Moore Stars in Lancers’ 27-6 Win

Maybe Mike Moore should move to Seattle. Or take up swimming.

The guy loves water. Mud? Even better.

For two years, Moore has been trapped in the same backfield with Marc Monestime, the Thousand Oaks tailback who should break the Ventura County career rushing record in a few weeks. You would think the least Coach Bob Richards could do for this unheralded senior is hose down the field for the rest of the season.

No such luck.

“I won’t,” Richards said, “but Moore might.”

Behind a strong effort by its offensive line and the power running of Moore, Thousand Oaks defeated Channel Islands, 27-6, in a Marmonte League game played in the mud at Thousand Oaks. The Lancers clinched a playoff spot with the victory.

“There’s no way you can get any kind of footing on this field,” said Moore, who gained 88 yards in 15 carries. “You just have to go straight ahead.”

And that’s just what he and the Lancers did. Thousand Oaks scored 24 points in the second half.

Jay Harrah opened the half by taking the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and the Lancers, who had been ahead, 3-0, kept pouring it on.

Harrah was also sturdy on defense, sacking Channel Islands quarterback Mark Contreras twice and helping to slow the Raiders’ powerful running game.

“It hyped the team up,” Harrah said of the runback. “It showed that we could use the big play.”

After that, the big plays kept coming for Thousand Oaks, which improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in league play.

While it didn’t erase the memory of the Lancers’ upset loss to Westlake early in the season, the win certainly helped dull the pain.

“I really hated to lose to Westlake,” Harrah said, “and we were really down about it. But that game really turned us around.”

Thousand Oaks, ranked No. 3 in the Coastal Conference, has won three consecutive games since the loss. Channel Islands, ranked No. 6, fell to 7-2 and 4-1. Westlake suffered its first league loss, resulting in a three-way tie for first place between Thousand Oaks, Westlake and Channel Islands.

The Raiders were shut out until they geared up their big-play machine--John Johnson, a junior who had rushed for 615 yards entering the game. He gained a game-high 124, including 83 on a touchdown run with 10:21 left in the third quarter to cut the Thousand Oaks lead to 10-6.

The Lancers answered with a 29-yard field goal by Sean Cheevers--his second of the game and fourth of the season--with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

On the next series, Thousand Oaks quarterback Steve Sisco ran 71 yards, spinning across the line of scrimmage and down the middle of the field for a touchdown. Thousand Oaks led, 20-6, with 6:14 remaining.

Thousand Oaks finished the scoring when Moore plowed into the end zone from four yards out with 2:27 left.

The Lancers had their chances to bury Channel Islands in the first half.

On separate possessions, the Lancers had first and goal on the three-yard line, first and 10 on the Raiders’ 28 and first and 10 on Channel Islands’ 43.

Only once--on Cheevers’ 22-yard field goal with 6:26 left in the second quarter--were the Lancers able to convert.

Channel Islands, meanwhile, trapped most of the half deep in its own territory, had difficulty moving the ball.

Contreras was sacked twice, once by Thousand Oaks linebacker Harrah, who caused a fumble. Defensive end Ben Catlin scooped up the ball and ran 22 yards to the Raiders’ two, but Thousand Oaks was stuffed on four consecutive dives, and Channel Islands took possession.

The Raiders fumbled three times in the half but lost only one.

Fullback E. J. Miller rushed for 45 yards in eight carries in the half, 34 on one carry.

The teams, ranked first and second in Ventura County in rushing, combined for only 125 yards in the half.

The field was less than charitable to Monestime, who gained only 23 yards in 10 carries. The senior has 1,077 for the season.

TO--FG Cheevers 22

TO--Harrah 85 kick return (Cheevers kick)

CI--Johnson 83 run (kick failed)

TO--FG Cheevers 29

TO--Sisco 71 run (Cheevers kick)

TO--Moore 4 run (Cheevers kick)