Carpinteria Makes It 51 in a Row Over Moorpark With 28-26 Win

It figured. Only no one figured it would be this close.

Carpinteria High beat Moorpark, 28-26, in a Tri-Valley League finale Friday night at Moorpark High and also ended the storied, if one-sided, rivalry between the schools with the Warriors’ 51st consecutive victory over the Musketeers.

The win gave Carpinteria (8-2, 3-1 in league play) a share of its sixth consecutive league title, a joint championship with St. Bonaventure.

“I’m really disappointed,” said Moorpark quarterback Ryan Huisenga, who completed 15 of 30 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns. “We came out fired up and played for it.”

Not since 1934 had Moorpark beaten Carpinteria. Why should the outcome be any different this year?

Maybe because the motivated Musketeers really believed they could pull off the long-awaited upset. And they played like it, withstanding a 302-yard rushing performance by tailback Sean Lohse to match the Warriors touchdown for touchdown.

Extra points were a different story. Moorpark (1-9, 0-4) missed two, which made the difference.

Yet the outcome might have been decided by a play midway through the second quarter that typified the Musketeers’ past half-century of frustration.

With the score tied, 14-14, Moorpark pinned the Warriors at their 10-yard line with a third-and-34 situation. But Lohse took a handoff, bounced off a pair of would-be tacklers and rambled 90 yards for a touchdown.

“That might have made a difference,” Moorpark Coach Rob Dearborn said. “But if we have the support from the community next year that we had tonight, we’re going to win a lot of ballgames.”

However, Moorpark might not have a chance to beat Carpinteria anytime soon. Next season, the Musketeers will move to the Frontier League. Carpinteria, over Moorpark’s objection, decided against a continuance of the series on a nonleague basis.

The Warriors scored on their second possession but Moorpark countered when Huisenga hit Rob Salone on a 75-yard pass play.

Moorpark scored just before halftime on a 10-yard pass from Huisenga to Steve Duron to make the score 21-20 at halftime.