The Pirates found paydirt on their first play from scrimmage to even the score at 7-7, then yielded another four touchdowns to visiting Cerritos in a rough first half en route to a 44-28 loss to the Falcons Saturday night at the VC Sportsplex. It was too little, too late for Ventura (2-2, 0-1) in the second half as they were unable to close the gap in the Northern Conference opener for both teams.
After Cerritos took the opening drive down the field for a score, the Pirates came back and needed just one play to even the score. VC, ranked No. 6 in the initial SCFA Regional poll of the season, successfully pulled off the double-pass as quarterback Brandon Jones threw backwards to Jake Mann, who, in turn, hit a wide open Cam Taylor for a 63-yard pass and run. Jake Lanski's kick made the score 7-7 just over two minutes into the game.
The Pirates' ended Ceritos' next drive with an interception by Richard Leveille, but that would be the last highlight of the half by VC.
Cerritos found the end zone on their next four drives while the Pirates were relegated to punts, turning the ball over on downs, or an interception, and the Falcons, ranked No. 8, went into halftime with a 35-7 advantage.
Things did not start well in the third quarter for the Pirates as they ended their first two possessions with an interception and turning the ball over on downs on the Falcon 2-yard line. The defense finally stood their ground, holding Cerritos scoreless early, and VC punched through with a 14-yard run by Chris Beeson with 50 seconds remaining in the period. Lanski's kick was blocked, however, and Cerritos returned the ball all the way back for two points.
Quarterback Ty Gangi, who had come on in relief in the second half, engineered VC's next drive over 10 plays and 90 yards, hitting Beeson for a 13-yard pass and run to the end zone. Lanski's kick closed the gap to 37-20 with 11:29 remaining in the game.
The Falcons put the game away with a touchdown on their next possession, by the Pirates kept fighting. Twice Gangi led drives that fizzled inside the Cerritos 10-yard line, and when Tony Daggett returned a Cerritos punt 55 yards to the house with 1:15 on the clock, the outcome had been determined. Gangi hit Nick Rodriguez for the two point conversion to set the final margin at 44-28.
Jones and Gangi split time behind center for VC, passing for 130 and 128 yards, respectively. Beeson had a solid day, carrying the ball 23 times for 173 yards and a score to go along with two catches for 22 yards and another touchdown. Taylor had five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown while Riley Smith and Rodriguez each pulled in six catches for 76 and 69 yards, respectively.
David Owens led the defense with nine tackles while Leveille, Darrian McIntyre and Jesse Lemonaire all recorded six stops.
Ventura has little time to recover from the game, as the annual Citrus Cup match up with Moorpark looms on the horizon. VC will travel to face the Raiders on Saturday Oct. 3 for a 6:00 pm kickoff. Fans who cannot attend the game can see the action live online on the VC Sports Network.