Two dominant signal callers in Laird Finkel and JJ Bittner are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Santa Barbara Dons will head out on the road to face off against the Rio Mesa Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Santa Barbara will head out to face Rio Mesa after giving up their first home loss of the season on Saturday. Santa Barbara had to suffer through a 35-6 loss at the hands of Newbury Park. The game marked the Dons' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Meanwhile, Rio Mesa and Westlake met for a duel on Saturday where Rio Mesa prevailed. Rio Mesa took down Westlake 37-20. That looming 37-20 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Spartans yet this season.
Rio Mesa relied on the efforts of Bittner, who threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and Isaiah Bautista, who rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown. Those 127 rushing yards gave Bautista a new career-high.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Rio Mesa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 269 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 193 rushing yards in six consecutive contests.
Santa Barbara's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-1-1. As for Rio Mesa, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Santa Barbara took their win against Rio Mesa in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 30-10. Does Santa Barbara have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rio Mesa turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
