Pirates remain unbeaten with team win over Citrus.
The state No. 3-ranked Pirate football team remained unbeaten with a total team win, 31-17 over Citrus Saturday at the Sportsplex. Javarien Salter rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and Braesen Leon passed for 176 yards and two scores to lead the offensive effort while Marcellus Brigham and Charlie Neos had seven and six tackles, respectively, each with an interception, to lead the Ventura defense.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
|
|
3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
Team Stats
Citrus
| Game Statistics | Citrus | Ventura |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 244 | 176 |
| Rushing Yards | 157 | 252 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of Poss. | 24:09 | 35:51 |
The state No. 3-ranked Pirate football team remained unbeaten with a total team win, 31-17 over Citrus Saturday at the Sportsplex. Javarien Salter rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and Braesen Leon passed for 176 yards and two scores to lead the offensive effort while Marcellus Brigham and Charlie Neos had seven and six tackles, respectively, each with an interception, to lead the Ventura defense.
Koen Glover's 32-yard kick return on the opening play of the game set the Pirates up for a short drive for a 40-yard field goal by Bodie Ing for an early 3-0 lead.
Early in the second period, Tayvion McCoy had a big 40-yard punt return inside the Citrus 10, setting up Leon's 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Gillum two plays later. Ing's kick extended the lead to 10-0.
On the next possession, Neos intercepted a Citrus pass at the Owl 41-yard line to set up another short field for the Pirates. Five plays later, Salter scampered 24 yards around right end to paydirt. Ing again converted the PAT for a 17-0 Ventura lead with 7:29 remaining in the first half.
Aided by a pair of VC penalties, The Owls managed a field goal late in the second quarter and the Pirates held a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Things got interesting after intermission as Citrus, who came into the game ranked No. 17 in California, took the second-half kickoff and drove 72 yards in eight plays for a touchdown.
The Pirates had the answer, however, as they took the ensuing possession 66 yards in six plays, culminating in a 27-yard scoring strike from Leon to McCoy.
After another Citrus score made it 24-17, and Ventura's lone punt of the night, the VC defense came up with the big play once again. Brigham made a spectacular interception in the end zone to squash an Owl scoring threat late in the third quarter, giving the ball back to the Pirates.
Ventura took the opportunity and drove 80 yards over 17 plays and 9:25 of game time to extend their lead back to two scores with 7:35 remaining in the game. Glover punctuated the drive with a 2-yard run over right tackle and Ing's kick cemented the final 31-17 margin.
McCoy led the VC receivers with 55 yards on four catches and a score. Silas Kemp had three receptions for 42 yards while Elijah Davis and Gillum each hauling in four passes for 26 yards the latter with a touchdown.
Nick Duffy led the defense with eight tackles, four solo while Rose ad AJ Gogo each recording five stops.
The Pirates (7-0, 4-0) will continue the docket on Saturday Oct. 25 at Santa Ana with a 1:00 pm kickoff.