SBART Luncheon: San Marcos, Santa Barbara Clash for Rivalry Week

Local high school spring sports teams are in the final stretch of the regular season before CIF-SS playoff action, and several teams provided updates at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe on Monday.

Monday’s luncheon featured just eight different teams, seven of which were either from San Marcos and Santa Barbara High.

San Marcos vs. Santa Barbara Rivalry Week

The Royals and the Dons are set to square off in crosstown rivalry showdowns in several different sports this week as the regular season comes to a close.

Perhaps the biggest of these matchups is in boys volleyball, where Santa Barbara High will host San Marcos on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in a match that has big Channel League implications.

If the Royals come out on top, they will claim the outright league title. If the Dons were to win the rivalry match, the season would end with a three-way tie for the league championship between San Marcos, Santa Barbara High and Dos Pueblos.

“That’s going to be a big game,” Santa Barbara High head coach Chad Arneson said. “They’re going to bring their game and we’re looking forward to our Senior Night.”

On the diamond, the Royals and Dons will face off in both baseball and softball.

In softball, San Marcos will play host to Santa Barbara High on Monday at 3:30 p.m. Then, the Dons will welcome the Royals to campus on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

As for baseball, the Dons will host the Royals on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. before the rematch on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at San Marcos’ Joe Mueller Field.

The two-game set in baseball will be a crucial one in determining the outcome of the Channel League, as the Dons are currently 7-2-1 in league play, ½ game back of Ventura for first place. Meanwhile, the Royals are 4-7 and on the outside looking in for an automatic playoff spot.

“It’s a very good Santa Barbara team,” San Marcos head coach Wes Ghan-Gibson said. “We’re trying to go one game at a time and win as many as we can, so please come out.”

The lacrosse teams round out the San Marcos-Santa Barbara rivalry games this week in their respective regular-season finales.

Both teams will play on Tuesday at 6 p.m. as the girls matchup will be at Santa Barbara’s Peabody Stadium and the boys will play at San Marcos’ Warkentin Stadium.

Playoff Season is Here

As we reach the end of April, many teams are transitioning out of the regular season and preparing for the start of CIF-SS postseason play.

While the baseball and softball schedules still have two weeks of the regular season left, girls beach volleyball kicks off the playoffs on Tuesday. Meanwhile, lacrosse and boys volleyball teams will learn their playoff pairings this week.

Five local girls beach volleyball teams punched their tickets into the playoffs, led by Division-I program San Marcos.

The Royals will begin their playoff race by hosting Oaks Christian on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High (D2), Dos Pueblos (D2), Laguna Blanca (D3) and Bishop Diego (D3) will begin on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

The Dons, Owls and Cardinals will host their first-round matchups while the Chargers will be on the road.

With lacrosse’s playoff pairings being released on Friday, several local teams who have enjoyed dominant regular seasons are ready for deep postseason runs.

Dos Pueblos boys lacrosse is undefeated this year, ending the regular season at 18-0 with a Channel League mark of 8-0 for the best season in program history. They will either be placed in Div. 1 or Div. 2.

Meanwhile, San Marcos girls lacrosse is 9-0 in Channel League play with one game to go against Santa Barbara High, which the Royals beat 17-3 earlier in the season.

As has been the case in recent years, the majority of local boys volleyball teams will be competing in the CIF-SS playoffs this year. There is one regular-season game remaining for the majority of squads.

San Marcos, Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara High will finish in the top three in the Channel League to earn automatic playoff berths. Meanwhile, both Bishop Diego and Laguna Blanca will represent the Tri-Valley League in the postseason.

Boys volleyball playoff pairings will be released on Saturday morning.