Jordan Nunnery’s late touchdown capped Rio Mesa’s 16-13 victory over Santa Barbara on Friday night, as the Spartans rallied in the fourth quarter after a 35-minute weather delay awkwardly forced both teams to the Peabody Stadium locker rooms in the middle of a pivotal second-half drive.
Lightning started flashing in the night sky around the end of third quarter with Santa Barbara holding a 13-6 lead. There were a couple rumbles of thunder before the referees asked both coaches to take their players off the field.
That was with 11:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Spartans (2-1) were feeling real momentum for the first time after two big gains — one a 53-yard reception by n Nunnery — took them into the Dons’ red zone. The first play after the interruption didn’t go well for Rio Mesa, as Santa Barbara’s Jason Jimenez came up with a quarterback sack.