College Sports Blog: October 2009 Archives

Ventura gets on the scoreboard

By

Joe Curley

on October 31, 2009 9:12 PM Share:

Ventura gets on the board on Nick Karam's 4-yard end around with 11:19 left in the game.

Bakersfield leads 41-7.

A 15-yard TD pass from Kilgore to Stevens made it 41-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

UPDATE: Greg Jimenez finds Brandon Gunter for a 23-yard scoring strike to pull Ventura within 44-14 with 6:21 to play.

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Bakersfield piles it on, 34-0

By

Joe Curley

on October 31, 2009 8:46 PM Share:

Ventura goes three and out to start the second half.

Bakersfield quarterback Logan Kilgore connects for 43 yards on the first play, then, following three Ben Estill runs, hits tight end Nathan Stevens down the seam for a 23-yard scoring strike and a 27-0 lead.

A deflected Greg Jimenez pass is intercepted and, three plays later, Bakersfield pushes the lead to 34-0 on Keldon Hampton's 3-yard touchdown run.

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Ventura digs 20-0 halftime hole at Bakersfield

By

Joe Curley

on October 31, 2009 8:03 PM Share:

Huge turn of events at Memorial Stadium as Ventura had Bakersfield stopped on its 16-yard line with five minutes left in the first half.

But a bad bounce led to a fumbled punt, which extended the drive and took away a key Ventura scoring chance.

Bakersfield picks up another first down on an offsides call and Ben Estill catches a 33-yard scoring strike from Logan Kilgore as Bakersfield takes a 20-0 lead.

Ventura drive to midfield and the first half expires. It has mustered just four first downs and 72 yards of total offense.

Bakersfield has 13 first downs and 209 yards of total offense. Estill has 77 yards rushing, a 7-yard touchdown run and a 33-yard touchdown catch.

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Estill puts Bakersfield up 13-0

From Ventura's perspective, there's good and bad news from the pregame warmups at Memorial Stadium.

Quarterback Antavius Sims (ankle) is in uniform and is expected to start. He looked pretty good, if a little stiff, in warmups.

"He'll be fine," said offensive coordinator Tim Gutierrez.

By

Joe Curley

on October 31, 2009 2:59 PM Share:

Meke Okechuk returned a blocked field goal 63 yards for a touchdown to give the Moorpark College football team a 7-0 lead this afternoon at Pasadena City College.

The Lancers evened the score with a long drive late in the second quarter.

The game is tied, 7-7, at the half.

Moorpark is striving to break an eight-game losing streak.

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VC-BC big in every way

By

Joe Curley

on October 31, 2009 2:53 PM Share:

Click here for today's community college football advance

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CCCAA considers moving WSC schools north

By

Joe Curley

on October 30, 2009 3:46 PM Share:

The geographical structure of the Western State Conference's North Division along the 101 freeway is under threat.

Northern Western State Conference schools Cuesta, Hancock and Bakersfield colleges would leave the WSC for the Northern region, if an emergency proposal to realign California community college conferences were approved.

The measure, unveiled at Thursday's Commission on Athletics meeting in Burlingame, was tabled until December Friday morning by the COA board.

In the plan, the three schools would join the Central Valley Conference (Fresno, Sequoias, Merced, Modesto, ect.) and be replaced by Lancaster's Antelope Valley College, which is part of the Foothill Conference (San Bernardino Valley, Chaffey, ect).

Cuesta does not field a football team, but apparently Hancock and Bakersfield would remain in the Southern California Football Association, where they play in the Northern Conference with Ventura and Moorpark.

The management council also approved 19 minor cost containment items regarding the reduction of contests, dues and playoff seeding from April through 2012.

Joe Curley

on October 29, 2009 12:44 PM Share:

The Ventura College women's soccer team will wear pink commemorative jerseys for Friday night's "Shirt Off Their Back" breast cancer awareness fundraiser.

VC is partnering with five local high schools and AYSO for the special night at the VC Sportsplex.

The Pirates (11-3) will auction their shirts off for charity following the 5:30 p.m. match with Central Valley Conferene-leading Fresno City (10-1-6).

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WSC Standings

By

Joe Curley

on October 27, 2009 9:32 PM Share:

By

Joe Curley

on October 26, 2009 2:57 AM Share:

Ventura 23, Canyons 6: VC takes down a nemesis by Joe Curley in Ventura and COC makes costly mistakes by Paul Putignano, Santa Clarita Signal.

Hancock 62, Moorpark 28: Moorpark falls short again by Loren Ledin in Moorpark and Hancock jumps on Moorpark mistakes by Santa Maria Times.

Bakersfield 49, Glendale 3: Passing marks by Jeff Evans, Bakersfield Californian and Vaqs hit a low point by Gabriel Rizk, Glendale News Press.

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VC-COC official box score

By

Joe Curley

on October 25, 2009 1:30 PM Share:

Click the jump for the official box score from Ventura College's 23-6 football win over Canyons Saturday night.

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Continue reading VC-COC official box score.

"They're just going to come right at us," said head coach Jim Bittner. "I'm hoping they'll throw a pass.

"What's been happening to us is tackling. We meet people at the point of attack, but the ballcarriers run through them. It's a matter of wrapping up. That's been our major problem."

