Preview: St. Paul Swordsmen vs. Santa Barbara Dons
St. Paul is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Santa Barbara is on a eight-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The St. Paul Swordsmen will take on the Santa Barbara Dons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, St. Paul beat St. Francis 37-32.
St. Paul found their leader in underclassman Gabriel Castaneda, who threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes. Another player making a difference was Nate Calderon, who picked up 96 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They breezed by Buena at home to the tune of 43-0. Given Santa Barbara's advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 108th, while Buena is ranked 418th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Among those leading the charge was Koa Herrera, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Abel Renteria was another key contributor, throwing for 155 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 passes.
Santa Barbara's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Leading the way was Michael Cabral and his two sacks.
Their wins bumped St. Paul to 5-5 and Santa Barbara to 8-2.
