Ventura wins on 2nd Wind

ARROYO GRANDE —  He had the scholarship to UCLA. And the national records, two to be exact.

But Tyler Ebell nearly left the high school ranks without one very important accomplishment--a championship.

Thanks to a strong second-half performance, Ebell got what he wanted, a victory in the last, and most important, game of his Ventura High career.

Ebell rushed for 277 yards and three touchdowns in 29 carries, and Ventura defeated Arroyo Grande, 35-14, in the Southern Section Division IV championship game Saturday night before an estimated 5,500 at Arroyo Grande.

Ebell was merely average in the first half, with 56 yards rushing, a large chunk coming on a 33-yard burst up the middle near the end of the first quarter. He had only 14 yards in the second quarter.

But he bounced back with a typical second half, scoring on runs of 77 and 40 yards as the Cougars broke free of a 14-14 tie at halftime.

“I was saying [at halftime] that we were going to come down and we were going to win,” Ebell said. “We knew we had them where we wanted them. We’re the best second-half team around.”

And the best team in school history.

The Cougars lost to Camarillo in a division championship game in 1984 and tied Paso Robles in a lower-level division title game in 1951.

Now, the Cougars (13-1) have a title all their own.

“We’re taking it back to our house,” Ebell said, smiling.

Ebell finished with 4,495 yards rushing and 64 rushing touchdowns, extending his national season records.

He also set the state career rushing record on a 20-yard carry with nearly 2:00 left in the third quarter, finishing with 7,385 yards and passing David Dotson of Moreno Valley Valley View, who rushed for 7,257 yards from 1989-91.

Ventura took a 14-0 lead on a one-yard run by Ebell with 8:13 left in the second quarter.

But Arroyo Grande, which won three playoff games by a combined nine points, showed it would stick around for a while, scoring two second-quarter touchdowns.

Receiver Sean Shields, a converted quarterback, caught touchdown passes from Cameron Walton covering 29 yards with 5:16 left and 14 yards with three seconds left in the half.

But Arroyo Grande (8-5), which won sectional championships in 1997 and 1998, could not stop Ebell in the second half, when he had 221 yards in 16 carries.

“They said [before the season] that our goal is to play 14 games,” Ventura Coach Phil McCune said. “Obviously, we reached our goal and won the 14th game.”

Ventura’s defense made sure Arroyo Grande would not come back.

The Eagles had 193 yards in the first half, but only 134 in the second, 67 on a meaningless drive at the end of the game.

Defensive end Bryan Easterly and linebacker Richard Martinez were all over the field, physically making plays and emotionally challenging their teammates.

Easterly continued playing despite apparently suffering broken ribs in the fourth quarter.

“I’m feeling great right now other than my side,” Easterly said. “We’ve been working for this for so long, waking up at 5:30 every morning during the summer and working out. That’s what it’s all about.

“We’re the champs. What more can I say?”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

STATE’S BEST

Alook at the top 10 career rushers in state history:

*--*

Player, School Years Yards Tyler Ebell, Ventura 1998-00 7,385 David Dotson, Valley View 1989-91 7,257 Michael Jones, Laguna Hills 1995-97 7,175 Steve Wofford, Bakersfield 1992-94 7,100 Manuel White, Valencia 1997-99 6,745 Marcus Guzman, Norco 1997-99 6,625 George Keiaho, Buena 1990-93 6,615 Justin Fargas, Notre Dame 1995-97 6,352 Onterrio Smith, Sac’to Grant 1995-98 6,178 Russell White, Crespi 1986-88 5,998

*--*

EBELL WATCH

A look at Tyler Ebell’s season:

*--*

Opponent Att. Yds. Avg. TD Simi Valley 12 330 27.5 4 Moorpark 26 375 14.4 5 Royal 21 308 14.8 4 Arroyo Grande 44 393 8.9 6 Oxnard 32 379 11.8 5 Buena 34 240 7.1 3 San Marcos 19 361 19.0 6 Dos Pueblos 22 351 16.0 6 Santa Barbara 24 365 15.2 4 Hueneme 24 239 10.0 4 Righetti 33 204 6.2 5 Royal 43 356 8.3 4 Lompoc 38 317 8.3 5 Arroyo Grande 29 277 9.6 3 Totals 401 4,495 11.2 64

*--*