Moorpark has lost 11 of 12 games since Sept. 27, 2008. Its lone win came in double overtime, 51-44, against Glendale on Nov. 8.

The Raiders are down to 64 players and only seven offensive linemen.

But there is hope that Moorpark will welcome back two of its best players, running back/linebacker Jerrell Holland and receiver Justin Bradley, in the upcoming weeks.

"Jarrell, he may be able to play later in the season, same with Justin," said Bittner. "(Bradley) does look 100 percent, so he might be able to go this game.

"With those two guys in the lineup, we're a much better football team. You're just afraid to play them too early, in fear of losing them (for the season). I'm trying to fight that temptation."

Moorpark has actually been very effective throwing the ball. Quarterback Ian Shultis has had a very productive freshman campaign, connecting with Chris Gant for eight touchdowns. Shultis found tight end Chris Hussey for several key first downs when the game was still in doubt at Bakersfield.

"Actually, we've had some good days of practice this week," said Bittner. "We're going to have a little bit of luck one of this days.

"I'm trying to find the positive in this season."

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Fired up

By

Joe Curley

on October 23, 2009 5:05 PM Share:

You have to be looking forward to tomorrow's College of the Canyons at Ventura College football game after reading the below quotes.

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Garett Tujague on VC/Canyons football showdown

By

Joe Curley

on October 23, 2009 4:46 PM Share:

College of the Canyons football coach Garett Tujague on Saturday's Ventura College-Canyons football showdown:

"I've been here since we brought football back in 1998. Our first year in 1998, Ventura handed it to us. In 1999, that's when they were pretty good, they handed it to us at home. One of the turning points for our program was in 2000, when we went to play at (Nordhoff) High and got the better of them," said Tujague. "It was the first time when we hadn't been physically outmatched by Ventura College."

"There's a lot of respect from our standpoint for Ventura College. I have a lot of respect for coach (Jon) Mack.

(on potential bulletin board material)

"Whenever COC goes to play somebody, we're going to get their best... They're all over their Twitters saying they're going to beat our (butts). They're a good football team and I'm fired up that they feel good about themselves."

"There's a little blood in the water."

(on Ventura College's defense)
"VC has been working hard, you can see that. There's a handful of players on their defense that are kids that we recruited.

"They run to the football very well. They adjust very well and they let their players play. No. 5 (cornerback Travaun Nixon) is a stud. No. 7, 17 and 27 (linebackers Ryan Panapa, Loren Powers and Brenden Daily) move real well to the ball. They've got some creatures at end.

"You just have to look at what you can take and what mismatches you can create. I just think whatever defense has a better night is going to help their defense win."

(on Ventura College's offense)

"I see a big, physical, offensive line. No. 6 (Antavius Sims) at quarterback is a threat to run and pass. I like their receivers. Their tight end, what a good looking kid. He run blocks well and finds his way into space well

(on VC offensive coordinator TIm Gutierrez)

"You run into some guys who bang their head into a wall and other guys who manipulate a defense. I like what he does."

(on Canyons)

"I'm really excited about where we've been playing defensively, they've been keeping us in the game."

(on Saturday night)
"This is a pretty good football team, it might be the best team that we'll have faced to this point of the season. I'm not underestimating this. I've been hearing for a year now how Ventura wants a piece of us. My guys are ready. We're coming into a hostile environment. We better be ready to go."

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Jon Mack on the VC/Canyons football showdown

By

Joe Curley

on October 23, 2009 4:39 PM Share:

Ventura College head coach Jon Mack on the Pirates' showdown tomorrow night with College of the Canyons:

"They have a very good staff and they're very well-coached. Their kids train year round.
They do the things that you need to do to be successful. They're a very, very talented team.

(on the bye week)

"We came out of bye week real good. Physically, we probably needed a break and it's interesting. I really opposed the moving bye week. For us, it was midseason, right about the time when you need it. Do I have a reason to complain, not this year. Do I believe that the rotating bye is a good thing? Absolutely not.

"I think it worked out real good for us. We came out real good. We're healthy. Everybody is ready to go."

(on Canyons)

"They're very good defensively. They run to the ball really well. They pursue hard. They're very sound in what they're doing. They don't take a lot of risks.

"They do a nice job of changing things and moving around and being multiple in their fronts, which creates mental errors on the offensive side. They do a very good job in being multiple in their defenses.

"I think it's a mistake is to look at Canyons' scores from the previous weeks and assume they're down. You look at film and study plays and schemes and figure out if you have a chance.

"I think they have a lot of freshman playing this year, so the games have been closer. But it's a huge error to come into this game and say this is not the same Canyons team."

"If not for one interception would have one loss right now in a game that was definitely due to freshmen inexperience. They had the ball on the 5-yard line and threw a pick against Hancock."

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Gary Anglin on VC/Canyons football showdown

By

Joe Curley

on October 23, 2009 4:21 PM Share:

Ventura College defensive coordinator Gary Anglin on the Pirates' key visit of College of the Canyons Saturday night:

"To be in the hunt, to be in this position towards November. That's the excitement of college football."

(on Canyons)

The Pirates (13-3), ranked No. 6 in the state, improved to 3-0 in Western State Conference play Wednesday with a 13-7 win at Citrus.

