa Ynez High baseball team played the Earwigs again April 10, and won 12-5 in a non-league game at the Pirates’ diamond.

Santa Ynez posted the victory thanks to two big innings in a game that was a little more competitive than the scored would suggest.

Dunn held a 1-0 into the bottom of the fourth, but Santa Ynez rallied for six runs in that frame. Then after the Earwigs closed to 6-5 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates put up six more runs in that inning to break it open.

For SYHS, Bradley Lood went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base, while Adam Stephens went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Dallas DeForest was 2-for-2 with a run, RBI, and steal.

On the mound, Ryan Henrey went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine for the win.

For the Earwigs, CJ Hollister went 3-for-4 with a run and RBI.

The Pirates raised their overall record to 9-5, pending their April 11 game against Dos Pueblos, another non-league matchup. SYHS will try to improve on its 1-3 Sunset League record with games against Pioneer Valley on Wednesday, April 17 (at home), and Friday, April 19 (away).

The Earwigs, 7-9 and 1-5 in the Tri-Valley League, will return to action with games against St. Bonaventure on Monday, April 22 (at home), and Thursday, April 25 (away). They then will close out the regular season with a doubleheader at home against Legacy Christian Academy on April 27.

Pirates boys golf tops Sunset League foes

The Santa Ynez Pirates played in the third Sunset League tournament of the season on Monday, April 8, at Nipomo’s par-35 Monarch Dunes Golf Course and came out on top in the nine-hole competition with a team score of 197. The Pirates were led by Von Gordon with a 36 and Brayden Mlodzik with a 37. The medalist of the day was Talon Hawk of Morro Bay with an even par 35. Team results: 1. Santa Ynez, 197; 2. Morro Bay, 220; 3. Paso Robles, 221; 4. Cabrillo, 230; 5. Nipomo 248

Santa Ynez scores: Von Gordon, 36; Brayden Mlodzik, 37; Seb Perez, 40; Marcelo Andrade, 41; Cody Armenta, 43; Ernesto Suarez, 46.

Santa Ynez beach volleyball defeats AG 2-1

The Lady Pirates earned their first Mountain League win of the season in a tight one with the Eagles at Sunny Fields Park in Solvang.

“All three of our matches went to three games. Each game was a battle,” said Santa Ynez head coach Melissa Rogers. “AG is well-coached and the adjustments were constant throughout the duel, which made for some well-fought games. All three of our teams were new pairings. The girls had a few rough patches, but did a stellar job of lining out their games and playing some solid volleyball.”

Pirates No. 1 duo Helina Pecile/Natalie Bailey (SY) defeated Riley Glanville/Grace Kennedy (AG) 20-22, 21-19, 15-10. Arroyo Grande’s No. 2 Tana Long/Bella Strickland (AG) defeated Sadie Lishman/Kailyn Snekvik (SY) 21-15, 14-21, 15-10. Santa Ynez’s No. 3 Haley Spry/Ella Miller (SY) defeated Caroline Talley/Bixby Hardy (AG) 21-14, 18-21, 15-8.

The Pirates (7-10, 1-6 in the Mountain League) will finish the regular season with games against Mission Prep (home) on Tuesday, April 16, and Arroyo Grande (away) on Wednesday, April 17.

Pirates boys tennis suffers narrow loss on Senior Day

The Santa Ynez High tennis team lost 5-4 to Arroyo Grande on April 11 after celebrating the final match of the Pirates’ six seniors: Dominic Day, Lucas Doman, Jonathan Hansen, Clayton Madill, Elias Thomas, and Matthew Wolfe. Freshman McCall Halme had a great win in the No. 5 singles line, defeating his opponent 6-4, 6-4. Day also won at line 6 in singles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. The doubles team of Wolfe and junior Adam Angel won easily, 8-1, while junior Bryce Wilczak played a tough match at the No. 1 singles line against the Eagles’ Lance Willkomm, taking the win 7-5, 7-5. 

