The football season is giving Moorpark College coach Jim Bittner and his staff the cold shoulder.

The Raiders have suffered no less than eight serious shoulder injuries in three games.
Saturday's heartbreaking 16-13 loss to Fullerton was compounded by injuries to running back Danny Mosier, middle linebacker Miller Aupiu, defensive back Alex Tennyson and others.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Bittner. "It just may be a freak season or something. When you have eight shoulder injuries in three games, you start to wonder."

Moorpark (2-1) will probably be missing two of its starting linebackers when Santa Ana (3-0), ranked No. 25 in this week's JC Gridwire national poll, visits Griffin Stadium Saturday.

Tight end Aulama Lemalu and defensive end Ryan Whitman are two Raiders working at linebacker for the first this time this week.

Mosier, who gained 43 yards in a half after entering last week leading Southern California in rushing, is questionable Saturday.

Only Santa Ana, which featuring defensive end B.J. Bell, stands between Moorpark and a much-needed bye week.

"We're sort of piecing it together this week," said Bittner. "It's going to take some inspiration to get through this one."

The Moorpark College football team looked like the inexperienced team it is during Saturday night's 28-17 win at Los Angeles Pierce.

The Raiders used two touchdown runs by Danny Mosier and two touchdown passes by reserve quarterback Donald Senegal, one to tight end Aulama Lemalu and one to freshman Simeon McCrae, to get past the Brahmas.

Lemalu is a 6-foot, 250-pound tight end from Camarillo High. McCrae is the younger brother of sophomore running back Kyley McCrae. They are from Salem, Ore.

With more than 60 freshmen, the Raiders were counting on wins against two lower tier teams to open the season. But Saturday's opponent, West L.A., upset Northern Division rival Glendale, 20-13, last weekend.

"I was counting on West LA not being so tough and then they knock off Glendale," said Moorpark coach Jim Bittner. "I wanted a chance to improve a little bit until we get into the middle of the schedule... We're going to have to get better fast."

Bittner didn't like what he saw Sunday, when he watched West L.A. tape:

"It wasn't any fluke. That's the best West L.A. team I've seen in a long time."

It took 100 plays in Saturday's Moorpark College football intrasquad scrimmage, but the Raiders' offense finally got into the end zone.

Sophomore quarterback Donald Senegal scored on a keeper on the final series of the day Saturday to give the Raiders' offense a bright spot going into Friday scrimmage at El Camino College in Torrance.

"We were supposed to go 80 plays," said head coach Jim Bittner. "I was wondering why (offensive coordinator) Jimmy (Bittner) wouldn't stop.

"He kept saying, 'Let's go 10 more. Let's go 10 more."