2019 Pirate Football Review

Coming off the program's first trip to the CCCAA State Championship Game in 2018, the Ventura College Pirate football team looked to keep the momentum rolling in 2019. VC started out the year winning six of their first seven games before a tough loss against College of the Canyons derailed the plans. The Pirates responded with two more wins, however, to claim a share of the Northern Conference title, the team's sixth in the past eight years.

Despite the strong finish, the Pirates just missed out on a return trip to the Southern California Football Association playoffs. Instead, they hosted the Joe Kapp Real Estate Beach Bowl, VC's ninth straight post-season appearance under head coach Steve Mooshagian. Ventura ended the season with an 8-3 overall mark, 4-1 in conference play.

Freshman Terrell Vaughn earned Offensive Most Valuable Player honors for the team, earning his place in the Pirate record books. The Westlake High School product shattered the Pirates' single-season receiving record with 92 catches on the year. (The old mark was 70 set by Kendric Mallory in 2017) He had 988 receiving yards and scored 12 touchdowns on the season, which is second all-time (Charles Dillon, 2005, 13 TD's). He was unanimously named first team all-conference and also earned All-American honors from the California Community College Football Coaches Association.

Travis Calloway earned Defensive MVP honors. The freshman defensive back from Perry, AZ led the team with 60 unassisted tackles and 34 assists for 94 stops. He also recorded seven tackles for a loss, recovered two fumbles and had a pair of interceptions  and four pass break-ups during the season. Calloway was one of two Pirates to earn first team all-conference honors on defense. 

Kicker Alberto Arroyo was named the Pirates' Special Teams MVP for 2019. A freshman from Carpinteria High School, Arroyo set single-season marks for kick scoring with 115 points (Cooper Garcia, 2017, 104 points) and field goals made at 21 (Jake Lanski, 2015, 18 FG). He is also third on the single-season overall scoring record books. He was awarded All-American status by the CCCFCA, as well as first-team all-conference honors.

The Pirates' Scholar Athlete of the Year was sophomore offensive lineman Brandon Ocheltree. The Nordhoff High School product posted a team-high grade point average of 3.62 in earning Academic All-Conference and Academic All-State honors. He was a mid-year transfer to Missouri Southern University in Joplin, MO.