With the most difficult football season in school history finally in the rearview mirror, the Moorpark College football team nears a fork in the road.

Coming off the first 0-10 season in school history, the Raiders can elect to remain in Southern California Football Association's top tier, the National Division, over the next two seasons or choose to step down into the lower tier, the American Division.

Schools have until Nov. 30 to make their appeal to the SCFA's competition committee, according to commissioner Jim Sartoris. Moorpark coach Jim Bittner said he would meet with athletic director Howard Davis next week to discuss the future of the program.

Asked his opinion, Bittner gave arguments for both sides before saying, "If I have the final word, we're going to stay (in the top tier) and fight."

"Recruiting is going to be a tough, tough thing (after going 0-10)," said Bittner. "But I sort of like staying where we are because at least I know the opponents.

"We have to make a quick decision."

The lower tier may seem perfect for a program on a school-record 11-game losing streak, but Moorpark, behind record-breaking quarterback Ian Shultis, was competitive to the bitter end of a winless season, tied 20-20 in the fourth quarter of losses at Pasadena City and Glendale and taking possession twice in the final four minutes of Saturday's Citrus Cup loss to Ventura with a chance to beat rival Ventura.

Plus, the talented freshmen who weathered the 2009 season would give the Raiders a fighting chance to win in 2010 as hungry, battle-hardened sophomores.

"Personally, I feel like we can compete against the teams that we played this year," said Shultis, the Thousand Oaks High product who broke nearly every Moorpark passing mark as a freshman. "I know our record shows that we didn't have the best season, but... I want to play the best teams out there and I want to stay in this league."

The SCFA competition committee reviews the schools' appeals and makes a reconferencing recommendation to Sartoris, who will make a final decision early next year.

"We just have to see who applies to move either up and down," said Sartoris. "Besides records, the competition committee is going to look at a lot of things, like the history of the program, the number of people on rosters, the number of full-time coaches

"There's a lot of inequities between our colleges and the main goal is to create competitive balance."

With that in mind, the coaches association disbanded the traditional conferences to create the two-tiered SCFA, modeled on the three-tiered structure in Northern California, before the 2008 season. This is its first round of reconferencing.

Moorpark has won 12 Western State Conference titles, made 17 postseason appearances and is just two years removed from perhaps the best two-year period in school history, when the Raiders won 19 games and made consecutive appearances in the Southern California regional playoffs.

"They have a great tradition there," said Sartoris.

Moorpark already decided to suspend its tradition-laden wresting program in August. If Moorpark did step down into the American Division, it would look like a match for the Pacific Division, which features local rivals Los Angeles Pierce and Valley. Pierce went on to win the division this fall after beating Moorpark for the first time in 25 years, 37-20, Sept. 5.

Four local community college soccer programs will open the Southern California regional playoffs in the county Saturday, as the two men's teams were pitted against each other and the two women's teams earned Top 4 seeds when the pairings were released Saturday afternoon.

No. 7 Oxnard (11-6-4) will host No. 10 Moorpark (11-6-2) Saturday afternoon at 2 in a regional quarterfinal. Their last meeting in Oxnard produced a 4-2 thriller Oct. 9.

The Ventura College women's soccer team (16-3-1) was seeded second in the Southern California regional playoffs for the second straight season. The No. 2 Pirates will host No. 15 Antelope Valley (16-3) Saturday night at 7 in the regional quarterfinals.

The undefeated Moorpark College women's soccer team (14-0-4), which edged Ventura in the Western State Conference's North Division for the second time in three years, was seeded No. 4. The Raiders will host No. 13 San Diego Miramar (16-3-1), which features forward Nicole Petracca, who leads Southern California with 64 points (23 goals, 18 assists).

