The Santa Ynez Pirates took a big win 48-7 over the Santa Maria Saints on Friday night, which was also their Homecoming game.

The Pirates dominated the field during the game as Cash McClurg and Owen Hunt each returned interceptions for touchdowns. Tyler Gregg catching two scoring passes and Daulton Beard also got a touchdown pass. 

On offense, Cole Swaine and Isaac Moran combined for 90 yards rushing and each scored a touchdown.

The 2021 Homecoming Court this year was:

Princesses – Marina Andrade, Dakota Blunt, Annette Zepeda, Korina Jimenez, Logan Melville, Neta Ofiaeli, Emmy Withrow.

Princes – Grant Fieldhouse, Emilio Zarate, Mikey Gills, Joey Linane, Canyon McClurg, Cash McClurg, Tanner Padfield and Gavin Ross.

The two chosen were Homecoming King Emilio Zarate and Homecoming Queen Korina Jimenez.

The Pirates are now 3-1 and host Lompoc next Friday.

Noozhawk’s Barry Punzal contributed to this report.

Photo gallery by Barry Sigman

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By Serena Guentz

Contributing Writer

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School’s varsity girls basketball team is getting Jennifer Rasmussen as its new head coach after Jason Finley stepped down from the role.

While Finley will remain an assistant coach for the varsity football team, athletic director Ashley Coelho said Finley decided to step away from the girls basketball head coach position in order to spend more time with family.

“[Rasmussen] is a very valued coach, and she will bring a lot of positive to our program,” Coelho said in an email press release. “Santa Ynez girls basketball will be in excellent hands under her leadership and we look forward to the future.”

Not only does Rasmussen coach basketball, but she is also the head coach for the varsity girls tennis team and a teacher for both AVID and physical education at SYHS.

Rasmussen also teaches physical education and electives at Refugio High School, along with teaching tennis, basketball and archery at the YMCA, and working with race production companies to set up half marathons across the United States and Canada.

“I am looking forward to being back on the court and coaching the game again,” Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen earned both her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and master’s degree in education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and she has been coaching for about 23 years, at all different levels.

Rasmussen said she has been playing basketball since she was about 8 or 9 years old, starting with local Elks programs, and she has been playing tennis since she was 5 years old, continuing to play at SYHS and through college.

Before graduating from SYHS in 1992, Rasmussen played on the varsity girls basketball team under the coaching of CIF Southern Section Hall of Fame Coach JoAnn Reck, who has served as a role model and mentor to Rasmussen throughout her life.

“She was a mentor that got me into the teaching profession,” Rasmussen said about Reck. “I look up to her and her work ethic and philosophy.”

Rasmussen said Reck helped her get to where she is now with recommendation letters for colleges and jobs, and even by helping her return to SYHS as Rasmussen coached basketball with Reck for about 14 years starting in 1999.

“I’m just bringing back some of her philosophies and organization and team-building,” Rasmussen said.

While girls basketball is a winter sport at SYHS and girls tennis is a fall sport, preseason conditioning and other practices for both sports means Rasmussen will be busy with one or both of the teams year-round.

“Coaching [both] is going to be a challenge,” Rasmussen said, but expressed excitement in returning to what she did as a student. “Cross-training is so important for athletes.”

As Rasmussen coaches both basketball and tennis, she will come full circle with her time as a student athlete when she played both sports at SYHS.

She said that she encourages her players to play multiple sports throughout the year as they seem to enjoy it and studies have shown that students who remain busy with activities in school tend to have higher grade point averages.

In addition to coaching and teaching, Rasmussen has three children, ages 8, 10 and 19 years old, that she is raising with her husband.

Rasmussen said that all of her children play and enjoy sports, and her family has become very involved in the teams she coaches over the years.

She said her husband often records statistics and videos during games, and her children help at team practices as well.

“It’s a family affair,” Rasmussen said, adding that she believes it’s the only way she could do this.

Along with Rasmussen as the head coach, Kelley Carter is the assistant coach for the varsity girls basketball team and Taulbee McGinnis is the head coach for the junior varsity girls basketball team at SYHS.

Rasmussen said that she looks forward to “having fun and building a family with the girls.”

