Corona del Mar Rallies From 20 Down to Stun Santa Barbara 28-27 (2025)

Santa Barbara – Peabody Stadium (SBHS)

Corona del Mar staged a stunning second-half comeback Friday night, erasing a 20-point deficit to edge Santa Barbara 28-27 at Peabody Stadium.

The Sea Kings (2-0) trailed 27-7 midway through the third quarter before senior quarterback Brady Annett caught fire, throwing three of his four touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes. His 15-yard strike to Garrett James tied the game with 1:24 left, and kicker Joseph DiBella calmly converted the decisive extra point to seal the comeback.

Annett, who passed for 268 yards on 17-of-28 attempts, admitted the Sea Kings were in a hole early but credited his teammates for not panicking. “We put ourselves in about the worst spot we could have,” CdM coach Kevin Hettig said of the miscues that led to Santa Barbara’s lead. “But these kids believe in themselves … I’m really proud of this group because we could have quit.”

Santa Barbara (1-1) controlled much of the game behind sophomore quarterback Griffin Arnold, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. The Dons built their advantage on big plays: a 37-yard reverse touchdown by Nathan Meister, a 2-yard score from Aaron Baizan, and touchdown receptions by James King and Reid Miller. Special teams also provided sparks, including a recovered pooch kick before halftime and a muffed punt recovery that set up Miller’s touchdown for a 27-7 lead.

But CdM’s tall receivers proved too much in crunch time. Annett repeatedly found Dorsett Stecker and James for chunk plays, including a 19-yard scramble by Annett himself to keep the final drive alive. James finished with a pair of touchdown catches, including the game-tying grab in the closing minutes.

Santa Barbara still had a final chance. Helped by a pair of pass interference penalties, the Dons drove into CdM territory before the Sea Kings’ defense came up with a sack and forced fumble to halt the rally.

For Santa Barbara, the loss was painful but also encouraging. “Amazing effort,” head coach Nate Mendoza said. “We just couldn’t make the key plays when it mattered. A couple of first downs in the fourth quarter and the game is over. … The effort was top-notch. Now, we’ve got to finish.”

For CdM, the victory echoed the resilience of their championship-caliber teams from the past. “This is why I’m high on these guys,” Hettig said. “When we had to make plays, we made them.”

CdM will look to stay unbeaten when it hosts Green Mountain next Saturday. Santa Barbara will regroup before opening league play later this month.