They fought to the end. The Ventura College football team found themselves down by three scores with 4:31 remaining in the National Bowl at Yorba Linda High School against host Fullerton, and they kept fighting. Quarterback Jake Luton passed for two touchdowns on VC's final two possessions giving the Pirates (8-3) a chance in the Southern California Football Association semifinal, but in the end the deficit was too much. Ventura had it's season come to a close with a 48-41 loss to the Hornets.
Luton, the sophomore bound for Oregon State next year, was 30-58 for 408 yards and six touchdowns, finishing his one-year stint in the orange and black as the single-season and career record holder in passing yards and touchdown passes.
Running back Isaiah Brown had 14 carries for 103 yards, finishing the year with 943 rushing yards. He topped the century mark for the fourth straight game and fifth time in the past six outings.
Wide received Kendric Mallory had nine catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns while Elijah Alexander hauled in nine passes for 69 yards and three scores.
Kendrick Bradley had 11 tackles to lead the defense and Alvin Pacheco had 10 stops and an interception.
They all fought to the end, the entire team fought to the end.
Ventura took the early lead in a match-up of the SCFA's top two offenses. Luton capped a 7-play, 73-yard drive with a 9-yard scoring strike to Alexander, and Collin Root's kick made it 7-0 for the Pirates with 10:10 left in the first quarter.
But Fullerton did not come into the playoffs with the No. 1 seed for nothing, and they responded with 24 unanswered points over the next 14 minutes. The Hornets took a 24-7 advantage with 12:16 remaining in the first half.
After the fourth straight VC punt, the tide appeared to turn a bit. Pacheco intercepted the FC quarterback at the 9:14 mark of the second quarter, setting up the Pirates' next score. Luton directed VC 55 yards in 13 plays, hitting Cam Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 4:50 on the clock to make it a 24-14 game.
Unfortunately the high-powered Hornet offense got another crack at it, and drove for another score to make the score 31-14 at halftime.
Fullerton reasserted control early in the third period, forcing a three-and-out form Ventura, then driving for another touchdown to go ahead 38-14 with 10:56. The Pirates could have rolled over, but the continued the fight.
On the ensuing drive Ventura went 78 yards in just seven plays, punctuated by Luton's 7-yard touchdown pass to Alexander.
Fullerton had an answer for VC with another scoring drive to restore the 24-point margin, 45-21, but the Pirates kept up the fight.
Ventura took possession following the kickoff, and drove another 66 yards down the field. Luton connected with Mallory to reach paydirt, and Root's PAT brought VC to within 45-28 at the end of three quarters of play.
The turnover bug bit the Pirates twice early in the fourth quarter, but the VC defense rose to the challenge to stop the Hornets. Fullerton seemingly finally put the game on ice with a field goal at the 9:21 mark for a 20-point lead, but the Pirates were still not done.
After a VC punt, the Pirate defense stopped Fullerton on a fourth-and-1, giving Ventura another chance with 4:31 left in the game.
Luton made the most of that chance, completing a 55-yard pass to Brandon Jordan on a fourth-and-16, then finding Alexander in the end zone from six yards out for the score. Root's kick made the score 48-35 with 2:39 remaining.
The VC defense forced a quick three-and-out by the Hornets, and Luton led the team down the field quickly once again. He completed passes of 30 and 21 yards to Mallory on the drive before finding him once again in the end zone for the score. Roots kick brought VC back to within six with 1:09 left in the game.
The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Fullerton, however, and the game was over. The Pirates, without time outs, were powerless to stop the clock in the final minute, and the season ended with the 48-42 defeat.
But the 2016 campaign was one for the record books for the Pirates. They earned the program's third straight conference title, its fourth in the past five years and its 15th overall. VC also advanced to a Bowl game for an unprecedented sixth year in a row and for the eighth time in the past decade.
Finally, the team qualified for the SCFA playoffs for the third time in five years. In each of the successive playoff appearances, the final margin of defeat has narrowed. Therefore, the future bodes well for the program as it marches on.
Photos by Jim McCormick