Steve Mooshagian had it written up on the whiteboard in his office.
“Home playoff win.”
To earn the checkmark next to that 15-year-old goal, the Ventura College football team needed to pull off an unforgettable comeback on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the VC Sportsplex.
Braesen Leon threw for 427 yards and three touchdowns as the fourth-seeded Pirates scored the last 20 points of the game in the final quarter and one second to edge fifth-seeded Cerritos College, 41-37, in the Southern California Football Association quarterfinals.
“I kept telling our guys, ‘You just have to play to the final whistle,’ ” Mooshagian said. “We actually took that to fruition.”
Leon completed 32 of 39 passes without an interception.
Silas Kemp (Thousand Oaks High) caught six passes for 135 yards and a TD, Elijah Davis (Oxnard High) caught 10 passes for 130 yards and a TD, and Tayvion McCoy caught six passes for 50 yards and a TD for the Pirates.
“The three receivers made play after play,” Mooshagian said. “A lot of focus was put on our running backs — and they played well, but they were putting all the emphasis on stopping that — our quarterback and receivers stepped up and made the plays, especially on third and fourth down.”
Leon, Love Adebayo and Koen Glover (St. Bonaventure High) ran for touchdowns for VC (10-1), which advanced to play top-seeded Golden West (10-0) in the SCFA semifinals this Saturday in Huntington Beach. Kickoff will be at noon.
“I think Golden West is a really good football team,” Mooshagian said. “They probably should be the favorite to win the South. But we’re going to go down there and do everything we can to make it a football game.”
VC had won three playoff games under Mooshagian, including two when it won the SCFA title and reached the state championship game in 2018. But those wins came on the road.
Looking to break a three-game home playoff losing streak, Mooshagian turned to superstition.
“We had never worn orange on orange for a playoff game before,” Mooshagian said. “I thought, ‘Let’s see if that can break the jinx.’ ”
But Mooshagian’s alma mater scored 17 straight points after halftime to threaten to end the Pirates’ season.
When Jeremiah Calvin hit Charles Clinton for a 61-yard TD pass with 2:40 left in the third quarter, VC trailed 37-21.
The Pirates (10-1) didn’t need to look far in the past for inspiration. They had led Mt. San Antonio 37-14 in their regular-season finale, which devolved into their only loss of the season, 55-54.
“We learned from our previous game how to do that,” Mooshagian said. “The games aren’t over until they’re over.”
Leon’s 6-yard run pulled VC within 37-27 with one second left to go in the third quarter.
His 39-yard scoring strike to Kemp reduced the deficit to 37-34 with 6:47 left.
The Pirates defense forced a three-and-out, getting the ball back with 4:42 to play. VC converted a fourth-and-1 to move into Cerritos territory.
Leon hits Tayvion McCoy in the right corner of the end zone for a 21-yard TD strike with 53 seconds left to put VC up 41-37.
VC was able to extend drives and maintain possession by converting 10 of 13 third downs and 1 of 2 fourth downs.
“(Offensive coordinator) Jake Colman did a really nice job,” Mooshagian said. “Our offensive line pass protected really well and we were able to take advantage of our opportunities.”
Cerritos drove to the Ventura 9 with 11 seconds left, but the Pirates’ pass rush forced Calvin to scramble and the clock expired as he reached the sideline.
“The defense stepped up when we needed them at the end to make those key stops,” Mooshagian said.
Jaxon Arrington had a team-high 17 tackles and an interception to lead the VC defense.
Charlie Neos (Rio Mesa High) had 11 tackles, including a huge one-on-one tackle to stop a two-point conversion attempt. Sonny Aina (Pacifica High) and Cedric Dennis shared a sack.
Southwestern College 31, Moorpark College 7
The Raiders’ five-game winning streak was snapped in a loss in the SCFA Patriotic Bowl on the road in Chula Vista on Saturday.
Southwestern piled up eight sacks and three interceptions to limit Moorpark’s dangerous passing game to 178 yards and one score.
Starting quarterback Aidan Karsh completed 5 of 10 passes for 66 yards and an interception. Backup Sirawn Evans completed 13 of 24 passes for 112 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Evans’ hit Angel Urban with a 51-yard strike with 5:14 to play for the Raiders’ lone score.
Safety Nolan Story (Newbury Park High) had 12 tackles and an interception, lineman Nick Andrade (Moorpark High) had a sack and three tackles for a loss, and lineman Jaden Mosley (Oak Park High) had two tackles for a loss to lead the MC defense.
Joe Curley covers football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: VC football earns first home playoff win with 20-point comeback
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
