Dons Football is 4-5 Going into Their Final Game

Riding high off the 60-0 win over San Marcos on Sept. 19, Dons football took the week six bye to prepare for their impending road game against highly ranked Newbury Park. The squad finally kicked off the Conejo Coast league opener on Friday, Oct. 3 where they were quickly overtaken in the first half. The opponents scored twice in the first quarter off a long run and blocked punt returned for a touchdown, bringing the tally to 14-0. The Dons answered in the second, getting points on the board by way of a one-yard push into the endzone from senior running back Aaron Baizan. The Newbury Park offense swiftly responded with a quarterback sneak to score before the half, making it 21-7 at halftime. The boys came out of the break swinging, scoring a touchdown on a thirty-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Griffin Arnold to freshman wide receiver Keegan Roessler on the opening drive of the third. The Panthers struck back once again with a field goal late in the quarter, expanding their lead to 24-14. The Dons resolved to answer on the ensuing drive, but were stopped by the Panthers who then proceeded to score again on a lengthy run to the end zone. The squad made one final attempt at victory as they scored on a pitch and catch from Arnold to senior running back Monty Lopez late in the fourth. Unfortunately, the Panthers got the ball back and kneeled it out, bringing the final score to 31-21 as time expired. 

After this loss, the boys were primed to take on Rio Mesa the following Friday and earn their first league victory. A home game for the Dons, the defense quickly asserted their dominance on the opening drive of the game as they punched the ball out from a Spartan player’s grasp with senior Malachi Johnston recovering. The offense wasted no time capitalizing on the takeaway as Baizan soon broke free to score on a 36-yard rushing touchdown. The defense continued to make plays on the ensuing drive as junior safety Reid Miller came up with an interception, giving the Dons the ball back once again. From there, sophomore wide receiver Nate Meister took it to the house, making it 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close. This score held for the majority of the second quarter until the Spartans capitalized on multiple penalties from the Santa Barbara (SB) defense eventually resulting in a rushing touchdown for the squad. After blocking the extra point, the Dons got the ball back and got straight to work with Lopez scoring a 31-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 21-6. The Dons defense pulled off yet another defensive stop and ended the half with a 40-yard field goal from sophomore Cade Mault, bringing the score to 24-6 at the break. The third quarter began with a bang as Miller brought the ball to Rio Mesa’s 34-yard line on the kickoff. From there, senior running back Zane Webb drilled it into the end zone for the first score of the second half. After a pair of unsuccessful drives for each team, senior quarterback Benji Starlin who had come in to replace Arnold for the game, dove into the end zone, making it 38-6 with one quarter left to play. The Spartans responded with a touchdown of their own, cutting the deficit to 38-13. After a fumble from the SB offense, the defense stepped up yet again as Miller grabbed his second interception of the night. From there, senior wide receiver Diego Placencia took it to the house on a 14-yard rushing touchdown that proved to be the final score of the night. The Dons celebrated their 45-13 victory over the Spartans post-game with coach Mendoza saying, “they stayed focused…it was a long break, but I’m glad the way they finished the game.” 

Following this win, the boys geared up to face the Calabasas Coyotes on the road. Starlin was once again in for Arnold at quarterback and managed to keep things in check during the first half. The Dons ran it in for the opening score of the night on a one-yard carry from Baizan late in the first. The Coyotes then answered on a 55-yard run into the endzone before getting a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown on the very next drive. As the second quarter began, Baizan took it into the endzone once again on a two-yard carry, tying it up 14-14. The remainder of the half was marked by strong defensive play from both teams, with the only exception being a Calabasas field goal which brought the score to 14-17. Coming out of the break, the Coyotes defense did not hesitate to assert their dominance as they scored off a pick-six and 60-yard fumble recovery to the end zone. This strengthened their lead to 30-14 with the Dons quickly answering on a 19-yard run by Lopez for six. Unfortunately, a failed two-point conversion kept Calabasas ten points ahead. Shortly thereafter, the Coyotes took it to the house on the ensuing punt return, expanding their lead to 37-20. In a rush to keep up, Lopez scored again, bringing the tally to 37-27 going into the final quarter. However, the Dons could not keep up as time ran out, with Calabasas scoring twice more before the game ended. The final points for the squad came on a 14-yard touchdown run by Roessler, bringing the total to 51-34 as the clock hit zero. 

The following Friday at Peabody Stadium, the boys got ready to go up against the undefeated Westlake Warriors in their fourth league game of the season. The pressure was on as it was the all important homecoming game. Westlake quickly delivered on the first drive of the game and in a mere three plays managed to find their way into the endzone. The Dons, by contrast, responded with a long, incremental drive down field eventually resulting in a one-yard touchdown for Baizan. With both teams having missed extra points, the tally stood at 6-6 with five minutes left in the first. The Warriors scored once more before the quarter ended and then again off a fumble recovery resulting in a field goal for the squad. With the score suddenly expanded to 16-6, the Dons offense attempted to cut the deficit before being interrupted by a Warriors strip sack. Westlake quickly capitalized on the turnover as they scored a 16-yard rushing touchdown to close out the second quarter. The Homecoming ceremony then commenced during halftime with the Dons own Malachi Johnston and Donettes team captain Pablo Villagomez being crowned the winners. After this brief interlude, the boys got right back into it with the Warriors scoring on their first possession after forcing a three and out. The Dons then got the ball back only for it to be intercepted by the Warriors strong defensive unit. However, sophomore Everett Preston came up with a turnover of his own moments later as he picked it off in the endzone, giving the ball right back to the Dons. Unfortunately, the offense did not manage to capitalize on the takeaway and the score remained 30-6 as the third quarter came to an end. The beginning of the final quarter saw a pair of failed drives for each team before Baizan broke free for the Dons on a 57-yard run towards the goal line. The relentless back sealed the deal on the very next play as he dove into the endzone on a three-yard carry. A successful two point conversion attempt from Starlin to senior Landon Nelson brought the total to 14-30 with 4:51 left on the clock. The Warriors proceeded to drain the clock on the ensuing possession, ending off with a field goal to bring the final score to 14-33. With the Dons playoff hopes hanging in the balance, be sure to show your support at their final regular season game versus Thousand Oaks tonight at Peabody Stadium.