Outside threat Crowley, a Pacifica High product, leads the team with 36 goals and 10 assists. McGrath, a recent Ventura High graduate, has 32 goals and 14 assists. McClure (Royal) and Adler (Ventura) have given the Pirates a combined 57 goals from hole set. Pare (Oaks Christian) and Oliver (Buena), the left-hander, have 21 and 14 goals, respectively.

The 24 players on the roster come from 12 different high schools, including 10 from the county plus Carpenteria.

Ventura has won 11 of last 12 games, the lone loss being a 8-7 loss to No. 3 Long Beach City.

"We're hoping to repeat in conference," said Schmidt. "That's the No. 1 goal."

But Ventura has also shown that it can compete on the state level. The Pirates held third quarter leads on the top two teams in Southern California, No. 2 Golden West and No. 3 Long Beach, before falling 13-9 on Sept. 18 and 8-7 Oct. 10, respectively.

"We really played well, that's what the guys have taken confidence from," said Schmidt. "We just made a couple of mistakes and it got away from us."

The Pirates hope to learn from past mistakes at this weekend's Golden West tournament, where they open up Saturday with a rematch with the powerhouse hosts.

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Clark leading VC women's water polo

By

Joe Curley

on October 22, 2009 3:05 PM Share:

Head coach Mary Giles might have her husband, Mike, to thank for one of the Ventura College women's water polo team's top players.

Carly Clark attended UC Santa Barbara straight out of Agoura High. After transferring back to Moorpark College, Clark was spotted at a local water polo game by Mike Giles.

"I owe him big time for that one," said Giles.

Clark entered last week with 41 goals and 11 assists to lead the Pirates (11-4), who improved to 3-0 in the Western State Conference mark by beating Citrus 13-9.

"She's a leader out there," said Mary Giles. "She directs a lot of the offense. She's amazingly positive."

Veterans Emily Allen and Mary Dugan are also important pieces. The 6-foot Allen had 18 goals, as well as providing solid hole set defense.

"She's a wall," said Giles.

Dugan is one of the team's most active players.

"She's ripped from head to toe," said Giles.

Another Marmonte League product, freshman Courtney Thomas (Westlake), is one of several players who provide production off the bench.

"We're a little deeper than I had thought we were going to be," said Giles.

Ventura needed it for Wednesday's trip to Glendora.

"It's always really hot and smoggy there," said Giles. "It makes it super competitive."

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Joe Curley

on October 21, 2009 1:55 AM Share:

Oregon State football coach Mike Riley on facing, and upsetting, the Trojans in recent years:

By

Joe Curley

on October 21, 2009 1:46 AM Share:

USC coach Pete Carroll on Saturday's visit of Oregon State, which shocked the Trojans last year in Corvallis:

"Q. What has Oregon State been able to do against you guys better than anybody else? Scheme wise, position wise?

"They've been really effective against us on both sides of the ball. They've been able to give us problems and they've had good fortune at their place two of the three times. Jumping out on us early offensively. You know, we fell behind 21-0 last year at one time.

They executed really well. Their guys played great football. They played just as tough as anybody we've played on that day. And we had trouble staying up with them, you know. The tempo of the game was set by their side of the football and their guys. And their crowd had a lot to do with it, you know, and they did a great job of it.

It wasn't just because it was a Thursday night game, they did it to us on Saturday, in the afternoon, and the sunshine.

I have tremendous respect for Mike and what he does, and their scheme and their approach. You know, they're an interesting team when you watch them year in and year out, because they have their games. You wonder how could this team play like this had and play at the other end of the spectrum. They struggle with a couple of games this year early.

As we saw them last year, remember, we came off the Penn State game and the Hawaii game last year. In the Penn State they looked terrible in that game...got blown away. And they came back and played a pretty good game against Hawaii. Then they played the game of the year for themselves against us.

So we have a lot of respect for them in that they can figure out their ways. They can get their kids right. They can give us issues that can upset us and allow us to play right. So hopefully we'll be able to overcome that here at the coliseum, and we'll figure out what happens next time around when we play them up there."

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Carroll compares Golden Tate to Lynn Swann

By

Joe Curley

on October 21, 2009 1:41 AM Share:

Following his eight catch, 117-yard, two-TD performance in Saturday's epic loss to USC, Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate has been compared to Hall of Famer Lynn Swann by USC coach Pete Carroll:

"He's a great player now. He really is. He's a true play maker. He has extraordinary confidence in his own ability to make things happen. The catch he makes over the middle when he holds the ball away from T.J. or Josh, that's an amazing grab. The presence to know to keep the ball away, that was big time.

His ability to play with great speed on the deep ball. But the best part of the deep ball that he caught was he elevated at the end of all of that. He was running full speed 40 yards down the field, and he hit it and got up off the ground and needed every bit of that elevation to make the play.

That's big time stuff. That's reminiscent of Lynn Swann going over top guys in Super Bowls. Those are fantastic athletic demonstrations. He's a great player. We kind of held him down, to tell you the truth. We were fortunate. We did a lot of stuff on keep him under wraps. A couple of times they caught it on our one on ones and we tried it, and we covered them. But the one time he did get us."

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No. 3 MC Vball takes showdown with No. 7 SBCC

By

Joe Curley

on October 21, 2009 12:24 AM Share:

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team walked the service line
in Tuesday night's Western State Conference showdown.

