Thousand Oaks’ Coach Beats an Old Pal, 14-7

Thousand Oaks High Coach Bob Richards had mixed emotions before his team’s game against San Fernando High Friday night.

His feelings were understandable. Afterall, it’s not every day that a coach faces his alma mater. In fact, it is a rarity, indeed, that these two teams ever play each other.

Richards knew he had better make the most of this opportunity to defeat his former school. In this, the second game of the Great Experiment where Valley 4-A and Marmonte League teams are scheduled for the first time against each other during conference byes, Richards may not have another chance to face San Fernando High for another couple of decades.

“It’s the first time as a coach that I’ve ever faced them,” Richards said. “I started watching their games when I was just a little kid in the 1950s.”

Richards’ Lancer team was well aware of their coach’s sentiment, and made sure the game was one visiting San Fernando won’t soon forget with a 14-7 non-league win.

Richards was concerned that his undersized Lancers (5-1) might have trouble with a bigger and faster Tiger team, but the Lancer defense forced three turnovers in the first half, including a fumble that Thousand Oaks quickly converted into a touchdown.

On the team’s second possession, San Fernando running back Danny Leos fumbled and safety Chris Gann scooped up the loose ball and ran 30 yards for a 6-0 Lancer lead in the first quarter.

San Fernando continued to suffer from its own miscues when the team drove 62 yards to the Lancer five yard line, only to have quarterback Joe Mauldin fumble on a fourth-and-goal play.

The Tigers appeared to still be feeling the affects of beatings delivered by Crenshaw and Carson in the preceeding two weeks. San Fernando lost to Crenshaw, 19-6, before being pummeled by Carson, 34-8 last Friday night.

San Fernando did manage to contain the Lancers’ M&M; backfield duo of Mark Monestine and Mike Moore in the first half, limiting the two to just 43 yards on 10 carries.

But Monestine turned on the afterburner in the second half, breaking loose for a 32-yard run on the first play of the third quarter to set up the Lancers’ second touchdown. Moore followed with a 14-yard run of his own as Thousand Oaks drove to the Tiger 15-yard line.

Quarterback Steve Sisco scored on a 15-yard bootleg play to give the Lancers a 12-0 lead. Sisco then passed to Monestine for the two-point conversion.

San Fernando’s only score came when Lancer punt-returner Lance Alverson fumbled on the Thousand Oaks’ 33 yard line. On a fourth-and-10 play from the 16, Mauldin hit Leos in the corner of the end zone to cut the lead to 14-7 late in the third quarter.

San Fernando was unable to make a sustained drive in the fourth quarter. After punting the ball to the Lancers with 8:34 left, Thousand Oaks ran the clock down to 1:08 before the Tigers could get their hands on the ball at the Lancer 20 yard line.

The Tigers inserted back-up quarterback George Webb in hopes of hitting a long bomb, but Matt Young intercepted Young’s fourth pass attempt to seal the win.

“Obviously this was fun,” Richards said. “Half of the guys on their coaching staff were schoolmates of mine.

“I have memories of that school from as far back as 1953. I guess I’ll always be a Tigers--except for tonight.”