Carter, Valley Overrun Santa Barbara, 27-17

The once-proud Santa Barbara City College football team, which plays in a stadium overlooking the beach, got caught in another riptide Saturday night, pulled under this time by Valley College.

Valley (1-1) used the running of Roman Carter and an opportunistic defense to turn back the Vaqueros, 27-17, in a Western State Conference game at La Playa Stadium.

Carter rushed for 135 yards in 28 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 20, 1 and 5 yards. His five-yard touchdown run came with 1:07 remaining in the third period and gave the Monarchs a decisive 27-10 lead.

Santa Barbara (0-2), which was 1-8 last year and hasn’t won here since November of 1986, is now a shell of the Vaquero teams that ruled the WSC in the 1970s.

The Vaqueros pulled within 27-17 on a 103-yard kickoff return by Sean Carpenter late in the third period, but committed four second-half turnovers and never really threatened the Monarchs.

Valley quarterback Todd Studer completed 11 of 18 for 146 yards and had one pass intercepted--two less than last week in a loss to Moorpark.

Valley totaled 345 yards, 199 on the ground.

Santa Barbara gained 251 yards, but only 69 rushing.

The Vaqueros lost starting quarterback Mark Whelan, the WSC’s leading passer last year, to an injury early in the third period, and his backups had three passes intercepted.

Santa Barbara got on the scoreboard first, when Wade Fisher kicked a 19-yard field goal late in the first quarter. The Vaqueros had first-and-goal at the Valley 3, but the Monarchs stopped them three times inside the 5 to force the kick.

Valley got its offense in gear on the ensuing series, marching 80 yards to a touchdown. Carter went the final 20 yards, breaking up the middle, cutting to the outside, then sidestepping a tackler en route to the end zone.

Jim Harper added the kick for a 7-3 Monarch lead with three minutes gone in the second period.

An interception by Kevin Carmichael set up a field goal by Harper later in the quarter. The Monarchs took over on their own 19 and moved to the Vaquero 18, where Harper booted a 36-yarder to put Valley up, 10-3, with 3:07 left in the half.

Valley held the Vaqueros to 93 first-half yards, just 39 on the ground. The Monarchs gained 166 yards in the first half.