In a heartbreaking loss before the largest crowd ever to attend a game in their new stadium, the Santa Ynez Pirates ended their season in a 17-16 loss to Nordhoff, after advancing to the quarter-final playoffs for the first time in a decade.
The defense was the keystone of the Pirates, who held the highly touted Nordhoff rushing game to a season-low 73 yards. Key defenders for the Pirates were Lee Jensen with 20 tackles and Jake Jacobsen with 9 tackles. Other stalwart defensemen were Abraham Santos, Cody Warning, Blake Chaves, Jacob Butcher and Alex Lorenz. Parker Johnson, Jensen, and Jacobsen all registered quarterback sacks.
The Pirates scored first on a 35-yard field goal by Marcos Uribe. The Rangers answered with a touchdown on a long pass. In a chaotic and controversial last play in the half, the Rangers scored again on the heels of what would be a string of controversial officiating calls that left the Pirates frustrated.
The second half belonged to Santa Ynez – with the Rangers’ offense going nowhere, managing only to score another three points. The Pirate offensive season hero, Zach Foss, scored a touchdown on a 46-yard run on a fake punt. Santa Ynez’s original possession was set up by Butcher’s interception.
With fewer than two minutes remaining, quarterback Ryan Welker rocketed a 20-yard pass to Travis Porter in the end zone to make it 17-16. But the extra point kick failed – bringing the Pirate’s game and season came to an end.
While ending is always hard, the Pirates won 5 of their last 6 games, steadily getting stronger despite the loss of key players due to injury. They leave for the record books a memorable season.
— Staff Report