Bittner Gets Little Kick Out of Moorpark’s Win Over Ventura : JC football: Raider coach complains about team’s lackluster offense. But Tim Wolleck’s four field goals spark a 19-0 victory.

It wasn’t what Coach Jim Bittner had hoped for, but Moorpark College at least managed to get a leg up on county rival Ventura in the opener for both teams Saturday night.

The Raiders made good use of four field goals by Tim Wolleck and cruised to a 19-0 victory over Ventura in a Western State Conference game before about 5,500 at Griffin Stadium.

It was the largest crowd at a Raider home opener, coming on an evening billed as City of Moorpark night.

Wolleck, a freshman from Simi Valley High, booted field goals of 36, 23, 44 and 47 yards to bail out a Moorpark offense that didn’t satisfy Bittner.

“I was disappointed with our performance,” he said. “Maybe [the Pirates] are better than I gave them credit for. They pretty much stuffed us.”

Not as much as Moorpark did to Ventura, but more on that later. The Raiders indeed were not impressive with their ground attack, gaining 137 yards. Running back Gary Clemons led Moorpark with 71 yards in 16 carries.

Moorpark quarterback Taj Lewis, a freshman from Oxnard High, completed 13 of 25 passes for 135 yards but only two of his completions covered 20 yards or more.

That left Wolleck to provide the punch.

The Raiders marched 51 yards to the Ventura 19 in their first possession, but the drive stalled. Wolleck then converted from 36 yards for a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

Moorpark padded the margin to 10-0 midway through the second quarter on a well-executed reverse.

On second and 10 from the Ventura 21, Clemons took a handoff from Lewis, sprinted left and gave the ball to wide receiver Aaron Whitley, who ran right, cut up the middle and dove into the end zone.

It was all Wolleck after that. His 47-yard kick late in the fourth quarter was seven yards short of the Moorpark record set by Dan Eastman in 1987. And his four field goals were one short of the Raider single-game record established by Kevin Green in 1985.

“We just couldn’t muster a running game,” Bittner said. “I’m glad [Wolleck] got off to a good start. That was a high point.”

Ventura generated little offense (198 yards) and wasted its only serious scoring threat when Moorpark cornerback Kenneth Land intercepted a Jason Brown pass at the Moorpark 27 on a third-and-10 play early in the first quarter.

Brown finished 13 of 29 for 84 yards with four interceptions. He passed for only 18 yards in the first half.

The Pirates committed five turnovers, all on interceptions. Freshman Erick Negri, who replaced Brown in the fourth quarter, threw the fifth interception.