“I care about them,” Rasmussen said. “I enjoy the team bonding and camaraderie.”

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Tabitha Pearigen’s day starts at 3:50 a.m. when she wakes up every day to get to her first swimming practice at the Santa Maria Swim Club by 5 a.m. Then she drives to Santa Ynez Valley Union High School for her regular swim practice before school. 

“I love swimming because it’s such a competitive sport and seeing my opponent in the next lane next to me motivates me to be better,” Tabitha said. 

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions and the threat of not even having a sports season this year, several SYHS athletes have overcome those obstacles to break school records. 

Tabitha, 16, of Solvang, is shattering school records in swimming. The first record she broke was 100-meter backstroke, the day before the lockdowns started in March 2020. 

“Honestly last year was such a rollercoaster of emotions,” she said. “I have had my eyes on several records for a long time and having such a great win and then not allowed to swim the next day was weird.” 

This year, Tabitha broke the 500-meter freestyle record, set in 2000 by Deanna Lowry. Tabitha ended up swimming a time of 5:26.07. She also broke the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:58.35 and broke her first record in the 100 backstroke in 55.93 on April 22. 

Tabitha has been swimming for as long as she can remember, but started competitively swimming at age 11. 

“Swimming to me is like no other,” she said. “Being in the water is the best feeling and I like to set goals for myself and meet them.”

Tabitha never let shutdowns and not being able to go to campus stop her from her goals of breaking swimming records. She exercised on her own at home, and even had her mom take her to the beach to swim in the ocean to keep up her skills. 

“My coaches this year have been amazing and keeping my mental game positive,” she said. “I love my talks with Coach Jake (Kalkowski) and he gives me disciplined workouts tailored to me. I can’t thank our coaches enough for fighting for us.”

Tabitha’s coaches also encouraged her to try water polo and she has really gotten into the sport. 

“I really like water polo; it came easy to me,” she said. “I just had to learn the technique and moves, but being in the water with my friends is so fun.” 

Aside from Tabitha’s accomplishments, several other Pirate players have set new records in their sport. 

Also in swimming, Max Pecile set the record in 500 freestyle with a time of 4:50.48 on April 22, and later in the same meet he broke his own 100 backstroke record in 55.93. 

In football, Pirate quarterback Bennett Redell set the Santa Ynez career passing touchdown record in a 67-0 rout of Cabrillo in the final spring football game of the season April 16.

Redell threw four TD passes in the game, giving him 39 in his three-year varsity career. He had 11 passing touchdowns during the five-game 2021 season.

Logan Ast, who had a monster season running the ball, credits his success to putting all his efforts into training and his coaches and teammates that helped him keep focus. 

“I felt like unfinished business from last year,” Ast said. “I went into this year to prove to myself if I stayed working out and driven I could improve. Doing just that I think is the reason I think I did good and now have an opportunity to play next year.”

In the game against Cabrillo, Ast caught four passes for 110 yards, including three for touchdowns. He also threw a 42-yard TD pass to Declan Pollenz. Ast also ran wild in wins over Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos. He rushed for a school-record 327 yards and four touchdowns against DP in a 41-3 win and had 163 yards and four scores in the Santa Barbara game, which the Pirates won 46-28. In three games, Ast has rushed for 534 yards on 70 carries and caught 12 passes for 192 yards.

“The game that I broke the record I felt like I was running forever and had in the back of my mind after that play I might be close to breaking the record,” Ast said. “It was so exciting to be able to finish my senior year this way, getting to play at all was amazing.” 

Ast has been playing football since he was 7 years old, and has deep family connections in the game as he recalled fond memories of playing catch with his dad and brothers. 

“My family spends every Sunday watching football and some of my best memories have been in this sport with my family and my teammates I have grown up doing this with,” Ast said. 

Ast will continue to play running back when he moves on to Cal Poly next year and is hoping to one day be a coach himself, but his career focus will be in forestry and fire sciences. 

“I have to give a shout out to the equipment coach John Warning who let me use his equipment and helped me through this past year,” Ast said. 

In the win over Cabrillo, Cam Prendercast also caught a touchdown and returned an interception 50 yards for a score.

