SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Moorpark Notches 1st Postseason Win

Jared Kira made a juggling, one-handed catch of a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Dritz with 23 seconds to play, giving Moorpark High a 27-22 victory over South Torrance on Friday night--the Musketeers’ first postseason victory in the 69 years the school has played football.

Fighting to survive the first round of the Southern Section Division IX playoffs, the Musketeers (9-1-1) faced a third-and-10 situation at the Spartan 25 with 27 seconds to play when South Torrance was assessed a penalty for having 12 players on the field. On the next play, the Spartans were called for an offside penalty, moving the ball to the seven and setting up Kira’s touchdown.

Kira intercepted a desperation pass at the Moorpark 19 on the game’s last play.

South Torrance (7-2-1) overcame a 21-14 deficit three minutes earlier when quarterback Mike Rosato connected with Ryan Chung on a 53-yard touchdown pass play. Rosato added a bootleg run for a two-point conversion and a 22-21 edge with 3:29 to play.

Moorpark tailback Bryan Wilkins gained 127 yards in 23 carries, including 101 yards in the second half. South Torrance running back Kapono Tumale gained 155 yards and one touchdown in 22 carries.

Moorpark, the Frontier League champion, will play Atascadero next week.