The Raiders, ranked No. 3 in the state, used effective serving to keep
the WSC's top two hitters, Jen Waddill and Nicole Bergmann, off
balance in a four-game win over No. 7 Santa Barbara City at Raider
Pavilion.

"That was really one of the key things," said Moorpark coach Steve
Burkhart. "We had a really good gameplan going into this match and we
really executed it."

WSC WOMEN'S SOCCER
NORTH WSC PTS. SEASON
Moorpark 4-0-1 13 8-0-2
Ventura 3-1 9 9-3
S Brbara 2-0-2 8 7-1-5
Cuesta 1-2-1 4 2-7-3
Oxnard 1-4 3 2-10-1
Hancock 0-4 0 0-8
SOUTH WSC PTS. SEASON
Pierce 6-0 18 10-1-1
Bkrsfld 4-1-1 13 7-3-1
Canyons 3-1-2 11 5-5-3
S Monica 3-1-2 11 6-2-5
LA Valley 2-4 6 4-7-1
Glendale 1-3-2 5 3-5-4
Citrus 1-4-1 4 3-7-3
L.A. Mission 0-6 0 2-9-1

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LIVE -- MC football at Bakersfield

By

Joe Curley

on October 17, 2009 7:04 PM Share:

For live updates of Moorpark College football team's trip to Bakersfield go to Twitter or click the twitter feed on the right side of this page.

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Raiders missing two top players for difficult BC trip

By

Joe Curley

on October 17, 2009 6:48 PM Share:

BAKERSFIELD -- We've arrived at perhaps the state's most impressive community college football venue, Bakersfield's Memorial Stadium, to find that the first 0-5 team in the 42-year history of Moorpark College football is without two of its top athletes.

Running back/linebacker Jerrell Holland is in street clothes with a sprained knee. Big-play receiver Justin Bradley was in uniform, but was not cleared to play during warm-ups.

Yet the meeting with 5-1 Bakersfield, perhaps the favorite in the SCFA Northern Conference, could have been worse. It could have been a forfeit.

"We're missing two of our best athletes," said Moorpark head coach Jim Bittner. "But we actually had 12 guys out Thursday and Friday. It was a closest I've ever come to calling a game.

Continue reading MC volleyball up to No. 3 in the state.

This week's CC football capsule

By

Joe Curley

on October 16, 2009 12:49 PM Share:

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Moorpark (0-5, 0-1) at No. 10 Bakersfield (5-1, 1-0)
Griffin Stadium, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Canyons 31, Moorpark 17;
SERIES HISTORY: Bakersfield leads, 11-6-1, in a series that dates back to 1986. Bakersfield won, 30-0, last year.
GAME FACTS: Coming off its best performance of a difficult season, Moorpark took another blow this week in the injury of RB/LB Jarrell Holland. Now it resumes its rivalry with powerful Bakersfield, which may be the frontrunner in the SCFA Northern Conference. Moorpark has allowed 48.4 points per game, is last in SoCal in rushing defense (256.4 ypg) and is minus 9 in turnover margin. But the Raiders have been dangerous in the air behind QB Ian Shultis (60-of-127 passing, 730 yards, 8 TDs, 7 ints.), WR Justin Bradley (20 rec., 338 yards, 1 TD) and WR Chris Gant (20 rec., 346 yards, 6 TDs). Bakersfield is averaging a 37-16 win and plus 7 in turnover margin. The Renegades have been dominant at the line of scrimmage, averaging 192.8 yards rushing and 77.7 yards rushing. RB Matthew Estill (115 att., 494 yards, 4 TDs) is a powerhouse. Behind DL Tyrone Crawford has five sacks, they have 20 sacks while only giving up 5, the best figure in SoCal. QB Logan Kilgore (68-of-120 passing, 1,183 yards, 11 TDs, 7 ints.) is No. 6 in passing efficiency. WR Rishar Matthews (31 rec., 444 yards, 4 TDs) is No. 4 in punt return average.

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VC football up to No. 23 in national poll

By

Joe Curley

on October 15, 2009 8:30 PM Share:

The Ventura College football team, which is idle this week, rose two spots to No. 23 in JC Gridwire's national Top 25 after improving to 5-1 with Saturday's 26-20 win at Pasadena City.

Four SCFA Northern Conference teams are ranked, including No. 16 Bakersfield (5-1), No. 21 Hancock (5-1) and No. 24 Canyons (4-2), which visits Ventura next week and barely beat Moorpark last week.

Cerritos (5-0), which handed Ventura its only loss, 36-35, last month, is ranked No. 8.

There is no regional or state poll this week, since so many teams are on their bye weeks.

Click the jump for the full poll.

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Continue reading VC football up to No. 23 in national poll.

Strozier highlight of record-setting night for VC soccer

By

Joe Curley

on October 15, 2009 8:14 PM Share:

Bouncing back from Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to rival Moorpark, the Ventura College women's soccer team punished visiting Hancock College with a school record 16-0 win Thursday night at the VC Sportsplex.

Sophomore attacker Jazmarae Strozier set a school record by scoring an incredible seven times, including five times in the first half and four times in a 14-minute stretch late in the first half that gave the Pirates a 9-0 halftime lead.

