HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : COASTAL CONFERENCE : Channel Islands vs. Thousand Oaks

For the first time since the Coastal Conference was aligned in 1977, two Marmonte League teams will play for its championship.

Oxnard Channel Islands (11-2), the league’s first-place team, meets Thousand Oaks (11-1-1), the league runner-up, Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Thousand Oaks High.

Thousand Oaks won the previous meeting, 27-6, on a rain-drenched field Nov. 6. The Lancers scored 24 points in the second half after leading only 3-0 at halftime. The victory appeared to give Thousand Oaks its third consecutive league title, but the Lancers tied Simi Valley, 17-17, the next week, giving Channel Islands the championship.

“We’re both going for the same thing,” said Marc Monestime, Thousand Oaks’ leading rusher with 1,596 yards and 18 touchdowns. “They want revenge on us because of the first game being in the mud, and we want revenge because they won the league title.”

Monestime, a three-year starter, has rushed for 3,984 yards in his prep career. With each game, he adds to his Ventura County rushing record.

Earlier this season, Monestime broke the record held by Hilria Johnson, who played at Channel Islands from 1977 to ’79.

Johnson’s brother, John, is a junior halfback for Channel Islands and is running up impressive numbers of his own. Johnson has carried 160 times for 1,577 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has gained more than 800 yards in the last four games, and ran for 223 last week against Canyon of Canyon Country.

“Johnny is beginning to understand how good he really is and how good he can be,” Channel Islands Coach Joel Gershon said. “I think that comes with maturity. And, in terms of the offensive line, we’re affording Johnny the opportunity to be as good as he is.”

The game pits two powerful offensive lines. Both teams win through their domination of the line of scrimmage.

Tackle Carlos Hernandez and center John Peterson form the core of Channel Islands’ line that nicknamed itself the Hammerheads. Members of the line take special pride in their blocking.

Although it lacks a catchy moniker, Thousand Oaks’ line, anchored by tackle Greg Banks and guard Eric Dennis, clearly won the last meeting.

Featured in the Thousand Oaks backfield are fullback Mike Moore, who has carried 128 times for 628 yards, and quarterback Steve Sisco, who has run 97 times for 407 yards. Channel Islands has a committee at fullback, the featured position in the Raiders’ winged-T offense. E. J. Miller has emerged as the best, with 889 yards and 11 touchdowns in 209 carries.

Neither team passes with regularity or particular effectiveness, affording both defenses the opportunity to overplay the run.

Linebacker Mack Humphrey and tackles Dave DeSoto and Mike Blanton have been exceptional in the playoffs for Thousand Oaks, which has outscored its three opponents, 100-27. The Lancers defeated Antelope Valley last week to advance to the championship, 34-14.

Channel Islands whipped Canyon, 42-6, to earn the rematch with Thousand Oaks. The Raiders’ rout was largely the work of its defense, led by the play of end Roger Jones and linebacker Ray Mosones.

“This year it’s not the size that matters, it’s the heart,” Johnson said. “And this year, we have the heart.”

Channel Islands leads the series, played every year since 1978, 6-4. Neither team has ever won a conference title.