Singles 3-3

1.Bryce Wilczak won 7-5, 7-5; 2. Lucas Doman lost 5-7, 2-6; 3. Cooper Haws lost 1-6, 2-6; 4. Elias Thomas lost 4-6, 5-7; 5. Mac Halme won 6-4, 6-4; 6. Dominic Day won 6-0, 6-0

Doubles 1-2

1. Wilczak and Haws lost 7-9; 2. Doman and Thomas lost 2-8; 3. Wolfe and Angel won 8-1

SYD Sliding home.JPG

Santa Ynez High’s Elias Palmer slides into home during the Pirates’ six-run fourth inning against Dunn on April 10. Santa Ynez won the game 12-5. Photo by Mike Chaldu

SYD Hollister.JPG

Dunn’s CJ Hollister gets ready to swing during the Earwigs games against Santa Ynez on April 10. The Earwigs lost to the Pirates 12-5 in the non-league game. Photo by Mike Chaldu

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The fish will be biting at Cachuma Lake the weekend of April 20-21, and multiple anglers will be looking to take advantage of that as the lake’s Neal Taylor Nature Center will be holding its 27th Annual Fish Derby.

The Fish Derby is the major fundraiser for The Nature Center at Cachuma Lake, which is a nonprofit organization.

This year’s Fish Derby will again include prize categories for multiple types of fish such as crappie, bass, catfish, trout, and carp. The prize pool has been increased this year which means everyone has a chance to win great cash prizes, fishing gear, and more!

Anglers of all ages are encouraged to enter the derby on April 20 and 21. Registration fee for adults is $40 if sent in advance or $45 if paid on-site Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21, and Youth Registration for ages 4-15 years old is always $10. Registration forms are available at Cachuma Lake Park entry gate, store, marina, Nature Center, and local businesses. To receive information and a registration form in the mail, leave your name and address on the hotline (805) 693-8381 or visit TROUTDERBY.org

Cash prizes amounting to more than $5,000 plus thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise prizes will be awarded in many categories and to anglers of all ages. Certain prizes are designated for children and for teens. 

All anglers 16 years and older must have a fishing license, which may be purchased at the marina. 

Free arts and crafts activities will be offered to children Saturday afternoon of Derby weekend and the Nature Center will also host a special Books & Treasure Sale on Saturday.

The Derby fishing begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, and ends at 12 noon on April 21. Contestants must fish in Cachuma Lake during the tournament hours and may fish from shore at any time during the Derby including Saturday night. A flare will be fired at the harbor to start the Derby on Saturday and to end the Derby on Sunday.

Due to the threat of quagga mussels, Cachuma Lake has a 30-day quarantine and inspection of all boats except those with a Cachuma Lake Tag and kayaks/canoes. 

Please check for updates to the inspection protocol at sbparks.org

Other Fish Derby activities include:

Visit the Neal Taylor Nature Center:

Thursday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Admission: Donations welcomed.

Children’s Activities will be on the lawn in front of the Nature Center from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Donations welcomed.

Purchase raffle tickets (open to general public) for valuable prizes starting at 12 p.m. on Friday, April 19, and throughout the Fish Derby. The winning tickets will be drawn at the Sunday Awards Program, which begins at 1 p.m. at the Fireside Theater. You need not be present to win the raffle.

One-and-a-half hour wildlife cruises on the lake, led by the Park Naturalist, are $18 for adults; $12 for children 5 to 12 and 62+ years. Reservations required: Call the Naturalist office at 805-688-4515

Books and Treasures Sale: At the Nature Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Awards Program at the Fireside Theater on Sunday, April 21, at 1 p.m. 

To make reservations for cabins, yurts, individual campsites, or full hook-up sites go to  www.sbparks.org/reservations or call (805) 686-5050. For other camping information, call (805) 686-5054.

About the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake

The Neal Taylor Nature Center (NTNC), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is located within Cachuma Recreational Area in a picturesque old ranch house. Developed and operated by a corps of committed volunteers, it offers exhibits on the local valley and mountain environment for all ages, emphasizing hands-on exhibits for children of all ages. There is also a Native Garden behind the Nature Center.

