Moorpark Bowls Over Corsairs in 69-34 Win

It might have been a little overkill, but the Moorpark College football team averted a shutout by scoring 69 points.

Winless in three previous bowl appearances, Moorpark made up for years of postseason frustration with a 69-34 trouncing of Santa Monica in the Western State Bowl on Saturday night at Moorpark.

“It feels great,” Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said of the school’s first bowl win. “I was beginning to think we were never going to get a bowl victory. I was beginning to think it wasn’t in the cards.”

Moorpark’s Jamal Anderson scored on a 59-yard run on the first play of the game and that set the tone for the evening. Anderson finished with 135 yards in 10 carries and had two touchdowns.

Freddie Bradley, playing in his final game for Moorpark (9-2), rushed for 183 yards in 23 carries and scored on runs of four, 34 and eight yards.

Quarterback Jeff Barrett led Santa Monica (8-3) with 325 passing yards. The former Burroughs High standout completed 26 of 45 passes for two touchdowns.

Moorpark led, 35-28, at halftime. Two third-quarter Bradley touchdowns--a 34-yard run on a delayed draw and an eight-yard burst over the right side--gave Moorpark a 49-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Santa Monica mounted a last, muted threat when Johny Mack ran three yards for a touchdown to cut the margin to 49-34 with 11 minutes 7 seconds remaining.

Moorpark answered three plays later with a one-yard Johnel Turner run as the Raiders scored 20 points in the last 10 minutes.

Moorpark finished with 461 rushing yards and 543 yards in offense. Quarterback Del Marine rushed for 51, Turner for 38, Peter Marine for 20, Kris Dutra for 24 and Terrence Thomas for 22.

The first half was as close as the second half was one-sided.

With the score tied at 7-7, Anderson’s second touchdown--a 10-yard bull rush over the middle--put Moorpark back in front. The Raiders added another touchdown when John Corcoran smothered a Terry Sigler punt and Randy Spitzer covered the loose ball in the end zone.

Santa Monica scored on the first play of the second quarter to pull within 21-14. Barrett threw a swing pass to Jason Lucky who Lucky broke 30 yards down the left sideline for the score.

Bradley scored standing up from four yards to put Moorpark ahead, 28-14.

Mack answered with a two-yard run for a Santa Monica touchdown. The teams then traded touchdowns before the intermission with Moorpark scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Del Marine to Tremmel Hamm and Santa Monica scoring on Barrett’s 24-yard pass to Napoleon Bank.