Yadira Toraya scored in the first minute, while Monique Orocio, Carissa Arce and Alyssa McDonald also had two-goal games.

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VC turns to Midnight Madness for its first bounce

By

Joe Curley

on October 14, 2009 7:26 PM Share:

Joey Ramirez has only been back with the Ventura College men's basketball team for a month.

But the Pirates have already restored one of his favorite traditions from his playing career.

Ventura will celebrate the official opening of practice Friday night with a Midnight Madness that will include a 3-point shootout, slam dunk contest and intrasquad scrimmage.

The exercise reminds the assistant coach, who played at VC from 1992-94, of his playing days.

"People were fighting for position and the community was there to watch it," said Ramirez. "It was intense."

Entrance is free to the public.

"It's a chance to get a sneak preview of the season," said head coach Will Cowen. "We're bringing it back because we we're trying to restore the program's traditions."

Ventura returns three sophomores, forward Jordan Harris, Jermiah Slowik and Justin Jimenez, from its Western State Conference North Division co-championship group.

The Pirates lost forward Randy Hunter, who transferred to Citrus College, but newcomers include All-CIF guard Paul Batausa of Ventura High and 6-foot-7 forward Pierce Brooks, a transfer from the University of San Francisco.

Oxnard returns a full backcourt in Ryan McLucas, who sat out last season with an injury, Nick Molina and Craig Lee. Key newcomers include forwards Omar Abraham and James Ennis, the former Ventura High star who was selected second team preseason All-American by Sporting News.

Moorpark may only returns one sophomore, but the Raiders are boosted by the addition of former Simi Valley star Mike Meza, a transfer from Azusa Pacific, and former Cal State Northridge guard Dallas Rutherford.

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Still in the game

By

Joe Curley

on October 14, 2009 7:23 PM Share:

Several outgoing sophomores from the group that earned the Ventura College men's basketball team a share of the 2009 WSC North title are playing at four-year schools, including Danny Benson (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Will Faiivae (Texas A&M International), Prince Abidoye (Cal State Stanislaus) and Pepe Araujo (Kansas Wesleyan).

Alex Jamerson has joined San Diego State as a student assistant.

Former assistant coach Jon Wyers, now at Villanova Prep, has also hired Eric Gray and Andre Jamerson, Alex's older brother, as his junior varsity and soph-frosh coaches, respectively.

Former Ventura swingman Kevin Menner, who spent last season at Saddleback, has joined Cal State Northridge.

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McClellan's scoring streak

By

Joe Curley

on October 14, 2009 7:19 PM Share:

Lindsey McClellan played a wall pass with Kristin Cameron, cut inside and lashed a shot from the top of the penalty area for the goal that gave the Moorpark College women's soccer team its second win over cross-county rival Ventura, 1-0, in 28 all-time meetings Tuesday afternoon.

The win made the Raiders (8-0-3) the team to beat in the WSC North. Moorpark completed the first round of conference play 4-0-1, having outscored its opponents 18-1.

"It was an outstanding performance under such high pressure," said Moorpark coach Eric Privat. "The (wet) weather didn't help. To score such a beauty was something quite exceptional."

The goal gave McClellan her 12th goal in 11 matches. The striker from Simi Valley High, who does not have a background in club soccer, has scored in seven of the Raiders' past eight games.

"We're a good team," said McClellan. "So it's easier (to score)."

Moorpark's run has been guided by McClellan's finishing and the leadership of sophomore captains Ashley Chaney, a defender from Agoura High, and Kaitlin Walters, a midfielder from Moorpark High.

"Hopefully, we can stay with it," said Chaney. "We're pretty excited about it. We've just been working really hard."

Having maintained its unbeaten record through the midpoint of the season by beating a rival ranked in the national coaches' poll, the Raiders believe they should be nearing such lofty heights.

"I agree with that," said Walters.

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Raiders go from bad to worse with Holland's injury

By

Joe Curley

on October 14, 2009 7:16 PM Share:

Just when it looked like the Moorpark College football team was turning around its season, things have taken another tough turn.

First, Moorpark fell to 0-5 for the first time in school history with a 31-17 loss to visiting Canyons, despite pushing the Cougars 10-10 in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Griffin Stadium.

Then, the Raiders lost one of their best players, running back and linebacker Jerrell Holland, who injured a knee while running over a defender in the fourth quarter.

"Holland gave us a little more of a big back type of a running back," said coach Jim Bittner. "I think we lost him for the season. Things have been going from bad to worst."

A two-year starter at linebacker, Holland, the younger brother of Oregon receiver Jamere Holland, began running the ball for the first time since his days at Taft High.

"The guy is an amazing athlete," said Bittner.

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Moorpark doubles up on Rivalry Tuesday

By

Joe Curley

on October 14, 2009 7:10 PM Share:

The eastern half of the county scored a decisive victory on Rivalry Tuesday.