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

Wednesday, Dec. 20, was a big day for many senior high-school football players — the beginning of the early signing period, when those players decide what university they will attend and continue their college football career.

One of those players was Santa Ynez High’s star wide receiver Daulton Beard, who confirmed he will be heading up to the Northwest to play for Portland State.

“I’d like to thank my family, my brothers over here, my teammates, the coaching staff here at Santa Ynez, and the coaching staff at Portland State for giving me this opportunity,” Beard said before putting his name on the dotted line of the National Letter of Intent.

Beard also was impressed after his talks with coaches and players with the program.

“I got to talk to the wide receivers coach [Bryant Thomas], who was the one who gave me the scholarship offer,” he said. “He talked a lot about how he would use me as a receiver, and I liked what he had for me.”

“I met the team and it was really nice, and I just saw myself as a fit there,” he said. “There was some really good vibes with the players and coaches there.”

The 6-foot-5, 200-lb. wideout was an offensive force during his three years with the Pirates varsity, earning first-time All-Mountain League honors in 2022 and 2023.

In his junior season of 2022, he had 77 receptions for 1,272 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

He followed that up in 2023, with 37 catches for 714 yards and 9 touchdowns. Memorable moments in his senior season included throwing a 75-yard touchdown on a trick play in a Week 3 win over Santa Maria, and catching a 34-yard touchdown pass with just 1.2 seconds left in the game to give the Pirates a 31-28 win over Righetti at Homecoming.

Unfortunately, Beard’s 2023 campaign was cut short in Week 9 when he suffered a torn ACL in Santa Ynez’s game against Arroyo Grande. After having surgery, he will continue to rehab his knee while redshirting this fall for the Vikings.

Santa Ynez head coach Josh McClurg, who called Beard one of the best players in school history while opening the signing ceremony, expounded on his value this past season.

“He’s like a quarterback security blanket, especially with us having a young quarterback, Jude Pritchard, this year,” McClurg said. “It helped him, knowing that he always had Daulton to go to, to jump up out of the sky and grab the ball.”

Meanwhile, another person who has traveled the road with Daulton is his mother, Stacy Beard, who was on hand for the signing ceremony.

“I’m really proud of him; he had a lot of challenges, especially now with the injury,” she said. “But it all ended up as it should, it was meant to be.”

And now, Stacy Beard is looking forward to making some trips to Portland to see her son in action.

“I’m already getting some frequent flyer miles on the credit card,” she said.

Portland State is a longtime member of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly I-AA) and the Big Sky Conference.

Coach Bruce Barnum’s Vikings finished 5-6 overall in 2023 with a 4-4 mark in the Big Sky, tying for sixth in the 12-team conference.

Barnum’s teams have been known to have high-powered offenses, and the Vikings averaged 33.8 points a game this past season, and 53.8 ppg in their five wins.

Portland State plays in the same conference as Cal Poly, the closest Division I program to the Santa Ynez Valley, and the Vikings are scheduled to play in San Luis Obispo during the 2025 season. 

The post Daulton Beard headed for Portland State appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Staff Report

SANTA YNEZ — The Santa Ynez High School Pirate Football players will Go Pink on Friday, Oct. 6, in recognition of Cancer Awareness Month and to help fundraise for a local Pirate family who have been facing one of the biggest fights of their son’s life.

“Go Pink Night is a very meaningful tradition for our football family as players, coaches, and fans honor all women and men who are fighting cancer, and we re- member those special to us who have fought the battle and have lost,” said head football coach Josh McClurg. “We lost Carl Rio a few years ago and it has hit us a few times within our own football family. This year, we have a friend, 11-year-old Hendrix Farris, who has beat cancer once and is fighting it a second time around. He is undergoing a bone marrow transplant on Oct. 18 to ensure this doesn’t come back again! We want Hendrix and the Farris family to know we stand with them and want to help as best we can.”

