Football Game Preview: Santa Barbara Dons vs. Newbury Park Panthers + How To Watch

For the first time this season, Santa Barbara will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will head out to face off against the Newbury Park Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Santa Barbara's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Friday. They blew past San Marcos 60-0. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Dons' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while the Royals are ranked 531st).

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Newbury Park faced off against Ventura on Friday. The Panthers enjoyed a cozy 43-28 win over the Cougars. The Panthers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Santa Barbara better keep an eye on Brady Smigiel. He was instrumental in Newbury Park's win, throwing for 268 yards and four TDs while completing 76.2% of his passes, and also rushing for 33 yards and one touchdown. What's more, Smigiel racked up 157.2 passer rating, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. A healthy portion of Smigiel's aerial production (91 yards to be exact) went to Jack Shepp, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Newbury Park's defense made their presence known, laying out Derek Garcia four times. Leading the way was Landon Stuart with two sacks. Newbury Park got some further help from Simon Mekari: he picked up a sack, made ten total tackles (4.0 for loss), and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception.

Santa Barbara now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Newbury Park, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.

Santa Barbara took a serious blow against Newbury Park in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 35-6. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Dons were down 21-0.