By

Joe Curley

on October 13, 2009 9:23 PM Share:

Western State Conference standings (through Oct. 12)

WSC VOLLEYBALL

NORTH WSC PCT. GF GA SEASON PCT.
Santa Barbara 0-0 0 0 11-1 .917
Moorpark 0-0 0 0 10-1 .909
Oxnard 0-0 0 0 5-2 .714
Ventura 0-0 0 0 5-6 .455
Hancock 0-0 0 0 3-5 .375
Cuesta 0-0 0 0 3-8 .273

SOUTH
Bakersfld 2-0 1.000 6 1 9-4 .692
Glendale 2-0 1.000 6 1 6-6 .500
Citrus 1-0 1.000 3 0 3-6 .333
Canyons 1-1 .500 4 4 7-6 .538
Pierce 0-1 .000 1 3 4-10 .286
S Monica 0-2 .000 1 6 2-7 .222
West L.A. 0-2 .000 0 6 0-6 .000

WSC MEN'S SOCCER
WSC PTS SEASON
Santa Barbara 3-0-1 10 3-5-2
Moorpark 3-1 9 5-3-1
Canyons 3-1 9 6-4
L.A. Mission 2-1-1 7 5-5-1
Oxnard 2-2 6 6-4-1
Hancock 0-2-2 2 2-6-3
Citrus 0-3-1 1 2-6-2
Glendale 0-3-1 1 2-7-2

WSC WOMEN'S SOCCER
NORTH WSC PTS. SEASON
Moorpark 3-0-1 10 7-0-2
Ventura 2-0 6 8-2
S. Brbara 1-0-1 4 6-1-4
Cuesta 1-2 3 2-7-2
Oxnard 1-3 3 2-9-1
Hancock 0-3 0 0-7

SOUTH WSC PTS. SEASON
Pierce 4-0 12 8-1-1
Bakersfld 3-0-1 10 6-2-1
Canyons 3-1 9 5-5-1
S Monica 2-1-1 7 5-2-4
Glendale 1-2-1 4 3-4-3
LA Valley 1-3 3 3-6-1
Citrus 0-3-1 1 2-6-3
LA Mission 0-4 0 2-7-1

WSC MEN'S WATER POLO
WSC SEASON
Cuesta 2-0 9-7
Ventura 1-0 10-3
LA Valley 1-1 6-10
Citrus 0-1 6-9
Santa Monica 0-2 0-15

WSC WOMEN'S WATER POLO
WSC SEASON
Ventura 1-0 9-4
Citrus 1-0 9-8
Cuesta 1-1 8-14
Santa Monica 0-1 3-10
L.A. Valley 0-1 2-9

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Oxnard rediscovers touch, 4-2

By

Joe Curley

on October 12, 2009 3:36 PM Share:

Click the jump for my story on Friday's Ventura County derby between Oxnard College and Moorpark College, which didn't make our website:

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Continue reading Oxnard rediscovers touch, 4-2.

Today's print coverage

By

Joe Curley

on October 11, 2009 12:51 AM Share:

Community College football

Ventura 26, Pasadena City 20: VC shows hunger by Loren Ledin in Pasadena and Big second half not enough for Lancers by Keith Lair, Pasadena Star-News.
College of the Canyons 31, Moorpark 17: Moorpark can't keep the pace by Joe Curley in Moorpark.
Bakersfield 31, Hancock 24: Stand and Deliver by Jeff Evans, Bakersfield California and Bulldogs come up short after frantic finish by Kenny Cress, Santa Maria Times.

NCAA Division III

Cal Lutheran 48, Pomona-Pitzer 14: CLU executes plan of attack by David Lassen in Claremont.

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Christine breaks leg

By

Joe Curley

on October 11, 2009 12:31 AM Share:

St. Bonaventure High product Greg Christine, the resurgent guard for the University of Washington, broke his fibula in today's dramatic win against Arizona, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

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SCFA Northern Conference update

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 11:32 PM Share:

Ventura and Bakersfield hold off Pasadena City and Hancock, respectively, to grab the co-favorites tag a third of the way through conference play.

Week 5 Scores
Ventura 26, Pasadena City 20
Canyons 31, Moorpark 17
Bakersfield 31, Hancock 24

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

Week 6 Schedule
Moorpark at Bakersfield
Pasadena City at Hancock
Glendale at College of the Canyons
Ventura, bye

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But Canyons clinched a 31-17 win with a 80-yard, seven-minute drive capped off by Nick Hale's 4-yard touchdown run.

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Raiders on the wire

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 8:24 PM Share:

Moorpark is living dangerously.

Punter Art Tamayo was asked to punt from the back of his own end zone and got it off.

After Canyons took over at the Raiders' 38-yard line, Moorpark cornerback Nick Daniels ended the threat with an interception in the end zone.

But Shultis threw an interception on the next play, again setting up the Cougars on the Moorpark 16.

The third quarter ended with Canyons on the Moorpark 3. The score is still tied 10-10.

UPDATE: Morales found Robert McIntrye on third and goal with a 4-yard touchdown pass on play action. COC leads 17-10 with 14:14 to play.

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Defense, Hale stymies Canyons

By

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 6:11 PM Share:

The Moorpark College football team was off to a quick start against Canyons this evening at Griffin Stadium before some whistles got in the way.

What looked like Jonathan Mesa's 96-yard return of the opening kickoff for a touchdown was adjusted out of bounds at the Canyons 6.

What looked like Jarell Holland's 6-yard touchdown run was nullified by a holding call.

Other penalties forced Moorpark to settle on a 21-yard Zach Shultis field goal and prolonged Canyons' opened drive, which also ended with a field goal.

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Historic night for MC football?

