It looks like Ventura will open SCFA Northern Conference play Saturday against visiting Cerritos (2-3) with a new starting quarterback.

Buena High product Chase Smith, who came off the bench to lead Ventura to a 31-19 win over Pasadena City Oct. 1, is set for his first collegiate start.

"I've given Chase more of the first-team reps," said Mooshagian. "I'm going to use them both, but Chase may start the game."

At the season's midpoint, Koman is 64-for-152 passing for 572 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. Smith, who is 24 for 51 with 270 yards and two touchdowns, has yet to throw an interception.

Smith, who started the season at receiver, may have a new target, as Koman is now splitting his time at wideout.

"I'm giving Matt a lot of reps at receiver, too," said Mooshagian. "Matt may start the game at receiver."

Koman played both quarterback and receiver at College of the Charleston before playing basketball at Northern Kentucky.

"He's a very good athlete," said Mooshagian. "He's a very good wide receiver. He can definitely help us there, too."

The passing lines may have been ugly, but both quarterbacks, making their first starts for their respective teams, showed their mettle in the face of unrelenting pressure.

Owens nearly brought Moorpark back from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit by throwing for three touchdowns for the second straight season against Ventura.

"He's one of the better one's I've ever faced and I've been coaching (community college) for years," said Hyde. "He's everything you want. He's a fighter, he's a leader, he's going to compete for 60 minutes and throw great passes.

"And at this level, if you can run as well as he does, it's dangerous"

Ventura sacked Owens six times and Hyde said the figure should have been 10.

"He's so shifty," said Hyde. "Our whole attack was to go after him."

"His escape dimension and ability to find a receiver made them go," said Mooshagian

Quarterback Matt Koman, starting his first game for Ventura, suffered a shoulder injury and only missed a single play in the third quarter. Chase Smith, a freshman from Buena High, spelled him for one play before Koman returned to guide a key scoring drive.

"He's a tough son of a gun," said Mooshagian of Koman. "You had two really tough quarterbacks in that game."

By throwing for 408 yards in Saturday's dramatic, come-from-behind 24-21 win at Chaffey, Moorpark College quarterback Zach Shultis joined his brother Ian as the only two Raiders quarterbacks to throw for 400 yards in a game.

"It's an honor to be able to join him," said Shultis, who backed up his younger brother last season. "It's pretty cool."

By throwing for 432 yards against Santa Ana last year, Ian Shultis, who is now at Massachusetts, broke Farhaad Azimi's 10-year-old school record of 338 yards.

A career backup at Thousand Oaks High and Moorpark College, Zach has blossomed as a starter this year, winning six straight starts. Despite sharing snaps with sophomore Dalton Botts, he is No. 6 in Southern California in passing at 216.5 yards per game.

"I knew once I got the opportunity that I'd be able to prove myself," said Shultis. "Week in and week out, we've played as a team and come out victorious."

With two games to play, Moorpark (6-2, 3-0) is tied atop the Western Conference with Los Angeles Harbor.

"You can't ask for anything more than to be able to control your own destiny with two games to go," said Shultis. "We know that if we do our part, we're going to be conference champions."

Moorpark College football coach Jim Bittner has never been afraid to use two quarterbacks.

So it wasn't a shock when, despite leading Moorpark to its first win in nearly two years, Zach Shultis shared the quarterback position with Dalton Botts in Saturday's 35-29 win over Santa Barbara City.

After throwing three touchdowns the season opening loss to Ventura, Botts had missed two games with a leg injury.

"I wanted to give Dalton another chance to compete," said Bittner. "I don't know how
much longer we can go on right this, but, right now, it's a friendly competition."

Both quarterbacks were effective. The duo combined to complete 17 of 30 passes for 203 yards and three TDs.

"They're both great kids," said Bittner. "They're not moaning and groaning about it."

Moorpark College football coach Jim Bittner has been saying his team just needed to get over "the hump" and win a ballgame.

That moment came with 3:29 remaining Saturday night when quarterback Zach Shultis arrived in a focused offensive huddle:

"We felt confidence from the week before, when we drove the ball down to the 1-yard line (on the last drive)," said Shultis. "When we got the ball back, everyone looked at each other in the huddle. You could just tell eveyoone was ready to go. Everyone looked extremely focused.

"I just said, 'Here we go. This is what's we've prepared for. This is what we're ready for.' "

"Everyone just went out and got it done."

Shultis completed a pair of third-down passes to star receiver Chris Gant, picking up 11 yards on third and 8 and 11 yards on third and 2. The sophomore also drew a personal foul on the second catch, pushing the ball half the distance to the goal, to the Hancock 9-yard line.

"They played a corner right on him and safety over the top," said Shultis of Gant, who leads the state in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns. "He's just a phenominal athlete and a great route runner. It makes the job of a quarterback a lot eazier when you've got a receiver who you can trust on every play."

Three plays later, Shultis-the-quarterback turned Shultis-the-kicker as the Thousand Oaks High product faced down a game-winning 21-yard field goal. .

"It is kind of weird," said Shultis. "I had never even attempted a game-winning field goal before."

Longsnapper Kurtis Rawls and holder Jerry Henry offered words of inspiration.

"I just trusted them," said Shultis. "The offensive line blocked great and made my job a lot easier."