The VC football team came from behind in their 2023 season opener, defeating Saddleback 35-30 in Mission Viejo Saturday. The Pirates (1-0) trailed 20-9 late in the first half before outscoring the Bobcats 26-10 the rest of the way for the victory. Lamonte James had 111 yards rushing with a touchdown while Daniel Duran threw for 195 yards and another score to lead Ventura. Tyrus Malietufa recorded nine tackles and an interception and Poi Aina picked up a pair of quarterback sacks defensively for VC.
The Pirates got off to a solid start, taking the opening kickoff and marching 52 yards in 12 plays. Duran completed four passes on the drive for 37 yards, including a 22-yard strike to Eli Aragon, to set up Ryan Pimentel's 35-yard field goal for a 3-0 VC lead.
Saddleback answered, however, taking their opening drive to the Pirate 22-yard line, converting a field goal to even the score.
Ventura's next drive stopped on the Saddleback 35, and the Bobcats took over and scored a touchdown to go ahead 10-3 with 2:44 remaining in the opening period.
Early in the second quarter, VC's Jaylen Blizzard blocked a Saddleback punt and returned it five yards to the end zone for a Pirate touchdown. The PAT was partially blocked, however, and the Pirates trailed 10-9.
The Bobcats responded with a 14-play drive for a field goal. When Ventura threw an interception on the first play of the next drive, the Bobcats used the short field to score a touchdown for a 20-9 advantage with 6:16 left in the first half.
Jayon Farrar set up the ensuing drive with a 35-yard kickoff return to midfield, and Ventura marched down the field for a touchdown in just over five minutes. Quarterback Chris Irvin completed four passes on the drive while James and Jaylen Thompson combined for 20 rushing yards. Quarterback Ezekiel Savage punctuated the drive with a two yard run with 54 seconds left in the half. The two-point conversion failed, however, leaving the Pirates trailing 20-15.
Saddleback took advantage of the time remaining, driving for a 40-yard field goal as the clock expired for a 23-15 halftime lead.
The Pirates pulled closer to the Bobcats late in the third quarter, completing a 10-play, 71-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Duran to Mikey Henderson. The PAT was once again unsuccessful and VC trailed 23-21 with 6:16 remaining in the quarter.
After stopping the Bobcats on 4th-and-1 at midfield on a brilliant open field tackle by Blizzard, the Ventura offense responded in kind, scoring a touchdown six plays later on an 11-yard scamper by James. Duran completed a pass to Aragon for the 2-point conversion and the Pirates were back on top 29-23 early in the final stanza.
After a 3-and-out by Saddleback, the Pirates marched down the field again on the legs of Thompson and James. The pair rushed for 66 yards before Duran hit Aragon from 18-yards out for the score. The PAT failed, but VC led 35-23 with 9:06 remaining.
Saddleback was not down, however, as they scored quickly on a 79-yard pass play after a mad scramble by the Bobcats' signal caller.
Leading 35-30 with 8:19 on the clock, the Pirates used up over five minutes of clock driving to the Saddleback 33-yard line. The drive stalled, however, and a fumble on the fourth down play gave the Bobcats the ball on their own 43-yard line.
The VC defense rose to the challenge, stopping Saddleback in four plays, giving the ball back to the offense to run out the clock to preserve the victory.
In addition to James, Thompson had a solid day rushing with 88 yards on 17 carries. The Pirates had 11 different receivers record a catch, led by Aragon's four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Hall joined Malietufa with nine tackles while Nolan Forsha and Blizzard had eight and seven stops, respectively.
Ventura will host Mt. San Antonio on Saturday Sept. 9 in its home opener. Kickoff at the Sportsplex is scheduled for 6:00 pm.