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 4:54 PM Share:

Lancers mounting a comeback

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 3:46 PM Share:

VC builds 16-6 lead

By

Joe Curley

on October 10, 2009 2:59 PM Share:

Sims throws a 53-yard scoring strike to tight end Rafael Washington to put VC ahead 16-0 with 8:02 left third quarter at Pasadena City College.

The Lancers come right back with a 3-yard touchdown run by Roman Pula to pull within 16-6 with 5:02 left third quarter. The conversion run fails.

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VC ahead 9-0 at the half

By

Joe Curley

By

Joe Curley

on October 7, 2009 8:48 PM Share:

There is no room for error when the Moorpark College and Oxnard College men's soccer teams meet.

The Ventura County derby, which resumes Friday afternoon at Oxnard College, has ended in a draw seven times in 10 meetings since 2004, including the last four meetings.

"It's a valuable game for both of us," said Moorpark coach Sean Roche. "We know it will be tough. We have to be on our game to get a win."

Moorpark (5-2-1) has opened up 3-0 in Western State Conference play following Tuesday's 3-2 win over visiting Hancock.

Featuring Gerardo Espinosa up front, Augie Cazarez on the left and Adrian Llamas in midfield, the Raiders have outscored conference opponents, 8-3.

"We have the most gifted attacking group that we've had in a number of years," said Roche. "That is what this team is about."

Oxnard (5-4-1, 1-2) has hit the skids since opening WSC play Sept. 29 with a late 1-0 win over Citrus that gave the Condors a five-game winning streak in which they outscored opponents 19-4.

Back-to-back losses to the two second-place teams, Santa Barbara City and Los Angeles Mission, has Oxnard needing a win to stay within touching distance of the leaders.

"Moorpark's always important, but now it's doubly so," said Oxnard coach Ross Greaney. "They're off to a good start."

Behind midfielders Max Madrigal, Abel Pacheco, Sam Nellis, Alberto Angiano and forwards Nate Lydle and Emilio Ramirez, the Condors have been a force in possession.

But after scoring in the first nine games of the season, the goals have dried up as Oxnard has been shut out in each of its past two games.

"We've had a lot of possession and a lot of great play, but just not the final pass or the final shot," said Greaney. "I'm happy with the way we're playing for most of the areas of the field, just not in front of the goal.

"If we start scoring, everything is going to fall into place."

Both teams are struggling with injuries at the back. Oxnard defensive midfielder Jonny Martinez has moved to center back because of injuries to Richie Vargas and Andres Herrera.

Neither team has been able to get three points from the derby since Moorpark's 2-0 win on Oct. 24, 2006 on goals by Luis Carmona and Rei Stern. Oxnard's last beat Moorpark, 1-0, on Oct. 25, 2005.

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Gonzalez grabs a gold

By

Joe Curley

on October 7, 2009 8:45 PM Share:

Ventura College's Tefany Gonzalez won her first cross country meet last week at the Bakersfield Invitational.

The sophomore from Fillmore High led most of the way in gliding to victory in 19:34 on the flat, sandy course.

"Tefany pretty much led it from the first half-mile," said Ventura coach Nancy Fredrickson. "It's a good win for her."

Gabriel Solis and Miguel Reyes finished third (21.27) and fifth (21:35) on the men's side. Both the Ventura men and women finished second in the team standings.

Gonzalez and the Pirates opened WSC competition Friday at the WSC Preview Meet in Woodland Hills.

Continue reading VC women's soccer ranked No. 13 in NSCAA poll.

VC football up to No. 12 in SoCal poll

By

Joe Curley

on October 7, 2009 7:44 PM Share:

The Ventura College football team (4-1, 1-0) rose to No. 12 in the SoCal coaches poll after opening SCFA Northern Conference play with a 20-13 win over No. 16 Glendale Saturday.

The Pirates, also ranked No. 20 in the state poll, visit No. 15 Pasadena City Saturday afternoon.

Click the jump for the full polls.

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Continue reading VC football up to No. 12 in SoCal poll.

CC Soccer update: Moorpark improves to 3-0 in WSC play

By

Joe Curley

on October 7, 2009 7:40 PM Share:

Lambert signed to Colts practice squad

By

Joe Curley

By

Joe Curley

on October 4, 2009 10:14 AM Share:

Ventura, Hancock and Bakersfield opened Northern Conference play with wins.

After letting a 13-0 lead slip, Hancock improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1998 on Thomas Sua's overtime run. Bakersfield attacked Pasadena City quarterbacks with six interceptions and seven sacks. Ventura produced two long touchdown drives and held Glendale to 179 total yards.

Week 5 Scores
Ventura 20, Glendale 13
Hancock 19, Canyons 16 (OT)
Bakersfield 34, Pasadena City 13
Moorpark, bye

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

The defense propped up an offense that only mustered a pair of field goals on possessions it opened on the Glendale 11-, 21-, 39- and 47-yard lines.

Instead, the Pirates took control the hard way, driving 97 yards on 13 plays to take a 13-6 lead on Sims' 10-yard touchdown pass to Morris with 4:12 left in the first half.

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Today's live coverage

By

Joe Curley

on October 3, 2009 4:39 PM Share:

With UCLA and USC in the Bay Area and Moorpark College off, we will provide live coverage of the Ventura College football team's SCFA Northern Conference opener against Glendale at the VC Sportsplex.