The McClurg brothers also contributed with touchdown runs: Canyon McClurg had a 38-yard run on a reverse, and Cash McClurg finished the game with 54 yards on five carries.

The JV football team had an incredible season as well, going 3-0 and winning each game by at least 19 points. 

“During the uncharted past year of uncertainty our players and parents needed direction and authentic leadership, and without the endless efforts and positive mindset of Coach Josh McClurg, his talented coaching staff, our fearless and faithful athletic director, Ashley Coelho and all the people behind scenes, the opportunity to even have a football season would not of happened,” said Gina Ast. “With deep appreciation and respect to ALL these remarkable role models that never gave up and found creative ways to keep our kids focused on what they could control, and kept them physically and mentally prepared for the delayed season… thank you!!! Your time and dedication paid dividends this year and will continue to serve our kids in their future endeavors.”

The Pirates kept conditioning and staying ready to play since last summer, as Coelho submitted a 30-page business proposal last summer to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to get the athletes back to campus for workouts.

“It took just under a year to get sports back. Santa Ynez coaches, athletes, and parents were willing to do whatever it took to make sports happen,” Coelho said. “We were given an opportunity to have cross country lead the way in high school sports and from there water polo, outdoor grass volleyball, cheer, and football followed for the fall sports. Bottom line, Santa Ynez athletics is willing to do whatever it takes to get our student-athletes some normalcy back in their lives. I’m incredibly proud of every coach, athlete, and parent for complying with CDPH and SBCPHD, and for staying patient and never giving up.”

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Noozhawk Sports Editor

The powerful running of Logan Ast carried the Santa Ynez High football team to a 41-3 victory over Dos Pueblos on Friday night at Pirate Field.

Ast set a Santa Ynez single-game rushing record with 328 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns.  The Santa Barbara County record for rushing yards in a game is 363 by Ryan Mole of Righetti in 2003.

Ast, a senior running back, has rushed for 491 yards and eight touchdowns in two Pirate victories. The Pirates are 2-1 in the five-game spring season.

Ast had touchdown runs of 5, 6, 79 and 8 yards.

Cam Prendergast had a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Pirates.

Dos Pueblos got a 42-yard field goal from Gregory Tripathi in the third quarter.

The Chargers (0-3) held the Pirates scoreless in the first quarter. But Santa Ynez broke through early in the second quarter on a 5-yard run by Prendergast. Aidan Sim kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead at the 10:44 mark.

Quarterback Ben Redell led the Pirates on another drive and executed a hook-and-ladder play with Tyler Gregg and Prendergast for the touchdown and 14-0 lead.

Dos Pueblos put a good drive together and threatened to score. The drive, however, stalled and an attempted a 46-yard field goal fell short with 59 seconds left in the first half.

Ast ran over and through the Chargers in the second half. He scored on a 5-yard run to make it 21-0 in the third quarter.

Tripathi got DP on the scoreboard with his field goal.

Santa Ynez answered right back with another scoring drive, led by the running and pass catching of Ast. He finished the drive with a 6-yard run to make it 28-3.

The next time Ast touched the ball he broke off a 79-yard touchdown run for a 35-3 advantage.

He finished the game with an 8-yard scoring run.

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The 2020-21 Pirate Pass Savings Card, which offers discounts at more than 85 local businesses for the year beginning Aug. 1, is now on sale throughout the valley.

Pirate Passes can be purchased for $50 with cash or a check written to SYHS Football Boosters at the following locations:

• New Frontiers
• Valley Fresh at Nielsen’s Center
• El Rancho Market 

Santa Ynez Football Boosters, Inc is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, 100 percent volunteer fundraising organization dedicated exclusively to the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Pirate football program. All proceeds generated though fundraising efforts go directly to the program. Donations and sponsorship dollars are put to work by purchasing new uniforms and equipment, including pants and jerseys, Nike girdles, helmets, replacement jerseys, team T-shirts, gloves, footballs, reconditioning and repair of headsets, charter buses for the away games, coach’s stipends, coach’s gear, recovery and rehabilitation equipment, helmet decals, uniform cleaning, knee pads, game socks, mouth guards, practice jerseys, kicking tees, Hudl account, cameras and filming gear, passing tournaments, coaching clinics, locker room paint, weekly Game Day lunches, varsity letters, league patches, the awards banquet and so much more.