WSC standings and statistics through Mon, Nov. 16:

WSC VOLLEYBALL
NORTH WSC PCT. GF GA SEASON PCT.
S Barbra 8-1 .889 25 6 19-2 .905
Moorpark 8-1 .889 26 5 18-2 .900
Ventura 5-4 .556 17 15 10-10 .500
Cuesta 4-5 .444 15 16 7-13 .350
Hancock 2-7 .222 6 22 6-12 .333
Oxnard 0-9 .000 2 27 5-11 .313
KILL PERCENTAGES (GP) ATT. KILLS ERRORS PCT.
1. Jen Waddill, Santa Barbara (80) 349 201 32 .484
2. Nicole Bergmann, Santa Barbara (80) 285 157 37 .421
3. Reisa Fessler, Bakersfield (73) 661 305 80 .340
4. Lindsey Wilcox, Canyons (73) 302 158 61 .321
5. Kaitlyn Henry, Cuesta (72) 173 69 16 .306
6. Mackenzie Sullivan, Cuesta (72) 679 286 85 .296
7. Danica Lawrence, Citrus (63) 255 121 48 .286
8. Corissa Alvarez, Bakersfield (70) 276 117 40 .279
9. Una Siljegovic, Moorpark (68) 518 221 78 .276
10. Kayla Cribbs, Cuesta (72) 380 152 48 .274
17. Kasey Ullery, Moorpark (63) 240 88 28 .250
19. Dominique Franz, Oxnard (22) 110 44 17 .245
20. Rachel Olinyk, Moorpark (67) 417 182 81 .242
26. Justine O' Connor, Ventura (72) 272 87 26 .224
Shanna Wright, Oxnard (22) 107 34 10 .224
28. Shakila Balkhi, Moorpark (67) 513 171 57 .222
30. Kayla Phipps, Ventura (67) 369 148 74 .201
32. Chelsea O' Mara, Ventura (58) 389 151 76 .193
38. Sandra Alvarez, Ventura (59) 226 75 43 .142
41. Anne Westbrook, Ventura (70) 260 83 50 .127
47. Shelbee Younce, Ventura (70) 564 153 96 .101

WSC MEN'S WATER POLO
TEAM WSC SEASON
Ventura (1) 4-0 19-5
Cuesta (2) 3-1 20-14
L.A. Valley (3) 1-3 10-16
Citrus (4) 2-2 14-15
Santa Monica (5) 0-4 1-21
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONSLS
Cuesta 13, Ventura 12
Long Beach City 17, Cuesta 6
Riverside City 11, Cuesta 8

WSC WOMEN'S WATER POLO
TEAM WSC SEASON
Ventura (1) 4-0 18-5
Citrus (2) 3-1 15-11
Cuesta (3) 2-2 12-19
Santa Monica (4) 1-3 7-18
L.A. Valley (5) 0-4 5-20
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONALS
Long Beach City 7, Ventura 6

WSC MEN'S SOCCER
TEAM WSC POINTS SEASON
S Barbra 9-1-4 31 9-6-5
Canyons 9-3-2 29 12-6-2
Moorpark 9-4-1 28 11-6-2
Oxnard 7-4-3 24 11-6-4
LA Missio 7-4-3 24 10-8-3
Hancock 3-8-3 12 5-12-4
Glendale 3-10-1 10 5-14-2
Citrus 0-13-1 1 2-16-2
SEASON SCORING LEADERS GOALS ASSISTS POINTS
1. Andres Bueno, Canyons 21 10 52
2. Rosario Bras, Hancock 13 4 30
3. Nate Lytle, Oxnard 10 5 25
4. Jorge Serrano, Canyons 8 7 23
5. Emigdio Ramirez, Oxnard 7 6 20
6. Danny Molineaux, Santa Barbara 7 5 19
Armando Torres, Allan Hancock 3 13 19
8. Tito Anguiano, Oxnard 8 2 18
9. William Velasquez, L.A. Mission 8 1 17
Ahmad Yacoub, L.A. Mission 7 3 17
11. Max Madrigal, Oxnard 7 2 16
13. Jose Garcia, Moorpark 6 3 15
16. Gerardo Espinoza, Moorpark 6 2 14
17. Sam Nellis, Oxnard 5 3 13
20. Jerry Ponce, Oxnard 5 2 12
Fernando Zandarin, Moorpark 5 2 12
25. Jonathon Martinez, Oxnard 1 9 11

