HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: WEEK 10 : Kicker Stubs His Toe and Calabasas Loses Title to Moorpark, 7-6

In the end, the 1995 Frontier League championship game Thursday night between Moorpark and Calabasas at Calabasas High was decided by a matter of a foot.

Robbie Coppola scored on a 23-yard run to bring Calabasas to within 7-6 at the end of the third quarter, but Damon McLaren barely missed the extra point and Moorpark held on to win its second league crown in three years.

“That miss was such a big play because I knew our defense would hold them,” said Moorpark’s Bryan Paul, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 208 yards. “[McLaren] basically choked.”

McLaren, who missed field goals of 53 and 38 yards, had no excuses.

“The snaps were good, the holds were good, I just didn’t make the kicks,” he said.

Moorpark (7-3, 4-0 in league play) did not allow Calabasas a chance to erase McLaren’s mistakes. The Musketeers intercepted three of Scott Quigley’s passes and used short passes and productive runs by Michael Aguilar, who had 115 yards in 25 carries and a touchdown.

Moorpark led, 7-0, after driving 80 yards in nine plays to Aguilar’s 18-yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the half. Paul kicked the extra point.

Calabasas (7-3, 3-1) stopped Moorpark after a long drive to open the half and later drove 52 yards for Coppola’s touchdown on two plays and a penalty against Moorpark for a late hit.

Minutes later McLaren missed his second field-goal attempt, and Moorpark ran down the clock with an 18-play, 63-yard drive that took much of the fourth quarter.