They say you don't have a second chance to make a first impression. Quarterback Marc Evans proved, however, that you have a first chance to make a second impression Saturday night, leading the No. 15-ranked Pirates to a come-from-behind upset win at No. 5 Cerritos, 35-31. The third-year sophomore quarterback passed for 292 yards and four scores, the final one coming with 13 seconds remaining to lift the Pirates (2-2, 1-0) to victory. Chris Marshall set a new school record with 15 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score.
The Pirates drew first blood when Dylan Boyce intercepted a Falcon pass, the first of four for the VC secondary on the night, returning it 40 yards to paydirt. Jake Lanski converted the extra point to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead with 11;47 remaining inthe first quarter.
The Ventura defense force a Cerritos punt on the next possession, and on the ensuing drive, Evans hit Marshall for a 53-yard score to give VC a 14-0 advantage, barely halfway through the first period.
Cerritos got on the board at the 10:23 mark of the second quarter with an 11-yard scoring strike, halving the lead to 14-7. Five minutes of game time later the Falcons scored again, this time on a one-yard touchdown pass, but the kick failed leaving VC ahead 14-13.
The Pirates responded with a six-play, 54-yard drive culminationg in Evans' 10-yard touchdown pass to Christian McNair with 3:02 remaining until halftime. Lanski's kick made the score 21-13.
Cerritos came back in the third period with a touchdown and a field goal, taking a 23-21 lead to set up a dramatic final stanza.
Ventura drove 79 yards in 12 plays, finishing with a 20-yard scoring throw from Evans to Nick Rudolph retaking a 28-23 lead with 6:53 on the clock.
After a pair of quick punts, one from each team, the Falcons drove for a go-ahead score with 2:20 remaining. A successful two-point conversion made the score 31-28, setting up Ventura's final drive of the night.
Paul Harris returned the ensuing kickoff to the Pirate 40-yard line, where Evans went to work. He was 4-5 on the drive passing, including a 25-yard strike to Aaron Lacombe, before the final game-winning pass to Marshall from 10-yards out with 13 ticks remaining. Lanski's kick made it a four-point game, 25-31.
The falcons had one last-ditch effort to win the game, but Jalen Oats intercepted the desperation pass, sealing the Pirate victory.
Evans was a solid 27-39 on the night for 292 yards, four touchdowns, and no picks. Aaron Satnton led the VC ground game with 50 yards on 22 carries. Besides Marshall's record-setting night, Stanton had four catches out of the backfield for 25 yards receiving.
Defensively, Boyce, Oats, Isiah Jackson and Malik Tollerson all interecepted Falcon passes. Matt Singleton led with eight tackles while Travis Crawley and Ryan Chavez each recorded six. Chavez also had one quarterback sack.
Ventura closed a four-game stretch against four of the top-six ranked teams in Southern California with a 2-2 record headed into the annual Citrus Cup showdown with Moorpark looming next weekend. The Pirates host the Raiders at 6:00 pm on Saturday October 4 at the VC Sportsplex.