Santa Ynez High School football boosters will hold a fundraising raffle at the game that will include a:

• Pirate football helmet signed by all the players
• Custom Pirate Cooler
• Gift certificate for a letterman’s jacket from Dellavalle Embroidery

The fundraiser will also include a Bake Sale. This year, 100 percent of the proceeds from the fundraising effort will go to Hendrix and the Farris family.

If you would like to make a donation, please contact the SYHS Football Boosters at sypiratefootball@gmail.com or visit our website at www.sypiratefootball.com.

The junior varsity game begins at 4 p.m. and the varsity game kicks off at 7 p.m.

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

The winter storms were able to take a relative break for cyclists in Santa Ynez Valley March 4 as the latest edition of the Solvang Century Ride drew riders, both local and out-of-own.

While there were a few drops of rain here and there, as well as some dark clouds, the stormy weather that had been prevalent through the previous month held off for the event that was stressed to be “a ride, not a race,” according to the event’s website solvangcentury.com.

The ride consisted of three different routes: The 52-mile Half Century route, the 68-mile Metric Century route, and the 101-mile Century route. Each route used portions of Highway 101, and State Routes 154 and 246, and sent the riders into the Lompoc and Orcutt areas before coming back to the Valley.

Riders began and completed their “laps” at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott parking lot, with event volunteers ringing custom-made cowbells to welcome them back.

This was the second year the event ran under the banner of Project Ultra, a nonprofit based in St. George, Utah.

“It hadn’t been hosted since 2019,” said Deborah Bowling, co-owner of Planet Ultra. “I had taken part in the ride before and I enjoyed it. We planned to do so again in 2020 but it got canceled at the last minute because of COVID.”

It was then that Planet Ultra decided to acquire the event for a 2022 relaunch. 

“We just didn’t want it to die,” Bowling said. “So we started it up again this time last year, and we ran into some bad weather and it was challenging, but everyone was happy to have it back.”

For 2023, demand grew even stronger.

“We had to cap [the number of entries] at 1,000, and we got 1,000,” Bowling said. “There was just a lot of pent-up demand.

Despite the overcast skies and threat of rain, the ride seemed to be enjoyed by all the participants, many of whom came from out of town.

Kevin Affolter and Catherine Isham of Danville came down to participate. Affolter had been in the ride before.

“I’ve been coming down for a long time to do this,” he said. “I like to support this race and the area.”

Isham said she enjoyed the scenery as she was pedaling.

“It really is beautiful, and with the recent rains, it’s very green,” she said. “I especially liked biking down Foxen Canyon Road.”

The good news for riders is that Planet Ultra will also be bringing back the November event, which had previously been called the Prelude.

“We wanted to do the ride in November, but we were thinking ‘it’s not really a prelude, because it’s the second event of the year,” Bowling said. “We figured it would be the sequel to this event, so we’re calling it the Solvang Sequel and it will take place on Nov. 4.”

Bowling said the course would be a little different.

“The routes in this one went through Lompoc to begin, but in the fall we’re taking it through Santa Ynez, Happy Canyon and through Solvang,” she said.

For more information on Planet Ultra and its cycling events, go to solvangcentury.com.

The post Cyclists Dodge Raindrops in Latest Solvang Century Ride appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

A few short months before college football teams across the country begin preparing for the 2023 season, many high school seniors are making big decisions on where they are going to play after graduation.

So it was for three Santa Ynez High School grid standouts on Wednesday, March 15, as quarterback Luke Gildred, tight end Aidan Scott, and offensive lineman Nick Crandall announced where they would be going to college.

Gildred, a second-team all-Mountain League quarterback for the Pirates in 2022, announced he’ll be going to Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California; Scott, the tight end who also saw time at defensive end, will be going up to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; and Crandall, a second-team all-Mountain League lineman, will play for and attend the College of Idaho in Caldwell.

Before the three made their college choices official, SYHS head football coach Josh McClurg said a few words about his players, praising their leadership qualities as well as their talent.