WSC WOMEN'S SOCCER
NORTH WSC PTS. SEASON
Moorpark 8-0-2 26 14-0-4
Ventura 8-1-1 25 15-3-1
S Barbra 5-3-2 17 10-4-6
Cuesta 4-5-1 13 5-11-3
Oxnard 2-8 6 3-14-1
Hancock 0-10 0 0-16
WSC SCORING TOTALS GOALS ASSISTS POINTS
1. Jaz Strozier, Ventura 27 3 57
2. Kelly Deckers, Santa Barbara 17 8 42
3. Terryn Soelberg, Bakersfield 17 5 39
4. Alyssa McDonald, Ventura 7 18 32
Monique Orocio, Ventura 13 6 32
12. Yadira Toraya, Ventura 5 8 18
16. Taylor Benton, Ventura 7 1 15

Bakersfield wrapped up the conference by winning at Canyons. Ventura wrapped up third place and a non-playoff bowl berth by pulling out the Citrus Cup late, which left Moorpark winless for the first time in school history. Pasadena wrapped up fifth place by winning the San Gabriel Valley game with Glendale.

Week 10 Scores
Ventura 41, Moorpark 27
Bakersfield 24, Canyons 9
Pasadena City 38, Glendale 22
Hancock, bye

Week 10 Standings
Bakersfield 9-1 6-0
Hancock 9-1 5-1
Ventura 7-3 4-2
Canyons 6-4 3-3
Pasadena City 5-5 2-4
Glendale 4-6 1-5
Moorpark 0-10 0-6

Week 11 Schedule

First-round SoCal playoff/bowl games - Nov. 21 (seedings based on final SoCal rankings)

Southern California Bowl at Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut), Time TBA
#1 Mt. San Antonio (9-1, Central Conference champios) vs. #8 L.A. Pierce (7-3, Pacific Conference co-champion)

American Bowl at Fullerton College, Time TBA
#2 Fullerton (9-1, Southern Conference champion) vs. #7 L.A. Harbor (9-1, Mountain Conference co-champion)

National Bowl at Cerritos College (Norwalk), Time TBA
#3 Cerritos (9-1, Central Conference runner up) vs. #6 Palomar (8-2, Southern Conference runner up)

Golden Empire Bowl at Bakersfield College, 3 p.m.
#4 Bakersfield (9-1, National Conference champion) vs. #5 Allan Hancock (9-1, National Conference runner up)

Winners advance to Southern California semifinals, to be hosted by higher seed on Nov. 28. SoCal Championship scheduled for Dec. 5 at higher seed, State Championship on Dec. 12 at NorCal champion.

Bowl Games - Nov. 21 (non-playoff games)

Orange County Bowl at Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa), 5 p.m.
Ventura (7-3, Northern Conference third place) vs. Golden West (6-4, Mountain Conference co-champion)

Western State Bowl at Saddleback College (Mission Viejo), Time TBA
Saddleback (8-2, Southern Conference runner up) vs. Canyons (6-4, Northern Conference fourth place)

Beach Bowl at El Camino College (Torrance), Time TBA
El Camino (8-2, Central Conference third place) vs. Grossmont (7-3, Southern Conference fourth place)

