Thousand Oaks Stops Simi Valley

Simi Valley High will never know what might have been, simply because the Pioneers turned the ball over twice in a four-minute span of their Marmonte League game against Thousand Oaks on Friday.

And, no matter how much Coach Stan Quina would like to replay those frustrating four minutes, it will never happen.

Instead, Thousand Oaks (6-1, 4-0 in league play) took the two turnovers, converted them into two scores and left Thousand Oaks High with a 28-14 win.

“You can eat yourself alive thinking about stuff like that,” Quina said. “If we score here and hold on to the ball there, you figure you’re playing for it at the end of the game.”

But the Pioneers (5-2, 3-1) weren’t because the turnovers proved to be two too many on a night in which they already had their hands full with Thousand Oaks’ powerful running game.

The first miscue came when Simi Valley trailed, 14-7, and had driven to Thousand Oaks’ one-yard line early in the third quarter. On a rushing attempt, junior quarterback Eric Bennett attempted to touch the football down in the end zone but the ball was kicked away and recovered at the five by Thousand Oaks’ Jason Jones.

Thousand Oaks then drove 95 yards in 10 plays, and sophomore quarterback Trevor Thompson (10 of 16 passes for 106 yards) hit Josh Pace from two yards with 3 minutes 27 seconds left in the quarter. Erik Kraszewski’s conversion extended Thousand Oaks’ lead to 21-7.

On the first play of Simi Valley’s next possession, Kevin Krim intercepted Bennett’s pass and returned the ball five yards to Simi Valley’s 30. Senior tailback Cory Bowen, who rushed for a season-high 206 yards in 20 carries, scored on the first play from scrimmage and Kraszewski’s conversion gave the Lancers a 28-7 lead with 2:43 left in the quarter.

Bennett (23 of 37 for 235 yards), who tied his school single-game completion mark, hit Aaron Whitley (five receptions for 69 yards) from seven yards with 3:31 left in the game. It wasn’t enough for the Pioneers, who were overwhelmed by a Lancer offensive line that paved the way for 349 rushing yards.

Quincy Jacobs had 78 yards in 14 carries and Manfred Wagner added 53 in seven.

“It was just a great effort from our kids,” Thousand Oaks Coach Bob Richards said.

Thousand Oaks limited Simi Valley to 53 yards in 20 carries. Senior defensive back Danny Fitzgerald was matched with Simi Valley senior wide receiver Dave Romines, who entered the game with 656 receiving yards, and limited Romines to seven catches for 53 yards.

Neither team was impressive in the early going. In the game’s first four drives, the teams accounted for just one first down.

Thousand Oaks’ third drive found the end zone when Bowen scored from midfield to give the Lancers a 6-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter. Fullback Jacobs provided the lead block and Bowen broke a tackle at the 40.

Simi Valley answered with a four-yard touchdown run by Bennett and Steve Sabbe’s conversion gave the Pioneers a 7-6 lead with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.

The key play of the drive was a third-and-10 pass play in which Bennett eluded pressure and hit Jevon Markarian for a 15-yard gain to the Lancer four.

A nine-yard Simi Valley punt in the second quarter gave Thousand Oaks possession at the Pioneers’ 49. On third and 18 at the Lancer 43, Thompson scrambled 19 yards for a first down. Two plays later Bowen, who had 106 yards in the first half, scored from 18 yards, then caught a conversion pass from Thompson to give Thousand Oaks a 14-7 lead with 2:02 left before intermission.

With 35 seconds left in the half, Thousand Oaks’ Ryan Molina intercepted a Bennett pass and returned it 16 yards to Simi Valley’s six.

But a clipping penalty pushed the ball back to the 21 and, four plays later, Kraszewski missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt.