JUNIOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Moorpark Repels Southwest in Final Minute, 24-20

It required crucial defensive plays in the final minute, but Moorpark College kept its record unblemished by defeating Los Angeles Southwest, 24-20, Saturday in a Western State Conference game at Southwest.

With Southwest at the Moorpark six-yard line, the Raiders (3-0, 2-0 in conference play) knocked down three straight passes to preserve the victory.

“We showed a lot of true heart in there today,” said Moorpark wide receiver Tim Blakeley, who caught four passes for a game-high 135 yards and two touchdowns.

Starting at its own 20 with six minutes to play, Southwest (0-2-1) moved 74 yards and had a second-and-four situation from the six. Quarterback Bobby Savannah was foiled on consecutive pass attempts.

“Last year they beat us on a similar play where the guy went up and got a last-minute touchdown pass,” Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said.

The Raiders scored the winning touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter on a drive set up by lineman Demetrius Jones’ fumble recovery at the Southwest 22-yard line. Runs by quarterback Corey Tucker moved the ball to the five and fullback Gil Carillo scored from there.

The Raiders cut Southwest’s lead to 20-17 with 1:24 left in the first half when reserve quarterback Todd Preston and Blakeley teamed for a 60-yard touchdown.