Ventura 41, Moorpark 28
42nd Citrus Cup game
SCFA Northern Conference
Ventura 0 21 6 14 -- 41
Moorpark 0 7 14 7 -- 28
Second quarter
VC -- Morris 33 run (Stampler kick), 13:14.
VC -- Karam 12 pass from Sims (Stampler kick), 6:06.
VC -- Trueblood 3 run (Stampler kick), 4:31.
MC -- Gant 21 pass from I. Shultis (Z. Shultis kick), 0:16.
Third quarter
MC -- Gant 17 pass from I. Shultis (Z. Shultis kick), 10:53.
VC -- Karam 46 pass from Sims (Stampler pass failed), 10:35.
MC -- Gant 7 pass from I. Shultis (Z. Shultis kick), 0:29.
Fourth quarter
VC -- Morris 13 pass from Sims (Stampler kick), 11:52.
MC -- Hussey 7 pass from I. Shultis (Z. Shultis kick), 7:10.
VC -- Brown 34 interception return (Stampler kick), 0:26.
Team stats VC MC
First downs 18 23
Rushes-yards 43-203 26-82
Passing yards 116 305
Comp-Att-Int 8-14-0 37-57-1
Sacked-yards lost 2-21 1-7
Punts-avg. 6-40.2 5-44.6
Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-2
Penalties-yards 6-59 8-88
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Ventura: Morris 15-80, Karam 2-41, McPherson 5-31, Sims 11-30, Bostic 7-16, Sanders 1-14, Trueblood 1-3, Parham 1-0. Moorpark: Mesa 20-41, Shultis 4-39, Garcia 1-2, Okechuk 1-0.
PASSING -- Ventura: Sims 8-14-0-116-3. Moorpark: Shulits 37-57-1-305.
RECEIVING -- Ventura: Karam 3-69, Herbert 2-21, Morris 2-20, Leith 1-6. Moorpark: Gant 12-120, Garcia 10-90, Hussey 5-29, Mesa 5-27, Yabu 4-28, Bradley 1-11.
MISSED FIELD GOALS -- Ventura: Stampler 41.
TEAM RECORDS -- Ventura 7-3, 4-2; Moorpark 0-10, 0-6.

Dalon Brown 37-yard interception return for a touchdown with 26 seconds to play clinched Ventura College's 41-28 win in the 42nd Citrus Cup game, which relegated host Moorpark to the first winless season in school history.

The final twist of a frigid evening of fluctuating momentum came five plays after Moorpark, needing seven points to halt a school-record 10-game losing streak, took over on its own 5-yard line with 2:02 to play.

Brown was spying Moorpark receiver Chris Gant, who caught 13 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns to push his state-leading total to 16 touchdown receptions.

"I was playing him close," said Brown of Gant. "I knew he was the favorite target."

The Raiders (0-10) season of infamy was confirmed with one final miscommunication.

"It's the small things that have hurt us all season," said Moorpark quarterback Ian Shultis, who completed 36 of 57 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns. "I called a slant. He thought it was a fade. Just another miscommunication."

Dominic Morris ran for 86 yards and a touchdown and caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 11:52 to play as Ventura (7-3) broke a two-game losing streak to sew up third place in the SCFA Northern Conference and a non-playoff bowl berth with its first winning streak over its cross-county rival in 23 years.

Ventura, which also evened the series 21-21, last beat Moorpark in consecutive seasons in 1984-85. Moorpark had won 19 of the previous 23 meetings.

Moorpark and Ventura exchange three and outs and fumbles and suddenly the Raiders, trailing 27-14, take over on the Ventura 36.

Shultis converts a fourth and 4 from the VC 28 with a 15-yard pass to Andre Garcia.

Another fourth down conversion for Shultis, a 6-yard touchdown pass to Gant, pulls Moorpark within 27-21 with 29 seconds left in third quarter.

Gant now has three touchdown catches in the game and a state-high 16 on the season.

Ventura takes the kickoff and goes three and out with quarterback Antavius Sims throwing incomplete on third down.

Vying to break its 10-game winning streak, Moorpark drives 69 yards to the VC 6-yard line with three Ian Shultis completions to Chris Gant and Jonathan Mesa.

But a penalty and two negative plays are followed by a 41-yard missed field goal as the air goes out of the balloon for the Raiders.

Ventura picks up its first pair of first downs, but the Pirates are forced to punt the ball back to the Raiders with 4:01 left in the quarter.