For more information visit www.sypiratefootball.com/store/p36/pirate_pass_savings_card.html

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By Raiza Giorgi

The Santa Ynez Pirates won a football game, 49-12, against the Santa Maria Saints on Sept. 29, but both teams came away with a big win for sportsmanship.

As a team manager, Alec Watson has always felt that he is a part of the Pirate football team. However, his coaches and team members decided they wanted to do something more to honor his great love of the sport.

At the home game on Sept. 29, Alec got to suit up and not only run onto the field with his teammates but also to run the ball on the first play of the game.

“This made me feel great, and there was a lot of hard work by both coaches to let me do this,” Alec said on the sidelines after that first play.

His teammates and opponents all cheered for him as he walked off the field with shouts of “You got this, Alec.”

Watson, 19, was born with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Before he was a year old he had gone through two open heart surgeries, his mother, Leanne Watson said.

“We have been talking about this since last spring, and it was just as meaningful for both teams because they were emotionally involved and it impacted everyone in a positive way. … Two opposite teams shared a common goal,” said SYHS Coach Josh McClurg.

McClurg said when he contacted the Saints coach, Dan Ellington, that he came back right away to pledge his team’s support.

“We gave them our first play so they knew how to counter and make sure that Alec didn’t get hurt,” McClurg said.

The night of the game Watson didn’t know how to put on his pads so his teammates stepped in to help him.

The Pirates players helped Alec practice the week before the game. He said he didn’t want the first play to be something automatic where he would get the ball and just run into the end zone. He wanted to earn it.

On the night of the game he didn’t know how to put on his pads, so his teammates helped him with that, too.

“My husband was MVP for his football team senior year, and seeing him practice with Alec the past few weeks, and watching him seeing his son run onto that field and make the play, was probably the highlight of our lives,” Leanne Watson said through tears of joy.

Any parent would feel that same, she said, knowing that their child loved something so much but couldn’t participate due to a disability.

“All you want for your kids is to feel loved and supported and accomplish their dreams. This moment was all that wrapped up in one amazing ball. Hearing people chanting his name and cheering, I know we all won’t forget that night,” his mother said.

The support didn’t end there, either.

In an interview with KSBY television, Alec mentioned that he fell in love with football at 8 years old while watching a Brigham Young University game. He also said that BYU’s quarterback at the time, John Beck, was his inspiration.

The video somehow found its way to Beck, who retired from professional football in 2015 after playing for the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans.

“John called the SY athletic department and they gave him my number. It made Alec’s life that he talked to him and now they are friends. The widespread love and gratitude we have for our community to make this all happen is amazing. This is what our valley is about; it’s about uplifting and supporting one another,” Leanna Watson said.

“This is the epitome of coaching, using sports to create amazing community members that are thoughtful, grateful, caring, and make the game worth playing win or lose,” she added.

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The Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association has announced their endorsement of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District’s Measure K Bond Initiative. In an email received today from the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Superintendent Scott Cory learned that the SBCTA Board unanimously endorsed the districts November 8 Election Day bond measure initiative, Measure K.

“We’ve worked very hard to do the right thing the right way for our community with Measure K.  It’s great point of encouragement to have a citizen’s taxpayer organization endorse our efforts,” Cory stated.

The Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District school bond on the ballot this November (Measure K).

In their email the Board took this action on two primary bases:

1. We like that the payoff period for the bond is 15 years.  We think this sets a good precedent for other local funding measures.
2. We have confidence in the Board and administration of the SYVUHSD, and believe you have identified good projects that can be addressed in a cost-effective manner.

The email from the Taxpayer Assoc. also stated “With respect to taking an affirmative position, we were all strongly in support of the Santa Ynez Valley High School District bond for $14.7 million.  Santa Ynez Valley High School is an excellent school, and its Board’s decision to pursue a 15-year (versus 30-year) bond will save future taxpayers much money,”.

More information about Measure K2016 is available on www.syvpirates.org and you can watch our exclusive FacebookLive events with Cory available on the Santa Ynez Valley Star Facebook page!

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