SBART Press Luncheon: Brandon Smith Breaks SBCC Football Single Game Rushing Record

Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) running back Brandon Smith etched his name among the program’s all-time greats by breaking the single-game rushing record with 260 yards on 33 carries at Glendale on Saturday.

Smith’s record-breaking performance boosted the Vaqueros to a 30-14 victory. SBCC has now won four consecutive games and Smith has been an integral part of the team’s success.

“If you didn’t see our game on Saturday you missed the single finest effort by a young man that I’ve been around in 37 years,” said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. “That was a great example of a man amongst boys. He changed the tone of that game.”

The outstanding production is nothing new for 5’ 11” 215 pound Smith. The victory over Glendale was the third consecutive game he has exceeded 109 yards rushing. Smith has rushed for 654 yards on 89 carries so far this season, which comes out to 130.8 yard per game.  

Jacob Taff Comes Through in the Clutch

Carpinteria boys’ water polo goalkeeper Jacob Taff was named SBART Male Athlete of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal on a length of the pool heave to lift the Warriors to a 14-13 win over Ventura, a much larger school that competes in the Channel League. 

“The other coach called a timeout with about four seconds left in the game. They shot the ball and we got the rebound and Jacob took over and sent the ball down to the other end,” said Carpinteria water polo coach Stephen Kim. “This ball came down and stuck like a dart right in the gutter. It didn’t bounce out. It just fell right in, which was an exclamation point right there.”

Taff was also very active in goal as he recorded 14 saves. 

Nicole Schuetz Stands Tall

Nicole Schuetz earned the SBART Female Athlete of the Week Award after racking up nine kills, seven blocks and three aces in a sweep of rival Dos Pueblos.

The Dons also reached the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions with their only losses coming to Division 1 teams San Clemente and Newport Harbor. 

“Nicole is so focused and such a hard worker. She gives the best eye contact in practice when I’m giving directions or going over something so I know she is with it, and she is listening,” said Santa Barbara girls’ volleyball coach Kristin Hempy. “Obviously we love her in the middle because she has the height, which is great, but it’s more than that, it’s the determination and working on her technique.”

The 6’3” sophomore has improved as the season has progressed and the sky’s the limit on her development going forward.

Gauchos Find Groove in Big West Conference Play

The UCSB women’s volleyball team is off to a 4-0 start in Big West conference play and the Gauchos have won six consecutive matches overall.

In Friday’s match against rival Cal Poly the Gauchos overcame a 20-12 deficit in set four to defeat the visiting Mustangs 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 26-24 in a match that was nationally televised on ESPNU.

“We feel about where the team is at,” said UCSB women’s volleyball assistant coach Matt Jones. “We have another big one this week. We’re going down to Long Beach, which is always tough.”

Scholar Athlete of the Year Award

Bishop Diego senior defensive back Rylan Bohnett received the Scholar Athlete of the Year award at Monday’s press luncheon.

Bohnett competes in football, basketball and volleyball. He is the captain of the football and basketball teams. Academically, Bohnett holds a 4.67 GPA and was named 2019 English Student of the Year and 2020 Multimedia Student of the Year.

“I want to thank not only my coaches for accommodating the academic side of my career, but a really special thanks to my parents who have allowed me the opportunity to participate in all of these sports, but also hold my academic schedule,” Bohnett said. “A really special thanks to everyone involved in my life for how they have positively supported me.”

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