Moorpark Stifles Pierce, 35-16

Moorpark College is still the big bully on the block.

The Raiders proved that with a convincing 35-16 victory over Pierce in the Western State Bowl game Saturday night at Moorpark.

With Corey Tucker completing six of 11 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and Jamal Anderson (30 carries for 89 yards, one touchdown) and Johnel Turner (86 yards in 16 carries) igniting a running game that totaled 231 yards, the Raiders won their second consecutive bowl game, defeated Pierce for the third time in a row, and posted their fourth consecutive 9-2 season.

The Moorpark defense, ranked fourth in the state during the regular season, held Pierce to 170 yards, including a season-low 40 yards rushing.

The Brahmas entered the game averaging more than 221 yards an outing on the ground. But the Raiders held LaShante Parker--the WSC’s leading rusher with 1,366 yards during the regular season--to 25 yards in 17 carries.

“They were very good up front,” Pierce Coach Bill Norton said. “Their front seven were real, real good. There were some plays when they stunted and guessed correctly, and there were others where they just kick our (tails) around.”

Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner pointed out that even a good back needs a hole to run through.

“I’m sure (Parker) is a real good back,” Bittner said. “But he just didn’t have any room to run out there. I was surprised their line did not block better. He just had nowhere to go.”

In the teams’ most recent meetings, Pierce (7-3-1) lost to the Raiders, 59-10, in 1988, and 47-10, in 1989, in the Brahmas’ first two seasons after their football program had been reinstated. The program was dropped in 1986-87 because of budget cuts. The Pierce coaching staff and players felt that they had come far enough to beat the Raiders, but the outcome showed there is still room for improvement.

Pierce drove 58 yards in four plays on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes and 57 seconds left in the first quarter. Quarterback Joe Pica threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Shannon Culver for the score, but Moorpark would score four touchdowns on its next five possessions to take a 28-10 lead at halftime.

Moorpark put together scoring drives of 71, 61, 53 and 29 yards.

Pica completed 11 of 26 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and Culver had seven receptions for 89 yards and a pair of scores, but much of the yardage came in the fourth quarter after Moorpark had taken a 35-10 lead.

Moorpark’s fourth touchdown was set up when Pierce failed to field Brian Balleweg’s kickoff after the third Raider score. Jacob James recovered the ball at the Pierce 29-yard line, and four plays later, Tucker hit Curtis Marsh with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone.

Marsh appeared to turn the wrong way as Tucker released the ball, but he made a nice spin move to beat Pierce defensive back John Johnson to the ball with 1:29 left in the half.

Marsh’s 48-yard reception keyed Moorpark’s third touchdown drive, and it came two plays after he had dropped a sure touchdown pass from Turner on a halfback option.

The reception gave Moorpark a first-and-goal situation at the Pierce eight-yard line, and Terrence Thomas scored three plays later to give Moorpark a 21-10 lead with 2:32 left in the half. It was Thomas’ second touchdown of the half.

Trailing, 14-7, Pierce had narrowed its deficit to 14-10 on Steve Szekely’s 52-yard field goal.

Moorpark had 231 yards in offense in the first half, led by Tucker’s passing (four of nine for 96 yards) and the running of Turner (73 yards in 11 carries) and Anderson (57 yards in 16 carries).