Camarillo Stops Oxnard, 20-7 : Lambert Puts It Away With a Late TD to Cap 115-Yard Night

If history means anything, Camarillo High got off to a good start in its season opener Friday night.

That wasn’t reflected in the final score, which showed the Scorpions on the losing end of a 20-7 decision to visiting Oxnard.

But historians will note that Camarillo tied its first game to Oxnard last season, and went on to win 13 straight games and the Coastal Conference title.

“It’s getting to be a tradition,” Camarillo Coach Carl Thompson said.

Oxnard sealed the traditional finish with a 17-play, 84-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter after Camarillo had pulled to within 13-7 behind reserve quarterback Mike Henry.

Artis Lambert, who had 115 yards on 31 carries, scored from two yards with 1:17 remaining in the game to end Camarillo’s comeback hopes.

Earlier in the period, Lambert had gone 19 yards to give Oxnard a 13-0 lead with 10:51 left to play.

Camarillo, missing 14 starters from last season and an offense for most of the night, didn’t give up.

Henry replaced starting quarterback Nick Riendeau and promptly engineered a four-play, 70-yard scoring drive to give the Scorpions life at 13-7 with 9:42 left in the fourth period. He hit Randy Johnson on a 17-yard pass for the score.

The hope was short-lived, however, as Oxnard ran down the clock with an efficient running game. When the Yellowjackets converted a fourth-and-one from the Camarillo three-yard line with less than two minutes to play, any chance Henry had for some last-minute heroics was eliminated.

The junior quarterback did return to drive the Scorpions 64 yards in four plays, but the game ended with Camarillo eight yards from a second score--and 14 points from a victory.

For Henry, there was a personal victory in the team’s loss. He will be the starting quarterback next week against Rio Mesa.

“I’ve already re-evaluated the quarterback situation,” Thompson said. “You have to go with who did the job, and Mike did a great job tonight.”

Henry finished with 7 of 7 passing for 109 yards.

“I didn’t think about what was happening when I was out there,” Henry said. “But I knew this was a chance to improve my standing.”

He certainly improved the Scorpion offense, which had managed only 61 yards on the ground--and zero through the air--until Henry entered in the fourth period.

Including a 20-yard scramble, Henry was good for 129 yards by himself.

“This was just a practice game for us,” Henry said. “It’s where you are in November, not September, that counts.”

Oxnard 0 0 6 14 -- 20 Camarillo 0 0 0 7 -- 7 O--Jones 1 run (kick failed).

O--Lambert 19 run (Cardenas kick).

C--Johnson 17 pass from Henry (Eastman kick).

O--Lambert 2 run (Cardenas kick).