Pierce Loses Offense, Game in Santa Barbara, 24-0

SANTA BARBARA â€”  Whatever offensive power Pierce College had last week, it disappeared into thin seaside air Saturday night.

Pierce, which generated 328 yards total offense and 31 points in a one-point loss to East L.A. College last week, managed very little as Santa Barbara City College rolled to a 24-0 victory in a Western State Conference football opener.

The former Santa Barbara High tandem of quarterback Poncho Renteria and tailback James Hale did enough damage in the first half to keep Pierce (0-2, 0-1 in conference play) out of the game.

Santa Barbara (2-0, 1-0) drove 70 yards on its first offensive possession, with Renteria tossing an 11-yard scoring strike to tight end Serge Greig to cap the march. Hale carried four times for 35 yards on the drive.

Fullback John Pyle’s one-yard dive with 40 seconds left in the first half gave the Vaqueros a 14-0 lead.

Although Hale did not score, he gained 83 yards in 11 first-half carries. He played only one offensive series in the second half.

Pierce quarterback Jamie Grossman completed 10 of 17 passes for 97 yards before giving way to Joe Pica late in the fourth quarter.

Grossman completed only five passes for 70 yards in the first half as the Brahmas gained only 95 total yards.

Things did not get any better for Pierce in the second half.

Santa Barbara took the second-half kickoff and put together a nine-play, 60-yard drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown strike from Renteria to Greig in the back of the end zone. The Vaqueros led, 21-0, after three quarters.

Santa Barbara substituted freely in the fourth quarter, but the second string continued to frustrate the Brahmas, who twice could not convert fourth-down plays and ended the game with four consecutive incomplete passes from the Santa Barbara 14-yard line.

Arie McQuaig led Pierce in rushing, gaining 68 yards in nine carries. Pierce tailback LaShante Parker, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown last week, gained only nine yards.