JUNIOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL THE BOWL GAMES : Dons Cool Off, Then Put Heat on Moorpark for 31-28 Win

Rancho Santiago struggled early in the opener of the Orange County Bowl doubleheader at Orange Coast College.

First of all, the Dons were wearing black uniforms on a warm, sunny afternoon and got tired. Then, after Moorpark took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, some of the Don players started to argue on the sidelines.

But thanks in part to a spirited halftime speech by Coach Dave Ogas, Rancho Santiago rallied for a 31-28 victory.

The Dons, who trailed, 21-10, at halftime, were led by freshman running back Estrus Crayton and quarterback Scott Wood.

Crayton, a first-team J.C. Grid-Wire All-American, had a 33-yard run that set up a five-yard scoring pass from Wood to tight end Kyle Lynch to cut the lead to 21-17 with 13:19 left in the third quarter.

That’s when a Moorpark turnover helped Rancho Santiago take control of the game.

Raider quarterback Jayson Merrill completed a pass to Rick Wright at the Don 15. Wright broke a tackle and was headed toward the end zone when the ball was stripped away by Dave Spoolstra. It bounced into the end zone where Tony Gonzalez recovered it for a touchback.

Crayton ran 80 yards for a touchdown on the next play and Rancho Santiago led, 24-21, with 8:11 left in the quarter. Crayton, who caught a screen pass and turned it into a 45-yard gain in the first quarter, rushed for an Orange County Bowl record of 193 yards in 24 carries and was named the most valuable player.

Rancho Santiago scored its final touchdown when Wood broke a tackle then completed a two-yard pass to Lynch on fourth down. The score gave the Dons a 31-21 lead with 6:58 left.

Moorpark (9-2) scored with 4:59 left to cut the lead to 31-28, but it didn’t get the ball again until there were only nine seconds left. The Raiders’ final desperation pass was intercepted by Scott McMahon.

The win gave Rancho Santiago a 10-1 record and capped the college’s most successful season since 1962 when the Dons were 10-0.

Moorpark (9-2) scored on the first scrimmage play of the game when Merrill connected with Wright on a 75-yard pass play. The Dons were forced to punt and Moorpark scored again on a seven-yard run by Freddie Bradley.

The Raiders then recovered an on-side kick. Moorpark scored on a four-yard run by Marc Monestine with 3:15 left in the quarter and led.

Rancho Santiago set a game record with 516 yards in total offense. Wood was 25 of 39 for 307 yards and three touchdowns.