Ventura Falls in Southern California Final

Another stellar season came to a familiar end for the Pirates football team as Ventura dropped a 45-26 decision to Riverside in the Southern California Football Association championship game Saturday at the VC Sportsplex. Quarterback Chris Irvin passed for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Eli Aragon, who totaled 116 yards on 14 catches in the game. Meanwhile, the Pirates' running game was held in check by the Tigers, who ended VC's season for the third straight year and the for the fourth time since 2014.

The Pirates (8-4) answered an early RCC score with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Irvin completed his first six passes on the drive for 40 yards, including a 17-yard completion to Caleb Alvary on a 3rd-and-7 play. Ezekiel Savage II punctuated it with a 3-yard touchdown run. Ryan Pimentel's extra point was good and the game was tied 7-7 midway through the first quarter.

��- Savage grinds out the short TD run..PAT is good and we're all tied up at 7 @vcscolleges @TheAcornSports @PirateVCFtbl pic.twitter.com/FVK3iJhXsb

— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) December 2, 2023

Riverside scored another touchdown in the opening period and kicked a field goal midway through the second for a 17-7 advantage. 

VC answered with a long drive to close the first half, marching 70 yards in 13 plays, finishing with a 20-yard Pimentel field goal in the final seconds of the period. Ventura trailed 17-10 at intermission.

An exciting third quarter began with a Riverside touchdown, but the Pirates quickly answered.

Aami Cargo's 19-yard kick return started an 11-play, 60-yard drive for VC with Jaylen Thompson running the ball five times for 27 yards. Irvin's pass to Aragon pushed Ventura to the RCC 10-yard line, but the drive stalled, resulting in Pimentel's successful 28-yard field goal.

After another RCC touchdown, the Pirates rose to the challenge once again. Irvin's 35-yard pass to Cody Hoffman on a 3rd-and-13 play set up Aragon's 5-yard reception from Irvin in the end zone and Pimentel's kick kept Ventura close, 31-20, late in the third.

Ventura College trails Riverside College 31-20 after three quarters in the SoCal title game. @VCAthletics https://t.co/Z746mfjTP2

— VCStar CollegeSports (@vcscolleges) December 3, 2023

The Pirate defense held fast on the ensuing possession, forcing a Riverside punt early in the final stanza, but the VC offense was forced into a punt six plays later.

RCC scored on their next drive, putting more pressure on the Pirates as the clock wound down. Irvin led the next drive to paydirt, however, keeping VC in the game. The signal caller completed four passes on four plays for 48 yards, including a 23-yard scoring strike to Aragon. the two-point conversion was unsuccessful, however, and VC trailed 38-26 with 4:56 remaining.

The Pirates onside kick was recovered by RCC and the Tigers scored on a 45-yard run on their first play to put the game away, 45-26.

Thompson finished the day with 57 yards on 17 carries and Lamonte James was limited to 22 yards on 10 carries. Hoffman had four catches for 61 yards and Drew Lopez totaled five catches for 48. Thompson also grabbed six pass receptions for 47 yards.

Defensively, Zane Carter led the way with 12 tackles, six unassisted, and Ben Hall recorded 11 stops. Anthony Albanez registered nine tackles on the day.

The loss ends the Pirates' 2023 season with a record of 8-4. Ventura shared the Northern Conference title, their fourth straight conference crown and ninth in the past 12 seasons. They won their playoff opener before falling to the Tigers in the 3C2A's State Final Four.

"(I am) proud of our team," said head coach Steve Mooshagian following the game. "They never quit, but in the end we lost to a very good football team."