Dos Pueblos High School students, Kacey Hurley (12) and Kaarlo Malik Anderson (12), were honored as the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athletes of the Week on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Athletes of the week are chosen by local sports media for their work ethic and dedication to their sport. Coaches may also nominate players whom they consider to be honorable athletes.
Now in her second season, Hurley leads the DPHS Girls Flag Football team as the quarterback, already making “big plays” during games according to flag football coach Douglas Caines. Hurley said receiving this award was a major highlight of her season.
“I was really happy because it felt good to be rewarded for all my hard work,” Hurley said.
Over the last two games, she’s thrown a total of 10 touchdowns. Hurley’s five touchdown passes against Santa Ynez on Tuesday, Aug. 26, powered the Chargers to a 56-6 victory. She then repeated the performance with another 5 touchdowns in a shutout 53-0 win over Rio Mesa on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Every day during school, Hurley spends her third period watching and studying plays with Caines. After school, she goes over the plays again, and continues to study.
“Caines has definitely been my biggest supporter,” Hurley said. “He spends a lot of time making plays, helping me understand plays, and then also spending time explaining the film to me which is very great.”
Hurley describes herself as “passionate,” and wants to continue to learn about the sport. In describing her goals, Hurley said she hopes to rack up as many touchdowns as she can this season before she graduates.
Anderson has been a key contributor on both offense and defense for the DPHS Football team. Anderson has been on the team all four years while at DPHS and for most games, he plays as an offensive and defensive player.
At first, Anderson was confused when he received texts sending congratulations—it wasn’t until his coach texted him that he realized he had received the award.
“I was like, wow, I feel really proud of myself,” Anderson said.
Anderson said that the encouragement from everyone around him, along with his coaches teaching him everything he knows, is what helped him earn this award. Additionally, he credits the time he’s spent studying his plays, in which he reviews starting to be more competitive in games.
Anderson and his team have played two games this season so far. In his most recent game against Royal High School on Aug. 29, he was deemed a Key player, receiving Player of the Game.
In the game against RHS, Anderson was a defensive player. He recorded a sack, blocked a punt, and racked up 10 tackles overall. He also forced a fumble and recovered one, making an impact in the team’s success.
Anderson stated he enjoys being a part of the team because he values the bond the team shares. Anderson added the team’s positive atmosphere is one of the reasons he wants to continue playing in college.
Anderson said his goals are to make All-League and get recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation. As a captain, Anderson said he is always making sure his team stays encouraged and works hard to the best of their ability.
“There’s always a sense of wanting to win, and so we’re always putting in the hard work,” Anderson said.
The next football game is today at home against Santa Barbara High School, and the next flag football game is on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at home against Ventura High School.
