Moorpark Wins With Late Field Goal

Just when it appeared that Moorpark College would have to settle for a come-from-ahead tie with visiting Santa Monica City College in a Western State Conference football game Saturday night, the Raiders’ passing game showed up.

Corey Tucker’s 59-yard pass to Curtis Marsh with less than 30 seconds remaining set up Andrew Petroski’s 27-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play to give Moorpark a 23-20 victory.

Tucker’s pass to Marsh was only his third completion in 12 attempts and snapped a string of five misses.

The play gave Moorpark (3-0, 2-0 in conference play) a first down at the Santa Monica 15-yard line, and after Johnel Turner (21 carries for 208 yards, three touchdowns) gained five yards to put the ball at the 10, Petroski nailed the kick to give the Raiders their seventh victory in a row over the Corsairs.

The field goal was redemption for Petroski, who had hooked an extra-point attempt after Turner scored on a 16-yard run to give Moorpark a 20-10 lead with 8:33 remaining.

“I was very disappointed after missing that kick,” said Petroski, who was playing with a strained hip flexor in his kicking leg. “I just blew it. But the field goal felt great. The line did a great job blocking, and I just kicked it.”

The game might not have come down to Petroski’s injured limb, but an errant snap on a Moorpark punt attempt with 2:05 remaining gave Santa Monica (1-2, 1-1) the ball at the Raider 14-yard line.

Four plays later, Shannon Estrin kicked a 23-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to tie the score, 20-20.

The Corsairs had driven 64 yards to a five-yard touchdown sweep on their previous possession to cut a 10-point Moorpark margin to three with less than three minutes remaining.

Moorpark, which had gained more yardage through the air than on the ground in its first two games, dominated play from midway through the first quarter until halftime with a bruising running attack, but led by only seven points at intermission.

The Raiders gained 218 yards on the ground, with Turner rushing for 178 yards in 11 carries, and Jamal Anderson (79 yards in eight carries in the game) gaining 44 yards in five attempts.

With Moorpark trailing, 7-0, late in the first quarter, Turner capped an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run.

On the Raiders’ next series, the former Oxnard High standout scored on a 51-yard run that featured three broken tackles and a superb juke of Corsair defensive back Daniel White at the Santa Monica 15-yard line. White appeared to have the angle on Turner, but the Raider tailback cut inside, leaving White reaching into the night air.

“We had success running the ball early and the coaching staff decided to stick with it,” said Turner, who had gained just 58 yards in 14 carries in the first two games.

“I’m glad they did because it gave us a chance to show just how good our running backs are. It was frustrating not running the ball that much in the first couple of games.”

Santa Monica drove 66 yards for a touchdown on its third possession to take a 7-0 lead on a 31-yard sideline run by John Haqq.