Just click "On Twitter" along the right side of this page or go to http://www.Twitter.com/VCSColleges.

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Westgate gets another punt

By

Joe Curley

on October 3, 2009 4:29 PM Share:

Oak Park High product Sean Westgate blocked his second career punt in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon at Stanford.

From the resulting field position, Kai Forbath kicked a field goal to pull UCLA within 24-16 with 4:16 to play at the Farm.

The standout sophomore contributed to two touchdowns on special teams as a freshman, returning a blocked punt for a score in his debut against Tennessee and blocking a punt that Glenn Love recovered for a touchdown against Cal.

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MC tops table, Rodriguez foils OC

By

Joe Curley

on October 3, 2009 12:11 PM Share:

The Moorpark College men's soccer team is the lone 2-0 team after two rounds of Western State Conference following Friday's 1-0 win at Glendale.

"After two games," said Moorpark coach Sean Roche.

Left midfielder Augie Cazarez set up Gerardo Espinoza's goal in the 57th minute.

"We had 17 shots, they had three," said Roche. "I know that soccer isn't a game of statistics, but that is legitimate. We had the larger percentage of the game.

"We had a lot of opportunities, good opportunities."

Meanwhile, Oxnard (5-3-1, 1-1) fell 2-0 under the lights at Santa Barbara City.

Among the goalscorers for the Vaqueros? Former Pacifica High and Oxnard College winger Danny Rodriguez.

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Mission beat Citrus 2-0 and Canyons gave Hancock a 4-0 hiding.

The Ventura County derby looms next Friday.

TEAM OVR WSC PTS
Moorpark 4-2-1 2-0-0 6
LA Mission 4-4-1 1-0-1 4
Santa Barbara City 1-4-2 1-0-1 4
Canyons 4-4-0 1-1-0 3
Oxnard 5-3-1 1-1-0
Hancock 2-5-2 0-1-1 1
Glendale 2-5-2 0-1-1 1
Citrus 0-4-0 0-2-0 0

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Going for it

By

Joe Curley

on October 2, 2009 3:28 AM Share:

Ventura College football coach Jon Mack may take a different path this weekend.

After VC had driven the length of the field with 69 seconds to play last Saturday, Mack decided to attempt a game-winning, two-point conversion instead of forcing overtime following Antavius Sims' 9-yard scoring strike to Nick Karam with nine seconds to play in the Pirates' 36-35 loss to Cerritos.

Mack said this week that he had no regrets about going for the win, but hinted that he may not make the same choice if a similar option were presented this weekend.

"We had a chance to win it right there and we wanted to get it done," said Mack.

"If it was a conference game it might have been different. Every game is critical now."

Sims' conversion run was stopped short.

"There were a few options in it," said Mack. "It was no one's fault. We just we wish we had another shot at it."

Ventura sophomore defensive back Travaun Nixon, who had three interceptions Saturday, said he supported Mack's decision.

"I was cool with it," said Nixon, who leads the state with six interceptions in four games.
"I thought we were going to make it. Everyone would have loved it if we made it. I believe in our offense."

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VC football's secret weapon

By

Joe Curley

on October 2, 2009 3:25 AM Share:

The Ventura College football team's secret weapon continues to be its special teams.

Placekicker Tyler Stampler has set school records for longest field goal and field goals in a game (5 for 5 against Cerritos.

"He's just been terrific," said Ventura coach Jon Mack. "He's so humble. He just goes about his business and does his job."

Stampler is 15 for 15 on extra points and 7 for 7 on field goals, four more attempts than any other kicker yet to miss a field goal across the state. His school record 53-yard field goal against Antelope Valley is the longest field goal made statewide this fall.

Punter Joe Reynoso is second in the state with nine punts inside the 20-yard line.

The Hueneme High product boomed a key 60-yard punt Saturday and also made one of the smartest plays in memory when, with the score tied 22-22 in the third quarter, he raced 40 yards to chase down a high snap inside Ventura's 5-yard line to throw an incomplete pass under pressure.

It was one of the smarter plays I've seen in more than 10 years of covering college athletics.

Meanwhile, Ventura College fell in three games at Glendale Tuesday, 25-13, 25-22, 25-16, despite 19 assists and eight kills from Justine O'Connor, three blocks by Anne Westbrook and six digs from Jessica Lara.

Moorpark (8-1), Oxnard (5-1) and Ventura (5-6) are all in action Friday night.

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VC water polo teams win WSC openers

By

Joe Curley

on October 1, 2009 1:40 PM Share:

The Ventura College water polo teams opened Western State Conference play Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Los Angeles Valley.

Spencer McGrath scored five goals, Jonnie Pare had three goals and two assists and Hayden Adler and Tyler McClure each added two goals as the VC men's water polo team won, 15-10.

Goalie Cody Womack had six blocks for Ventura (6-2, 1-0). L.A. Valley is 4-6 and 0-1.

Carly Clark scored five goals and Kelsey Michon, Rachel Davis, Mary Dugan, Kayleigh Jeffries, Emily Allen and Courtney Thomas also scored as the VC women won, 11-4.

Goalie Marissa Herold had nine saves for Ventura (3-2, 1-0).