“Something that’s not stressed enough in life is leadership and leading by example,” McClurg said. “To be good — that’s easy, but to actually put it to work and be your best and make the team better is impressive.

“That’s what these three did, and I can’t wait to see you guys go to the next level.”

A closer look at the three and their choices:

Luke Gildred

Gildred, the quarterback who threw for 2,598 yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior season, is looking forward to playing for the combined Claremont-(Harvey) Mudd-Scripps college program, but said his decision, which he made last July, came down to academics, as he chose to attend Claremont McKenna to major in neuroscience.

“I’m generally a very curious person, and I’ve really been into stuff about outer space,” Gildred said. “So I think neuroscience just piqued my interest and has the most avenues for all my questions, and to find the answers.”

Gildred’s parents, Lisa and Stu, were on hand to witness the ceremony, and said they are looking forward to seeing their son excel not only on the field, but in the classroom also.

“The thing about Luke is that he’s actually an academic nerd disguised as a college football player,” Stu Gildred said. “He’s constantly studying and he hasn’t gotten lower than a B. He got a B once and it really bothered him.”

As far as college football, Gildred will be playing for the CMS Stags, a Division III team that competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team finished with a 7-2 overall record under coach Kyle Sweeney.

Gildred said he was impressed with Sweeney’s coaching style.

“The coach is big on adapting the offense to the star players on the team,” the quarterback said. “We’ve talked about the offense, and I’m a dual-threat quarterback — I like to run and pass — and he said he’d be able to incorporate that into his offense.”

Aidan Scott

Scott’s decision to commit to Cal Poly, an NCAA Division I FCS program which is part of the Big Sky Conference, was made a little easier due to some misfortune.

The tight end suffered a broken collarbone early in the 2022 season and missed a lot of playing time. That caused most of the schools to lose interest, according to Scott, but not the school from SLO.

“I was talking to other schools along with Cal Poly, but then after I had the injury, the interest in the other schools just kind of fell off,” Scott said.

“The coaches [at Cal Poly] made the process super-personal, and through my injury they made it seem like they were still going to count on me and they still wanted me to come play for them,” he added.

As for now, Scott said the collarbone is “100 percent,” and he’s looking forward to attending the university, where he’ll major in business administration.

Someone else looking forward to Scott’s next stop is his mother, Kelly Duncan, who was in attendance on Wedensday.

“I’m very excited to see him go to Cal Poly, and that’s he’s at a school that’s close by so I can see the games,” Duncan said. “The whole [recruiting] process has been a bit of a roller-coaster experience with us traveling every summer for camps, and then seeing his senior turn out like it did, but Cal Poly was so committed to getting him.”

Nick Crandall

Crandall, who played both offensive and defensive line for the Pirates, said he experienced a social media recruitment with the College of Idaho, an NAIA program located in Caldwell, Idaho, that competes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

“It was all through Twitter from the start,” he said. “We shared some stray message and I shared my [highlight] film and it took off from there.

“Then it went to phone calls and digital meetings, and then they offered me at the end of the season and invited me up for a recruiting trip in January,” Crandall continued. “Once I landed down, the environment and atmosphere was just great, so I decided to commit.”

Some may consider an NAIA football program a bit less “big-time” than its NCAA counterpart, but according to Crandall’s dad Rich, College of Idaho really impressed them during the visit.

“[They] really did some great things; they were really into marketing the school to the recruits,” he said. “They brought Nick out onto the field during the visit, and they had his name on the scoreboard, and they had this thing where they had the recruits put on a uniform and do a photoshoot with him. So all those little elements really helped sway him.”

Crandall, who will be majoring in digital media and plans to redshirt next season, said he was recruited as an offensive lineman, but it remains to be seen if he’ll see action on the other side of the line, like he did at SYHS.

“When you get up to the higher levels and do rotations, they make sure to put you where you can succeed, so you never know,” he said.

