Brandon RowleyFacing the No. 3-ranked Ventura Pirates on Saturday, the Santa Ana Dons were blown out 65-0 in the final home game of their winless season.
After a tough 52-0 loss last week against No. 7-ranked Mt. SAC, Santa Ana looked to bounce back, but the unforgiving schedule had them facing another top team in the CCCAA.
“These kids are playing hard, but the scoreboard is not reflecting it,” said defensive coach James Guglielmana. “It’s just a real tough one for us to swallow, especially being our last kind of home game of the year and sophomores don’t get another chance here.”
The struggle was apparent from the very first play of the game. Pirates running back Javarien Salter broke free for a 75-yard touchdown. A holding call brought back the run, but the statement made by it lingered throughout the game.
The Pirates kept a dominant presence on the field, holding the Dons to 135 yards of total offense, while gaining 540 yards themselves. Dons’ quarterbacks Justin Gil and Bodie Stafford were held to a combined 8-25 passing with 42 yards and three interceptions.
“They’re soldiers, man, these guys, they’re resilient, and that’s all I could ask for,” said head coach Simon Fuentes. “We really didn’t win a whole bunch of games. Doesn’t matter. But we laid the foundation, we didn’t quit.”
Ventura held the ground dominance they displayed on the first play of the game, rushing for 246 total yards, with touchdowns from three different players, and maintaining a 7.1 yards per rush average.
Special teams mishaps were also prevalent for the Dons, fumbling a kickoff return that was picked up by the Pirates and returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Dons have had a hard time adjusting to the higher-quality Northern League from the Metro League in years past. On the defensive side of the ball, they went from allowing 213 total points over 11 games (19.3 PPG) last year to allowing 339 over the first eight games (42.3 PPG) this year.
“Unfortunately, for these sophomores, this is a rebuild, going up a division,” said Coach Fuentes. “In a few years, we’re gonna reflect. This year was the turning point for this program.”
Dons punter Ryker Scott had a busy day, having to punt eight times, matching the number of passes the team completed on the day.
“At the end of the day, we can make the best of our opportunity,” said defensive lineman Abraham Tolliver. “We’re just here to finish strong. So it’s just up to us to finish out this season the way we want, and just to get some good film and move on.”
The Dons have two away games to close out the season, at Moorpark and Santa Barbara, to try to earn their first win of the season.
“I’m gonna cherish the next eight quarters in the next two weeks of practice,” said Coach Fuentes. “This is a special group. I love their spirit, their heart, and they are growing up right in front of my eyes.”
