Ventura Fades in 4th Period Against El Camino, 48-26

Perhaps Ventura College football Coach Dick James should have demanded a recount when his team, in a near-unanimous vote, elected to schedule El Camino in its 1990 opener.

El Camino is 31-1 over the past three years and finished fifth in the final 1989 national Junior College Athletic Bureau poll. The Warriors, who draw heavily from City Section prep powers Carson and Banning, were ranked No. 2 in the nation by USA Today in a junior college preseason poll.

Saturday night against Ventura, El Camino won in a landslide, defeating the Pirates, 48-26, in a nonconference opener at Ventura High’s Larrabee Stadium.

“A lot of schools won’t play us. They simply dodge us,” El Camino Athletic Director Dave Shannon said. “I take my hat off to Ventura that they would schedule us.”

James’ Pirates were competitive, drawing close in the third period by making big plays and capitalizing on El Camino turnovers.

El Camino jumped to a 21-0 lead in the second period. A fumble by Ventura quarterback Tim Albrent set up Anthony Daigle’s five-yard touchdown run in the first period, and the Warriors scored again in the second quarter when Shannon Thompson caught a pass in the flat from Rod Harvey and went 28 yards for a touchdown.

A fumble by Ventura running back Robert Cunningham at his own five set up a five-yard touchdown run by Daigle, and Luis Perez’s third conversion kick put the Warriors ahead, 21-0.

Daigle led all rushers with 173 yards in 20 carries.

Big plays drew Ventura close until the fourth period. Tony Williams went 53 yards in the second quarter for Ventura’s only touchdown of the first half.

After El Camino went ahead, 28-6, early in the third period, Chris Thomas romped 89 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff return, cutting Ventura’s deficit to 28-12.

A fumble by El Camino’s Bryan Reeves on a punt return gave Ventura the ball at the Warrior seven-yard line late in the third quarter, and Albrent hit Charles Roberson for a seven-yard touchdown pass two plays later. After making a two-point conversion, Ventura trailed, 28-20.

But El Camino blew the game open in the fourth period, scoring three touchdowns, including Ivan Wilson’s 71-yard scoring run.

Ventura struck back for one fourth-period score on Albrent’s six-yard pass to Roberson.

Williams finished with 115 yards in 13 carries.