Morro Bay High quarterback, Sands Dougherty, shown here during a 2024 CIF Central Section Championship Game against Selma, will lead the Pirates in 2025. But first the team is raising money for a road trip to Hawaii to play a Week Zero game. Photo by Neil Farrell
Approaching his fourth season coaching football at Morro Bay High School, Coach Robert Dougherty, is hoping to take his team to his old stomping grounds in the Aloha State.
The Pirates are getting ready to host a “Casino Night” fundraiser at the Morro Bay Community Center set for Saturday, April 26.
They will have casino games, a silent auction, a tri tip dinner and an open bar. Purchase tickets online at: zwffy.com/en-us/ticketing/2025-casino night-4.
The Casino Night is one of several fundraisers the boys will be doing to raise money for their big trip in August.
“The kids are all putting a lot of effort into fundraising,” Coach Dougherty said. Each player needs to raise about $1,000 to pay for the trip and the more money they can collectively raise, the less it would cost each player.
They are planning other special events too like a car wash in May and an upcoming movie night at the Bay Theater.
It’s called a “Week Zero” game, explained the coach, who added that it’s a real football game that will take place the week before the start of the Pirates’ regular season.
The plan is to fly to Maui days in advance and spend about five days — Aug. 12-17 — getting ready to play against the Molokai High Farmers, a local high school team in Ho’olehua.
It’s the same general area where Dougherty said he coached for 10 years before coming to Morro Bay but it’s not the same school.
Dougherty’s Pirates have done very well since he came here three years ago, playing deep into the CIF Central Section Playoffs in 2023 and playing for the CIF Central Section Div. V Championship in 2024.
The 2025 team will feature quarterback, Sands Dougherty, the coach’s son, who will be a senior next season. His 2024 season was one for the record books as he led the entire State of California in passing yards, throwing for over 4,400 on the season.
Coach Dougherty said the team is working hard with a single-minded purpose — to win it all.
“We’ve done well the fast three years,” he said. “I’m proud of all the teams. They’ve been working hard and done well. We’d like to finish it off this time.”
He added that the players have been “working their tails off” in the weight room to build up strength and stamina for the upcoming season. Starting it out with a trip to Hawaii might be just the ticket.
Casino Night tickets are available online at: zwffy.com/en-us/ticketing/2025-casino night-4.
