Bradley, Moorpark Batter, Break Pierce Defense, 47-10

After bucking the odds and the Moorpark College Raiders for the first 25 minutes of Saturday night’s Western State Conference football game, the roof finally caved in on Pierce.

Ultimately, it was Freddie Bradley running roughshod over Pierce in Moorpark’s 47-10 win at Pierce. The Raider fullback scored five touchdowns and rushed for 191 yards in 23 carries. Bradley, a freshman from Hueneme High, scored on runs of five, one and one yards in the first half and three and 31 after intermission.

“He is reading his blocks much better and making his cuts when he’s supposed to,” Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said of Bradley. “He’s very dangerous because he’s so strong that he can break it any time.”

Bradley gained 114 yards in 16 carries as Moorpark (4-0, 3-0 in conference play) built an 18-point, first-half lead.

But late in the second quarter, the outcome was up for grabs. Trailing, 14-3, Pierce (1-3, 0-3) had a chance to narrow the deficit to eight points, but Anthony Munoz misfired on a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 4:10 left in the half.

The Brahma defense held the Raiders on the next series, but outside linebacker Thomas Briggs separated Pierce quarterback Jamie Grossman from the football on the ensuing series and recovered it on the Brahma 37.

Six plays later Bradley scored his third touchdown, on a one-yard plunge, to give Moorpark a 21-3 lead with 24 seconds left. Pierce never recovered.

“They gave our defense a lot of problems,” Bittner said. “But I wasn’t surprised by that. I had watched them on film and nobody has stopped their offense this season.”

The fumble by Grossman was one of his only mistakes as he completed 20 of 30 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown.

Led by Grossman, Pierce totaled 294 yards in total offense against a Moorpark defense that entered the game allowing only 168 yards a game and was looking for its third consecutive shutout.

The Raider defense could afford to have an off night; Moorpark rolled up 542 yards in total offense--356 on the ground. Moorpark tailbacks Johnny Brown, Marc Monestime and Jeffrey Ross ran for 60, 59, and 46 yards.

Quarterback Jayson Merrill also got in on the offensive assault, completing 14 of 20 passes for 186 yards.