West Block Party Is Rough Loss for East : High school football: Penalties on late field-goal tries pivotal in Ventura County all-star game.

It was a chance for a classic turnabout for the East team in the Ventura County all-star football game Saturday night.

Midway through the fourth quarter, a roughing the kicker penalty on a 52-yard field goal attempt prolonged a drive that ended in a touchdown that gave the West a two-point lead.

Simi Valley quarterback Jeremie Watkins (nine of 19, 94 yards) then drove the East to the 16-yard line, but Mark Schwanauer’s 33-yard field goal attempt was blocked as time expired.

However, the West was called for running into the kicker, giving Schwanauer a second chance.

But three Ventura High players converged on Schwanauer and blocked the 28-yard kick, preserving the West’s 23-21 victory at Moorpark High.

“The one thing we hadn’t worked on this week was field goals,” said East Coach George Hurley of Newbury Park. “We did extra points but we didn’t have a kicker. We didn’t use one in the fall. He volunteered. It just came down to the kicking game,”

The victory was the first in three years for the West and gave Hurley his first loss after a 14-0 season in 1993.

After the West’s final drive seemingly died four plays earlier, Tafeaga Aina of Channel Islands, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman, lined up in the backfield and scored the winning touchdown from one yard with 3:27 to play.

“It’s a play we’ve been running all week for that situation,” Aina said. “I just wanted to make sure we got the touchdown.”

The West had little trouble getting untracked in the first quarter. On the second play from scrimmage after the East snapped the ball out of the end zone on a punt for a safety, Rio Mesa quarterback Don DiDomizio’s 48-yard touchdown run gave the West a 9-0 lead only 1:32 into the game.

DiDomizio led all players with 98 yards in 12 carries.

The East came back behind Westlake quarterback Kevin Crook, who completed seven consecutive passes during an 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Newbury Park’s Jason Tucker.

Tucker had six receptions for 85 yards. Crook completed 10 of 16 for 94 yards.

The East took a 14-9 lead late in the first quarter on a four-yard scoring run by Oak Park’s Ryan Garth. Oxnard’s Tim Westbrook scored on a nine-yard run to give the West a 16-14 halftime lead.