2025 Ventura College Football News
The Pirate football team was prominent on the Southern California Football Association's All-Northern Conference awards announced earlier this month. VC had 14 first team selections, including eight individuals who were unanimously chosen for nine categories. Tayvion McCoy led the honorees as he was a unanimous pick as a wide receiver and punt return specialist and Charlie Neos was VC's lone unanimous pick on defense.
The Pirates were riding a wave of momentum. They had scored 17 unanswered points to start the second half, including a 70-yard pick-six by Charlie Neos, to take a 31-21 lead at No. 1-ranked Golden West early in the fourth quarter. But a huge touchdown return on the ensuing kick swung the momentum back to the Rustlers and they rode it to a 56-38 decision over No. 4 VC in the SCFA semifinals Saturday afternoon in Huntington Beach.
The Pirates had their backs agianst the wall. Down by 16 points late in the third quarter, quarterback Braesen Leon engineered three straight scoring drives in the final 18 minutes of play, running for a touchdown and passing for two more to lead VC past Cerritos 41-37 in the first round of the SCFA Playoffs at the VC Sportsplex. The VC signal caller finished with 427 yards passing in the game with three touchdowns, and rushed for 38 yards and another score.
On the heels on an impressive 9-1 campaign marred only by a last-second defeat in the season finale, the Ventura College football team is back in the Southern California Fooball Association playoffs beginning Nov. 22. The Pirates (9-1) are seeded No. 4 in the region and will host No. 5 Cerritos (8-2) in a 5:00 pm contest at the VC Sportsplex.
The Pirate football team held a 20-point lead in the third quarter Saturday against Mt. San Antonio, but the Mounties came storming back to defeat VC 55-54 on a score with 16 seconds remaining. The setback ends state No. 2-ranked VC's pursuit of an undefeated reular season and ties them with Mt. SAC for the Northern Conference championship. Ventura next awaits its assignment in the upcoming Southern California Football Association playoffs.
The Pirate football team used a second half surge to defeat Long Beach 45-24 Saturday afternoon, moving to 9-0 on the season heading into the regular season finale. Tayvion McCoy recorded four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown and averaged 32 yards on three punt returns, setting up two more Pirate touchdown drives to lead the way for Ventura. Braesen Leon was an economical 16-21 for 235 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense while Charlie Neos and Marcellus Brigham each recorded seven tackles for the defense that did not allow a Viking score in the second half for Ventura.
The VC football team was simply too much for Santa Ana to handle Saturday as the Pirates recorded a 65-0 road win over the Dons to move to 8-0 on the season. Love Adabeyo ran for 82 yards and a touchdown and Braesen Leon passed for 22 yards and three scores to lead the way as state No. 3-ranked Ventura scored in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams, in the contest.
The state No. 3-ranked Pirate football team remained unbeaten with a total team win, 31-17 over Citrus Saturday at the Sportsplex. Javarien Salter rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and Braesen Leon passed for 176 yards and two scores to lead the offensive effort while Marcellus Brigham and Charlie Neos had seven and six tackles, respectively, each with an interception, to lead the Ventura defense.
Traditionally, the Pirate football team's visit to Santa Maria to take on Allan Hancock has been an adventure filled with close contests and late-game heroics. Ventura was able to avoid that Saturday, however, building a 31-0 halftime advantage and cruising to an easy victory over the Bulldogs. Quarterback Braesen Leon passed for two touchdowns while Koen Glover and Sincere Cohen each reach paydirt on the ground in the win. Nick Duffy recorded 12 takcles defensively and Charlie Neos had 11 stops on the afternoon.
The VC football team ran past an overmatched Santa Barbara team Saturday in the "Big Game," rewriting the record books in their 73-14 victory over the Vaqueros. The Pirates ammassed a program record 769 yards of offense, including a new standard of 486 on the ground in totaling the second-most points in team history. Koen Glover and Javarien Salter totaled 199 and 102 yards rushing, rspectively, and quarterback Braesen Leon threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns in the rivalry runaway.
The Pirate football team retained the Citrus Cup for the 17th straight game Saturday wit a 52-38 win at Moorpark. Back-up quarterback Braesen Leon passed or 388 yards and four touchdowns and went on a 40-yard scamper for another score to lead the effort offensively while Marcellus Brigham had nine solo tackles and Mason Coso had a 45-yard interception return to paydirt for the Pirate defense.
The VC football team outlasted Bakersfield 45-38 Saturday night at the Sportsplex. The Pirates survived a pair of 7-point deficits and a pair of turnovers in the first half to defeat the previously undefeated Renegades. Devin Tate passed for 194 yards and a touchdown while rushing for three more scores and Javarian Salter had 16 carries for 137 yards and a score to lead the way. Keiveon Moore, Dre Nelson and Jaxon Arrington all had six tackles to lead the defense and Charlie Neos picked off a pair of BC passes.
On a night of festivities at the VC Sportsplex celebrating 100 years of Pirate athletic tradition, the Ventura College football team held off Fullerton 45-42 for a victory in its 2025 home debut. Quarterback Devin Tate passed for three touchdowns and ran for another while Elijah Davis was on the receiving end of two scoring pass and run plays. Koen Glover and Love Adabeyo each ran for over 100 yards and a score. Charlie Neos led the defense with seven trackles and Domata Peko Jr. had a pair of sacks in the triumph.
Ventura College quarterback Devin Tate passed for the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter, then ran for another score late in the fourth to push the Pirate football team to a 32-21 victory at Palomar Saturday in San Marcos. The sophomore passed for 146 yards and ran for another 65 in the game as VC (1-0) rushed for 334 yards as a team, including 88 and 82 yards from Love Adebeyo and Koen Glover, respectively. Keiveon Moore and Jaxon Arrington each totaled nine tackles to lead the defense.
VC Athletics invites fans to celebrate a century of Ventura College and Pirate sports by sporting official #VC100 athletics gear. The store opening coincides with the beginning of centennial celebrations in Pirate Athletics that begins on Aug. 16 with a Pirate football scrimmage and a VC volleyball Alumnae Game on Saturday Aug. 16. The team store is open online through BSN Sports at https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/axYBeZuhQ2.