Moorpark Can’t Get to Ramos in Loss

Anthony Ramos ran like the wind that swept across the Moorpark College football field on Saturday night--in every direction.

Ramos, Santa Barbara’s fleet-footed freshman quarterback, ran for three touchdowns and passed for another, and Santa Barbara won for the first time at Moorpark since 1987 with a 38-20 victory in a Western State Conference interdivision game.

Ramos, often scrambling against the grain to elude a strong pass rush, completed 11 of 21 passes for 211 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown bomb to former Dos Pueblos teammate Jason Stone that gave the Vaqueros (3-2) a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Ramos, Santa Barbara County’s player of the year last season, rushed for 32 yards in 18 carries, including scoring runs of one, four and five yards.

“He’s quick,” Moorpark linebacker Judd Granzow said. “We contained him to one side and then he cut all the way across. Couple of times, it seemed like he was in my hands and he slipped out.”

Ramos, 5 feet 10, 165 pounds, originally committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, only to reconsider. Last week, Ramos was selected WSC player of the week after throwing three touchdowns passes in a victory over Santa Monica.

“When I go back to pass, I have my reads, but sometimes I scramble and do what I can,” Ramos said. “God gave me the talent to do that kind of stuff.”

Moorpark (1-3) took a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter on a seven-yard run by running back Carl Richardson, his second touchdown of the game.

But Ramos answered by engineering a 79-yard drive that culminated with his four-yard scoring run. Ramos set up the touchdown with a 35-yard pass to Stone and a 30-yard scramble to the Moorpark 4.

“He’s a water bug,” Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said. “He’s tough too. He just kept coming.”

Moorpark took a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game. Richardson, who finished with 112 yards in 18 carries, returned the opening kickoff to the Santa Barbara 28 and ran 16 yards for a score two plays later.

Santa Barbara pulled even on a one-yard sneak by Ramos on the Vaqueros’ next possession.

Chris Proffitt booted a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter to give Santa Barbara a 10-7 lead.

Richardson fumbled twice in the first half to short-circuit Moorpark drives. His fumble at the Raiders’ 39 nullified a 13-yard gain in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Richardson fumbled at the Santa Barbara 34.