Bird, Simi Valley Flying High, 21-20

Tim Bird completed 17 of 23 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns as Simi Valley High escaped with its first Marmonte League victory, 21-20, over Thousand Oaks on Friday night at Simi Valley.

Thousand Oaks (2-4, 1-1) scored what might have been the winning touchdown with 1 minute 30 seconds left in the game, but a 28-yard scoring pass from Gabe Portilla to Joey Casillas was nullified by a motion penalty.

The pass came on a fourth-and-12 situation. On the next play, from the 33, Portilla’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

Thousand Oaks pulled to within 21-20 on Wes Cobos’ third touchdown run, from five yards out, with 6:09 left. But the conversion try missed wide left.

Simi Valley (2-4, 1-2) won despite losing four fumbles. Thousand Oaks fumbled three times.

Bird threw first-half touchdown passes to Julian Santiago and Noah Happe as the Pioneers built a 21-6 lead.

Thousand Oaks rallied behind Cobos, who rushed for 170 yards in 25 carries.

In the first half, Cobos had scoring runs of 48 yards and 16 yards.