Lompoc ends spring season unbeaten

Lompoc Record, Calif.
·2 min read

Apr. 17—Lompoc had to work a little harder for it Friday night, but the Braves got the job done.

In its most challenging game of the spring season, Lompoc was able to keep Santa Barbara at bay and complete an unbeaten five-game run with a 19-9 win.

Lompoc won all four games it played this spring. The game against Cabrillo was canceled after a player within the Conquistadore program tested positive and the team went into quarantine, giving Lompoc a forfeit win.

The only team in the Channel League to play all five games unaffected by COVID-19 protocols was Santa Ynez, which Lompoc beat 24-7 to start the season. Santa Ynez went on to win all four games after the opening loss to Lompoc.

On Friday at Peabody Stadium in Santa Barbara, the Dons went up early on a safety when the Lompoc snap went out of bounds on a punt attempt.

Santa Barbara led 2-0 after the first quarter.

Lompoc junior Sheldon Canley Jr., the top 2022 recruit in the area, scored the first touchdown of the game on a 35-yard burst early in the second quarter, giving the Braves a 6-2 lead.

Deacon Hill, the Dons' quarterback who's signed to play for Wisconsin, plowed into the end zone on a short run to give Santa Barbara a 9-6 lead in the second.

The Dons wouldn't score again as Dustin Davis' defense locked down Hill and the Don offense.

Cavin Ross put the Braves up for good when found Elijah Perkins on a 25-yard strike just before halftime, putting Lompoc ahead 13-9.

Canley Jr. then put the game away with minutes left in the fourth quarter. He caught a short pass from Ross and raced past the Don defense for a 70-yard scoring burst and a 19-9 lead.

Santa Barbara finished 1-2 in games it played this spring, losing to Lompoc and 46-28 to Santa Ynez. The Dons also beat Hueneme 34-12 in a non-league game. Games against San Marcos, Dos Pueblos and Cabrillo were not played.

This is the 10th league championship for Lompoc head coach Andrew Jones. He won eight straight Los Padres League titles and the 2018 Channel League title before capturing the spring 2021 championship Friday.

Santa Barbara beat Lompoc in the fall of 2019 to claim the Channel League title and end Lompoc's long nearly decade long streak of league wins.