Pirates football kicks off new season with win over Dos Pueblos

By Mike Chaldu · Mon Aug 24 2026

Santa Ynez High uses strong rushing attack to grind out victory, beginning a season with new league, new quarterback, and new OC

The 2026 high school football season began on Friday, Aug. 21, and Santa Ynez High made it a successful debut with a 21-14 win over Dos Pueblo at SYHS's Rio Memorial Field.

The Pirates, playing for the first time in three years with a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator, used a strong rushing attack, and a stingy defense to defeat the Chargers and start the season at 1-0.

Senior running back Cael DeForest carried the load for SYHS on the night, rushing for 170 yards on 22 carries, including touchdowns runs of 70 and 6 yards. As a team the Pirates gained 326 yards on the ground with Pablo Pulido (who scored the third SYHS TD with a 50-yard run in the fourth quarter), Zeke Virgen, Kellon Gandolfo, and Adrian Merritt getting carries.

Head coach Josh McClurg, now in his 15th season leading the Pirates, said the rushing attack has some new wrinkles with new offensive coordinator Mike Hartman.

"Mike brought in his Wishbone scheme that he was successful with at Arroyo Grande," McClurg said. "He's been installing it during practice and the kids have really bought into it."

The offense also was able to get a lot of ballcarriers involved, the head coach said.

"Cael [DeForest] got most of the yards tonight, but he wasn't the only one. Gandolfo got some hard yards, along with Virgen, Pulido, and Merritt," McClurg said. "And that's a credit to the play of the offensive line. We had seven or eight guys we could cycle through there. A lot of credit to them."

Meanwhile on defense, the Pirates held the Chargers to 181 yards of total offense, and 80 of those came with two touchdown passes, both from QB Grady Felix to receiver Soren Smedley of 26 and 54 yards, in the fourth quarter.

"Defensively, I thought we played a great game, minus two coverage breakdowns that resulted in touchdowns," McClurg said. "We had communication issues in coverage their, although you have to credit Dos Pueblos for a couple of good throws and catches."

The season opening win came after McClurg had been putting his squad through the paces during summer practices and believes it's in good shape.

Speaking at a practice a week earlier, McClurg was especially happy about how the SYHS defense was coming along.

"I'm feeling really good about the D-line," the coach said at the time. "We got Joey Duarte back and Travis Ramirez, and we're really shaping up with four defensive backs, and in the linebacker group, we're happy to have Hayden Pahler back and Andrew Merritt, who's still just a junior, but played a little bit for us last year, has really impressed.

"Defensively, I'm very happy overall with what we have to start the season."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Pirate offense brought in Hartman, who is well-known in Central Coast football circles, having had successful stints as head coach at St. Joseph and Arroyo Grande, as the OC.

"I was on staff at Arroyo Grande and I mentioned to Josh that if there was an opening on this staff, I would be interested," Hartman said at practice. "A little later, he called me back, and here we are."

The OC said his new players should be familiar with his game plan by the season opener.

"The thing is, in public high school, you're usually forming your game plan around the players' strengths, because you don't recruit to fit your scheme like you do in college," he said. "So that's what I've been doing, and just spending my time getting to know the players and what they can do."

The other big change on offense is junior Brady Cram, who will take over at quarterback this year after the graduation of three-year starter Jude Pritchard. Cram wasn't called on much to pass during the Dos Pueblos game, completing 6 of 11 throws for 43 yards, but the coaching staff is confident he can lead the squad.

"Brady was our JV quarterback last year, but practiced with the varsity every day; he was our backup quarterback and would have been brought up if something had ever happened to Jude," McClurg said. "He's a smart kid, a quarterback's quarterback."

Cram said he's ready for the challenge.

"It's a new experience for sure, but I've been having a lot of fun," Cram said. "I'm just ready to play with bigger and faster guys."

McClurg said Cram will have a couple of playmakers to work with on offense, naming Pulido and DeForest as a couple weapons.

"Pablo is a great all-around athletic and can be a real game-changer. He's just electric," McClurg said. "And Cael was one of the guys we rotated among the running backs and he gained a couple hundred yards, so we're excited about him this year. In addition, we have a lot of new guys coming up and filling roles for us."

SYHS, which went 6-5 last year and lost at home 14-0 to Dos Palos in the first round of the playoffs, will be starting the new season in a new league, going from the Sunset to the Ocean. There, the Pirates will be joined by Cabrillo, Morro Bay, Pioneer Valley, and Santa Maria. However before league play, the Pirates will go through a formidable non-league schedule.

"I'm going to be honest with you — our preseason schedule is going to be hellacious," McClurg said. "With the releaguing process we were required to put Arroyo Grande and Atascadero, both really good teams. I can give you the canned talk about taking it a game at a time, but we have a gauntlet."

That "gauntlet" includes an out-of-section road game Sept. 11 against Ferndale High School of Humboldt County, which will require a 10-hour bus drive there and back.

The Ferndale Wildcats play in the CIF North Coast Section and went 13-1 last year, winning the Humboldt-Del Norte League title.

The team is coached by Clint McClurg, and the last name is no coincidence: He is Josh McClurg's cousin.

"He and I have been talking about scheduling a game, and we were finally able to get it done," Josh McClurg said. "I should be fun looking across the sideline and seeing him, and it should be a neat experience for the kids."

After their games against Dos Pueblos and Lompoc, the Pirates will be on the road at Nipomo on Friday, Sept. 4, and the aforementioned trip to Ferndale on Sept. 11.

Games against Arroyo Grande (home, Sept. 18) and Atascadero (road, Sept. 25) lead to the Pirates' bye week on Oct. 2. The regular-season schedule wraps up with games at Pioneer Valley (Oct. 9), vs. Cabrillo at home (Oct. 16), at Morro Bay (Oct. 23), and at Santa Maria (Oct. 30).