It has been a steady climb for the Pirate football team during the six-plus season tenure of head coach Steve Mooshagian. On Saturday they completed the climb into the state's upper echelon with a heart-stopping 34-29 victory over state No. 5-ranked and four-time state champion Mt. San Antonio College at the Sportsplex. Kendric Mallory caught his third touchdown pass of the game, a 12-yard play from quarterback Jake Luton, with 39 seconds remaining to set the final margin for the Pirate win.
Ventura (2-0), ranked No. 7 ion the state, dug itself into a deep hole early in the game, giving up 17 points in the first 10:30 of the game with three interceptions and a missed 22-yard field goal. The VC defense held fast through the stretch, to limit the Mounties offensive production, setting the stage for the comeback.
Mallory caught the first of his three touchdown passes with 2:48 left in the opening period, a nine yard pass from quarterback Jake Luton coupled with an acrobatic one-handed catch, and Cooper Garcia added the extra point to make the score 17-7.
The Pirates' fourth interception of the quarter was returned for a touchdown by the Mounties, but a penalty brought the return back. On the ensuing drive the bend-but-don't-break VC defense held Mt. SAC to a field goal and VC trailed 20-7 at the end of the quarter, but the momentum had shifted.
Ventura came right back, driving 73 yards in six plays to find paydirt once again, this time on a 16-yard slice-and-dice run by Brian Burt. Garcia's kick closed the gap to 20-14 at the 13:18 mark of the second quarter.
After forcing a Mountie punt on the next possession, the Pirates took advantage of two 15-yard Mt. SAC penalties to set up their next score. Luton found Mallory once again on a 35-yard pass and run play to the end zone to punctuate another 73-yard drive in under two minutes. Garcia's PAT gave the Pirates a 21-20 lead over Mt. SAC, who entered the game as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation in the JCFootball.com rankings.
The Mounties connected on a 44-yard field goal as time expired for the half, giving them a 23-21 edge at intermission.
Ventura came out of the locker room and picked up right where they left off, taking the second half kick 85 yards in five plays to score. Luton ended the drive with a 21-yard scramble followed by a 28-yard touchdown pass to Cam Taylor. Garcia complete the PAT and VC led 28-23.
The defenses took over the game for the remainder of the third period, with the Mounties forcing three VC punts and the Pirates forcing two Mountie kicks. The Ventura defense also held fast on a 4th-and-2 play, and forced a 35-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide right.
Mt. SAC broke through early in the fourth quarter, however, and punched in a touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped short of the goal line, and the Mounties held a slim 29-28 lead with 9:30 remaining in the game.
Ventura was forced to punt on its next possession, and Garcia pinned Mt. SAC deep in its own territory with the kick. The Pirate defense came up big once again on the next drive, giving the ball back to the offense with 2:51 on the clock.
The time proved to be inconsequential for the Pirates, who seem mount drives of less than two minutes on a regular basis. This time would be no different as VC marched down the field to the game-winning score. Luton completed four passes in the drive, including a 26-yard play to Taylor, before rolling right and finding Mallory in the end zone for a 12-yard strike to take the lead. VC's two-point conversion was nullified by a penalty, but the Pirates held a 34-29 advantage with 39 seconds remaining.
The defense made one last stand, forcing four incomplete passes by Mt. San Antonio to preserve the victory.
Luton had another stellar performance, save for the early picks, settling in to complete 27 of 53 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns. Taylor was his favorite target with 10 catches for 155 yards and a score while Mallory hauled in six catches for 105 yards and three trips to the end zone. Burt led the ground game with 12 rushes for 105 yards and one visit to paydirt.
Linebacker Darrian McIntyre had a stellar game in the middle of the Pirate defense with 14 tackles, including eight solo stops. Charles Frankiln recorded eight tackles while Devonte Smith and Grant Bouma had seven stops each. Corner back Vosean Crumbie had another solid outing with three pass break-ups and four tackles.
The Pirates will not have much time to celebrate, wit their first road trip of the season looming. VC will head to a Beach Bowl rematch at Orange Coast (1-1) Saturday Sept. 17 in what could be defined as a classic "trap game". Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm in Costa Mesa and the game can be seen live on the VC Sports Network.