Valley Beats Glendale on Pass With :17 Left : Junior college: Fitzgerald throws to Bernier for 32 yards and Monarchs remain unbeaten, 23-16.

Valley College football Coach Jim Fenwick must be thanking his lucky stars for the day quarterback Sean Fitzgerald decided to play for the Monarchs.

Fitzgerald, a transfer from Idaho State, connected with wide receiver Brian Bernier on a 32-yard touchdown pass play with 17 seconds left in the game to give Valley a 23-16 victory over Glendale in the Western State Conference opener for both teams Thursday night at Burroughs High.

The 6-foot-5 former Agoura standout, who was 17 of 34 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, found Bernier in single coverage on a corner pattern and put the ball right on his numbers in the end zone for the winning score.

Valley (2-0, 1-0 in conference play) got off the game-clinching play with 23 seconds remaining after recovering a Glendale fumble at the Monarch 49-yard line.

The Vaqueros (1-1, 0-1) had evened the score, 16-16, with five minutes to play on a six-yard run by Pathon Rucker, but Mike Sierra’s extra-point attempt hit the left upright and bounced away.

Glendale went to its bread-and-butter running game to open the second half, and the Vaqueros made it work to perfection.

They drove 80 yards in 14 plays, 12 of them on the ground, and capitalized on a one-yard run by Rucker with 7 minutes 32 seconds to go in the third quarter to tie the score, 10-10.

Valley answered with 1:53 left in the quarter on a one-yard run by Fitzgerald, but the extra-point attempt by Tim Cronk was wide, and Valley led, 16-10.

Rucker rushed for 186 yards in 36 carries.

Valley struck quickly, marching 71 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead with 11:26 left in the first period.

Fitzgerald, who passed for 148 yards in the first half, hooked up with wide receiver Brian Comer on a 30-yard play for the score.

The Monarchs increased the cushion to 10-0 on their next possession after a 37-yard field goal by Cronk with 4:27 to play in the first period.

Glendale drove to the Monarch five-yard line before settling for a 22-yard field goal by Mike Sierra with 37 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Valley fumbled on its first two possessions of the second quarter and Fitzgerald threw an interception.