For the third year in a row, and for the fourth time in the past five years, the Pirate football team has topped the Southern California Football Association's Scholar-Athlete team. VC has placed a program-best 20 players on the honor roll, led by offensive lineman Dane Nelson with a 3.95 Grade Point Average and by tight ends Trennan Carlson and Jared Thomsen at 3.58 and 3.54, respectively. All of these honorees have also been nominated for Academic All-State. The Pirates achieved a 3.01 GPA as a team in the fall, posting an 11-2 record while capturing the school's first ever SCFA Championship, advancing to the CCCAA state championship game in December.
Other Pirates earning mention on the SCFA All-Academic Team include: Wes Anusiem, Thomas Ash, Dominic Benson, Scott Breslin, Keeville Brown, Kyle Continente, Brock Domann, Luis Gil La Madrid, Chris Henry, Gil' Scott Jackson, Brandon Jordan, Maisen Knight, Tyler Orsini, Kegan Romero, Bradley Taylor, Jay Vanderjagt, and Blake Walker.
Students are selected to the SCFA Scholar Athlete team by the following criteria:
1. Participation as an active member of a SCFA football team, with two seasons of participation at the collegiate level, or until forced out of competition by season-ending injury.
2. Successful completion of a minimum 36 units-27 of which must be in academic (non-PE or sport activity) courses.
3. Achievement of a minimum 3.0 (B) overall grade point average.
This past season was a record-setting one for the Pirates as they made their eighth straight post-season/bowl appearance. VC posted a school-record 11 wins, won the first playoff game in school history, won VC's first ever SCFA title, and advanced to the CCCAA state championship game for the first time ever. Additionally, ninth-year head coach Steve Mooshagian became the program's all-time winningest coach and now has a career record of 70-30. He was honored as the SCFA Coach of the Year, CCCFCA Regional Coach of the Year, and AFCA National Coach of the Year. To date, they have had 13 players commit to four-year schools, bringing coach Mooshagian's total to 218 student athletes who have moved on from the Pirate football program in the past nine years.