Valley Routs Ventura to Post Its First Win

After playing whipping boy to its first two opponents, Valley College found somebody it could beat up Saturday night.

In a matchup of the Western State Conference’s two worst defensive units, Valley’s defense proved better than Ventura’s as the Monarchs rolled to a 41-21 win at Valley.

Valley (1-2, 1-1 in conference play), which had been outscored, 91-28, in two defeats, battered Ventura (0-3, 0-2) in the second half, riding the legs of tailback Cliff Robinson to overcome a 21-14 deficit.

The diminutive Robinson (5-foot-7, 164 pounds) more than tripled his season rushing yardage, gaining 180 yards in 21 carries and scoring four touchdowns--three in the second half on runs of 52, six and nine yards that put the game out of reach.

The Monarchs, who had rushed for just 75 yards in their first two games, had 308 yards on the ground.

It was Ventura’s seventh consecutive defeat over two seasons.

The Pirates were held to 90 yards in the second half.

Ventura had little problem moving the football in the first half. Pirate quarterback Tim Albrent had his best half of the season, completing 10 of 14 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.

Albrent led Ventura to a 7-0 lead on its second series, tossing a seven-yard pass to Chris Thomas to cap a 73-yard drive.

Valley countered with a march of its own on the ensuing series. The drive stalled after eight plays at the Ventura 16 and Valley lined up for a field-goal attempt. It was a fake, however, and holder Mark Mengoni rolled to his left and rifled a 16-yard pass to Michael Hoffman in the left corner of the end zone. Edward Bunn’s kick tied the score, 7-7.

A 46-yard punt return by Lamark Allen set up Valley at the Ventura 21 early in the second quarter, and five plays later Robinson’s one-yard run put Valley ahead.

But Ventura countered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive, Tony Williams capping the march with a seven-yard touchdown run.