Late Punt Return Stuns Moorpark : Rancho Santiago Scores PONY Bowl Upset Over Raiders, 17-10

All Paul Peters had to do was run out of bounds to guarantee Rancho Santiago at least a tie with Moorpark College in the PONY Bowl at Orange Coast College on Saturday.

But with 2 blockers ahead of him, Peters opted to try to return the punt. And Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas was glad he did after Peters returned the kick 84 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:37 left to play, lifting the Dons to a dramatic 17-10 victory.

Peters, a freshman wide receiver, scored both Rancho Santiago touchdowns and was named the game’s most valuable player.

Nobody was more surprised at Peters’ heroics than Ogas, whose Dons were making their first bowl appearance in 23 years.

“I didn’t think he was going to break it open because Moorpark is such a great team and it doesn’t give you much,” Ogas said. “Peters just got a couple of key blocks and that was all he needed.”

Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said that his Raiders missed a couple of tackles on Peters’ dramatic run.

“The guy made a couple of great moves around two guys to score,” Bittner said. “I told our players that a great athlete made a great play to beat us and there was nothing to be disappointed about.”

Rancho Santiago (7-3-1) tied the score, 10-10, on Tim Snitko’s 45-yard field goal with 3:16 to play. Moorpark then punted to Peters after failing to move the ball out of its own territory.

Moorpark (9-2), ranked ninth in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau, led most of the game. Sean Cheevers’ 37-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter gave the Raiders their last lead at 10-7.

Rancho Santiago scored all of its points in the final 2 periods after struggling in the first half without its leading rusher, Mike Miscione, who injured his knee after gaining only 16 yards in 4 carries.

Moorpark’s rushing game also was hampered when fullback Larry Roberts went out in the first quarter with a hip pointer. Roberts, the third-leading rusher in the Western State Conference, gained only 2 yards in 6 carries before getting hurt.

The Dons rallied with their passing game. Quarterback Scott Wood started the second half in place of Eric Turner and completed 12 of 20 passes for 181 yards. Wood connected with Peters on a 40-yard pass play with 6:27 left in the third quarter to draw the Dons even at 7-7.

The Raiders also turned to the pass for their first touchdown. Mike Henry, who entered the game in the second quarter after starting quarterback Jayson Merrill suffered a hip pointer, connected with Darren Romano on a 23-yard scoring play to put Moorpark ahead.

Merrill was ineffective in the first half, completing only 3 of 7 for 21 yards. Moorpark rushers, held to 23 yards in 23 carries, also were grounded for the first 30 minutes.

The Moorpark defense, ranked No. 1 in the state, set up the Raiders’ touchdown. Ken Haefliger tipped a Turner pass and nose guard Don Anderson picked it off at the Moorpark 44 and returned it to the Rancho Santiago 33.

Three plays later, Henry launched a 23-yard pass to Romano in the right side of the end zone. Cheevers’ kick gave Moorpark a 7-0 lead with 21 seconds left in the first half.

Merrill returned in the second half, but Moorpark could only manage a field goal in the final 30 minutes.