The Pirate football team was down 13-0 midway through the second quarter Saturday night in Rancho Cucamonga before reeling off 21 unanswered points to defeat Chaffey 21-13. Nathaniel Frederick came off the bench to pass for 163 yards and two touchdowns and Jesse Valenzuela rushed for 56 yards and a score to lead the charge. Adrian Soracco had 10 tackles while Jett Alldredge recorded eight stops and grabbed a key interception in the win for Ventura (3-1).
The game got off to a great start for he Pirates as they forced a Chaffey fumble on the first play from scrimmage with James Tuayemie recovering at the Panther 36-yard line. JQ Brown rushed for 28 yards on VC's first play giving the Pirates a first-and-goal before the mini-drive stalled. The tide turned on the field goal attempt, however, as Chaffey blocked the kick.
Concluding the next Panther drive, Valenzuela took the punt at VC's 15-yard line and raced 85 yards to the end zone, only to have the return called back on a penalty.
Following a Pirate punt, Chaffey drove 87 yards to score a touchdown early in the second quarter for a 7-0 lead.
Ventura went three-and-out on the next drive after being pinned deep, and LJ Harm's 42-yard punt gave Chaffey the ball back at the Pirate 46-yard line. 10 plays later the Panthers found paydirt again, but the PAt failed for a 13-0 Chaffey advantage with 6:48 remaining in the first half.
Things went from bad to worse on Ventura's next play from scrimmage as starting quarterback Braden Siri was injured following an 11-yard run. The tide turned again on the ensuing play, however. Back-up QB Frederick, tightening his shoulder pads as he ran onto the field without any warm-up, promptly hit Chris Reaves for a 41-yard scoring strike to get VC on the board. Rafael Vargas' kick closed the gap to 13-7, and the score stood at halftime.
On Chaffey's first possession of the second half, Aldredge killed a 10-play drive with his interception at the Ventura 24. His 16-yard return set up a seven-play, 60-yard drive that culminated with a Frederick touchdown pass to Sebastian Macaluso. Vargas' kick gave Ventura a 14-13 edge.
VC's defense buckled down at that point. On a late drive, Chaffey had a first-and-10 at the VC 18 before a pair of holding calls and a personal foul penalty backed them up to first-and-45 around midfield. Two plays later, the defense forced a Chaffey fumble on a 21-yard quarterback sack, and defensive lineman Spencer Moore recovered at the Panther 26. On the ensuing play, Valenzuela ran to paydirt for a 21-13 VC advantage with 2:20 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing drive with time running out, Chaffey advanced to the red zone again, but the VC defense held fast to stop the Panthers on a fourth-and-2 play at the Pirate 18 with 16 seconds remaining.
Frederick was 9-14 passing in the game for 163 yards and the two touchdowns. Valenzuela averaged 9.3 yards per carry on his six rushes and Reaves led the receivers with six catches for 92 yards and a score.
Harm was solid punting the ball, averaging 39.2 yards on five kicks.
Soracco led the defense with his 10 tackles and Angelo Jewell recorded nine stops. CJ Hodgdon, Jalen Cooper, Ben Hall and Alldredge all totaled eight tackles.
The Pirates close their non-conference season at home on Saturday Oct. 1, hosting Saddleback at 6:00 pm. It will also be First Responders Night at the Sportsplex.