After a Moorpark booming punt, Ventura takes over at its 10. But Gabriel Bostic runs for 18 and 12 and Dominic Morris gains 14 as VC is in Moorpark territory for first time

Click the jump for the year-by-year history of the Citrus Cup, which is about to kick off its 42nd game at Griffin Stadium in Moorpark.

No. 12 Ventura (6-3, 3-2) at Moorpark (0-9, 0-5)
42nd Citrus Cup game
Griffin Stadium, 6 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Glendale 41, Moorpark 28; Hancock 28, Ventura 21.
SERIES HISTORY: Moorpark leads, 21-20, dating back to 1968. Ventura broke Moorpark's six-game winning streak with a 35-13 win last year.
GAME FACTS: Moorpark is a rivalry loss to Ventura away from the first winless season in school history and the Raiders' problems are visible in the numbers. Moorpark has allowed 44.2 points per game, the second-biggest average in Southern California, and has only six takeaways, the lowest figure in the region. Ventura, however, was dominant defensively until injuries to key defensive personnel like Travaun Nixon (38 tackles, 6 ints.), Brenden Daley (51 tackles, 2 sacks) and Derrick Clune (30 tackles, 3.5 sacks). Consecutive losses to first-place Bakersfield and second-place Hancock has dipped third-place Ventura to No. 5 in total defense (258.9 ypg) and No. 10 in rushing defense (97.8 ypg). DL Tommy Stuart remains a powerhouse, leading the team with 9.5 tackles for losses and 4.5 sacks. Moorpark's passing game, featuring QB Ian Shultis (177-of-342 passing, 1,938 yards, 18 TDs, 11 ints.) and WRs Chris Gant (52 rec., 691 yards, 13 TDs) and Justin Bradley (32 rec., 473 yards, 2 TDs) give the Raiders a puncher's chance. Despite a school record in passing attempts, Moorpark's patchwork offensive line has only allowed 20 sacks. Moorpark is No. 8 in passing (259.1 ypg) and Ventura is No. 2 in passing defense (161.1 ypg). Behind RBs Dominic Morris (98 att., 475 yards, 4 TDs, Gabriel Bostic (77 att., 314 yards, 1 TD) and Kraig McPherson (45 att., 176 yards, 1 TD), plus QB Antavius Sims (133 att., 457 yards, 9 TDs), Ventura is No. 7 in rushing offense (181.4 ypg).

Here's my preview of the "We Play Hard" basketball tournament at Ventura College, which features all three local program.s

What type of effect does a losing season have on a football team?

The Moorpark College football team began the season with 94 players on its roster and, according to equipment manager Tommy Arellano, 111 players have donned the black and blue this season.

Yet, nine losses into a winless season, only 52 Raiders remain on the roster entering Saturday night's 42nd Citrus Cup game against Ventura at Griffin Stadium.

Moorpark was boosted by the return of receiver Justin Bradley and linebacker Jerrell Holland last week against Glendale.

This weekend's "We Play Hard" men's basketball tournament, hosted by Ventura College, is a special treat for local community college fans.

For the first time in recent memory, all three local programs will play in the same tournament. Oxnard opens Friday's quarterfinals against powerful Antelope Valley at 1 p.m., Moorpark follows against Los Angeles Valley at 5 p.m. and Ventura hosts Orange Coast at 7 p.m.

"It should be a great atmosphere," said Ventura coach Will Cowen. "With everyone's budget the way it is, we should all try to stay local... It's better for everyone."

Steve Burkhart had an interesting spin on the Moorpark College women's volleyball team's dramatic five-game loss at Santa Barbara City Tuesday night, when the Raiders saw their 11-match overall and 18-match conference winning streaks snapped.

"For 17 years, we've watched Golden West lose about this time and use the experience to refocus," said the Moorpark coach.

The theory matches the coaching adage that you learn a lot more about yourself from a loss than you do from a winning streak.

The Huntington Beach school has 17 state championships.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team had emerged from a dramatic third game on the brink of clinching its second straight Western State Conference title.

