Thousand Oaks’ Fun Starts With 34-14 Win

Bob Richards is not saying whether this Thousand Oaks High football team is his best ever, but it might give him the most pleasure.

Winning has a funny way of making people smile, and Richards was all smiles Friday night at Antelope Valley High after Thousand Oaks defeated the Antelopes, 34-14, to advance to the Coastal Conference final against Channel Islands.

“I don’t compare teams,” Richards said. “It’s not fair to the past teams. I do know it’s a lot of fun to be in the finals.”

Only once before has Thousand Oaks advanced as far as the final game, and even that is vague. The Southern Section record book does not list the school as 1964 runner-up, but Richards insists the Lancers were--and has the trophy to prove it, although it was long before his tenure as coach.

Regardless, the one thing that is hardly vague is the Thousand Oaks’ rushing game, which trampled Antelope Valley in the second half.

The Lancers’ Mike Moore, by now an accomplished mudder, gained 77 yards and rushed for three touchdowns, two in the second half. Tailback Marc Monestime had 63 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Steve Sisco added 57 yards and a score as Thousand Oaks’ offensive line dominated its second consecutive Golden League playoff opponent.

Thousand Oaks defeated Palmdale, 31-7, in the second round.

The Lancers scored 27 points in a row in the second half to break open a tight contest, starting with Moore’s one-yard run with 6:44 left in the third quarter to make it 14-7.

Sisco, on a bootleg, ran around the left end 41 yards for a score 6:34 later, and Monestime added a 12-yard touchdown run with 8:02 left in the game.

Thousand Oaks finished its scoring when Moore again burst in from the one, to give the Lancers a 34-7 lead with 5:07 left.

“I feel like I’m on cloud nine right now,” Moore said. “I didn’t expect us to go this far. Like that monkey was on our back and we wouldn’t get past the second round.”

Trailing, 7-0, Antelope Valley scored on a freak play with four seconds left in the first half.

Thousand Oaks had possession on the Antelopes’ 35-yard line. Sisco dropped back to pass and was blind-sided in the pocket by linebacker John Ennis. The ball popped free and into the hands of lineman Jared Klipfel, who loped untouched 65 yards for the touchdown. Chris Yergensen’s point-after tied the score, 7-7.

Moore gave the Lancers the early lead when he ran 15 yards off right tackle for a touchdown with 2:09 left in the half.