It is said that the defense is ahead of the offense early in the football season. The Ventura College defense may have outdone itself Saturday night, however, as they led the Pirates to a 31-0 shutout of preseason No. 5-ranked Fullerton Saturday night at he VC Sportsplex. The Pirates forced five Fullerton turnovers, leading to 21 points in the win.
VC, ranked No. 14 in the state's preseason poll, took the early lead after a Fullerton turnover deep in their own territory. Defensive lineman Jesse Lemonaire forced and recovered a fumble by the Hornet quarterback on the FC 15-yard line. Two plays later, Pirate quarterback Brandon Jones hit Jordan Nunnery on a slant route for the first Ventura score of the season. Jesse Kelly added the extra point, giving VC a 7-0 lead with 9:26 remaining in the opening quarter.
Four minutes later, the VC defensive backfield forced another Hornet fumble around midfield, recovered by Blayne Bennett. The ensuing seven-play, 53-yard drive was capped by another Jones to Nunnery connection from seven yards out. Kelly's kick made it 14-0 before the end of the first quarter.
The Fullerton offense put together a solid 15-play, 54 yard drive midway through the second period, but the VC defense stopped it inside their own 10-yard line. Fullerton's 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by the Pirates, and Devonte Smith scooped the ball up, racing 80 yard to paydirt. Kelly's extra point was good and the Pirates led 21-0 at intermission.
Fullerton intercepted a pass on the Pirates' first possession of the second half, but the VC defense was able to stop the Hornets, limiting them 11 yards on the ensuing drive, turning the ball over on downs at the Pirate 25 yard line.
After a 16-play 65-yard drive by Ventura resulted in a missed field goal, the Pirate defense turned things around again as Haynes intercepted a pass at the FC 22-yard line. The 6-foot-4, 328-pound defensive lineman rumbled 21 yards before losing the ball, but teammate Mark Zavala was on the spot to recover the fumble in the end zone for six more Pirate points. Vidal Espinoza converted the extra point to give VC a four-touchdown advantage.
Early in the fourth quarter, VC kicker Jake Lanski hit a 25-yard field goal to set the final margin at 31-0.
VC limited Fullerton to 245 yards of total offense on the night, 112 in the air. Zavala had seven tackles to lead the way while Devonte Smith, Richard Leveille, Grant Bouma and Dante Bland all had five stops. Zavala and Lemonaire each had a quarterback sack while Haynes and Keith Blank recorded interceptions.
Quarterback Jones had 195 yards passing, completing 17 of 30 attempts in his Pirate debut, including a pair of touchdown strikes. He also led the Pirate ground attack with 38 yards on eight carries. DJ Martin and Nunnery led the receiving corps with four receptions each.
The Pirates get little time to celebrate their victory, as they will take on traditional power El Camino on Saturday Sept. 12 at the VC Sportsplex. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 pm, and fans who cannot attend can watch live on the VC Sports Network.