That's when Santa Barbara City began defending its home court.

Maria Mayer, Nicole Bergmann and Emelia Shugrue had 13 kills apiece as Santa Barbara City, ranked No. 6 in the state coaches poll, came roaring back to take the fourth game and a decisive fifth game, 15-11, to win its 15 straight home match and pull within a flat-footed tie with No. 6 Moorpark Tuesday night.

"They really stepped it up and we just didn't respond," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "I thought they played better defense and out-transitioned us."

Things fell apart for the Raiders after gutting out the third game, 28-26, to take a 2-1 lead.

"We lost our composure a little bit in that fourth game and it went to the fifth game, where anything can happen," said Burkhart.

The Vaqueros (17-2, 7-1) were led by star middle blockers Bergmann and Jenn Waddill, who hit .440 and .346, respectively, in combining for 24 kills.

Una Siljegovic 19 kills and three blocks, Rachel Olinyk had 10 kills and five blocks and Mimi Sander had 26 digs for Moorpark (17-2, 7-1), which had dropped just two games in winning 11 straight matches overall, including a four-game win over the Vaqueros at Raider Pavilion on Oct. 20.

"I wasn't disapointed with our effort," said Burkhart. "I know the girls are disappointed with the loss."

The Raiders, who had won 19 straight in WSC North play since Nov. 2007, face the tough road trip to Cuesta Friday.

"We just go back to work," said Burkhart. "We've got a tough game on Friday. We're going to have to respond."

Molly Carson had 12 points, Bev Lamphear had 11 points and Reyneisha Mays had 10 points and seven rebounds as the sophomores led the Moorpark College women's basketball team to a season-opening win, 65-50, Tuesday night over visiting College of the Sequoias at Raider Pavilion.

Freshman Irene Lopez added six points and 14 rebounds. Moorpark (1-0) led 32-17 at the half. The Raiders open up the Santa Barbara tournament Saturday against Orange Coast.

Alley Reeves had a game-high 13 points for Sequoias (1-1).

Click here for a handy football postseason breakdown from SFCA commish Jim Sartoris.

Not that Northern Conference fans need much help:

"Bakersfield - Playoff team - Qualifies as #1 finisher, no matter their outcome in the last game. Would win tie breaker with Hancock if both 5-1 in conference.
Hancock - Playoff team - qualifies as #2 finisher, has completed their schedule of 10 games. Finished 5-1 and 9-1.
Ventura - could end up 7-3 or 6-4 overall depending on the outcome of their game with Moorpark (0-9) and would be Bowl Eligible.
Canyons - could be 7-3 or 6-4 overall depending on the outcome of their game with Bakersfield (8-1) and would be Bowl Eligible."

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team stands tall at No. 4 in the state coaches' poll ahead of Tuesday night's showdown with No. 6 Santa Barbara City.

Click the jump for the full poll.

So Bakersfield and Hancock have wrapped up the playoff berths with consecutive wins over Ventura entering rivalry week. Hancock finished its regular season by holding off the Pirates. The Bulldogs can share the conference title with Bakersfield if the Renegades fall at Canyons Saturday. Ventura can clinch rival Moorpark's first winless season with a second straight Citrus Cup win. San Gabriel Valley rivals Pasadena City and Glendale will play for fifth place.

Week 9 Scores
Hancock 28, Ventura 21
Glendale 41, Moorpark 27
Canyons 29, Pasadena City 22 (OT)
Bakersfield, bye

Week 9 Standings
Bakersfield 8-1 5-0
Hancock 9-1 5-1
Ventura 6-3 3-2
Canyons 6-3 3-2
Pasadena City 4-5 1-4
Glendale 4-5 1-4
Moorpark 0-9 0-5

Week 10 Schedule
Ventura at Moorpark
Bakersfield at Canyons
Pasadena City at Glendale
Hancock, bye

Click the jump for the box score from the Moorpark College football team's 41-27 loss at Glendale Saturday night.