The post Pirate Football Trio Charts Paths to College appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Staff Report

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School has partnered with Allan Hancock College and UCSB Athletics to present a college recruiting informational night for Santa Ynez and Lompoc communities, parents, athletes, and coaches. 

The event will be on Monday, Oct. 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Santa Ynez High School New Gym (246 E. Highway 246 in Santa Ynez). Student-athletes and parents from Santa Ynez, Lompoc and Cabrillo high schools are invited to attend.

Among the guest speakers for the seminar will be Hancock Athletic Director Kim Ensing and Bulldogs basketball coaches Chris Stevens and Andre Scott; UCSB Deputy Athletic Director Jessica Goerke and a UCSB assistant basketball coach TBA.

Topics of discussion will include college recruiting, contacting college coaches, social media, collegiate eligibility, academic requirements, and more.

For more information, contact SYHS Athletic Director Ashley Coelho at acoelho@syvuhsd.org.

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Staff Report

Santa Ynez High School has announced that Rod Caughell will return as the Pirates’ boys basketball head coach for the 2022-23 season.

SYHS Athletic Director Ashley Coelho made the announcement June 15. Caughell replaces Walter Tyler who stepped down earlier this year after two seasons.

Caughell previously spent 13 years with the SYHS boys hoops program, with six of them as head coach before he retired in 2018. Under his leadership, the Pirates made the CIF-Southern Section playoffs four out of the six years. They reached the section quarterfinals in 2013, his first season as head coach, and that loss was the eventual section champions.

“Rod was instrumental to establishing Pirate Pride and traditions in the basketball program in his 13 years. He is going to do great things with this program moving forward,” Coehlo said. “His level of commitment to transforming the lives of young men on and off the court is incredible. He has a passion for mentoring athletes and challenging them to be at their best in all aspects of their life.”

Caughell moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1983 with his wife Susan. They raised four children in the Valley and three of them played basketball for the Pirates.

In reflecting on his experience with Santa Ynez High School, Caughell said he is thankful to the high school for providing his children excellent academics with solid athletic programs.

He said he is looking forward to returning to the bench so he can impact young men now and in the future.

“Success is not only measured by the scoreboard, but more importantly becoming a well-rounded person that has the ability to take on life challenges outside of basketball,” Caughell said.

Caughell’s return will be at the start of a new era for the basketball program (and SYHS sports overall) as the school will begin competing in the CIF Central Section, rejoining a number of former league rivals in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo County.

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publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com

The recent passing of football icon John Madden impacts not only the National Football League but also on the Central Coast. Some may not realize Madden played offensive tackle at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and was the head football coach at Allan Hancock College for several years.

His wife Virgina (Fields) Madden is from Los Alamos and the couple were married in Santa Maria in 1959, according to their wedding announcement in the Santa Maria Times. 

Madden started as assistant coach at AHC during their 1960 football season. During that season, Hancock football had a perfect season and won the state title. He spent a total of four years at AHC before going to San Diego State as their defensive coordinator, and eventually onto the Oakland Raiders.

“Coach Madden was a very special part of Hancock football history which players and coaches remember fondly,” said AHC Athletic Director Kim Ensing. “Our hearts are heavy, and we express our sincere condolences to his family.”

Madden passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, Dec. 28, at the age of 85, according to the NFL. 

“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. 

Madden was head coach of the Oakland Raiders for 10 seasons and lead them to their first championship in Super Bowl XI. He was the youngest coach in NFL history to eclipse the 100-win mark when he achieved the feat at the age of 42, and Madden remains the winningest coach in Raiders history. He also holds the best winning percentage by an NFL head coach (minimum of 10 seasons) at .759, according to the NFL. 

After he retired from coaching in 1979, he spent another career as a broadcaster as his voice was equal to that of Vin Scully’s, synonymous with the game. He retired from broadcasting in 2009. 

Aside from coaching and broadcasting, Madden is also known in the gaming world for his Madden NFL video game series which started in 1988. Electronic Arts has sold more than 250 million copies of the Madden NFL series, according to the NFL. 

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