With its momentum going the right way, the Santa Ynez football team will play a Sunset League road game at Pioneer Valley Friday at 7 p.m.

The Pirates (5-2, 1-0) are coming off a bye week. Santa Ynez has already eclipsed its win total of four the previous year. Veteran coach Josh McClurg's squad went out in the quarterfinals of the 2024 CIF Central Section Division 5 Playoffs. The Pirates finished 4-8.

The Panthers are 1-6, 0-2. After two close losses against favored teams, Pioneer Valley struggled at Atascadero last week, losing 47-14.

Santa Ynez lost all of its back eight players on its 2024 defense to graduation. Some Pirates who have moved positions on defense, others who stayed where they were and younger players have all stepped up. The Pirates yield just 14.4 points a game and ha

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