No. 23 Bulldogs Unable to Outlast No. 20 Ventura
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Allan Hancock (3-5) | 10 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
|
Ventura (5-3) | 13 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 36 |
Ventura
| Game Statistics | Allan Hancock | Ventura |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 123 | 387 |
| Rushing Yards | 319 | 119 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 37:25 | 22:17 |
VENTURA, Calif. - The No. 23-ranked Allan Hancock College football team was unable to hold off a late comeback from No. 20 Ventura College in a heartbreaking 36-31 road loss on Saturday evening. | BOX SCORE
Arath Acosta put the Bulldogs (3-5, 1-2 NNL) on the board first after capping off the opening drive, which consisted of 62 yards and 11 plays, with a successful 30-yard field goal attempt. Coach Damron's defense forced a quick three-and-out scenario, but the Pirates (5-3, 1-2 NNL) regained possession early after recovering a fumble. Ventura used a pair of rushes and four consecutive completed passes to march down the field and score, but failed on the PAT try after a blocked attempt by Syre' Lewis. The Bulldogs lost possession on the opening play of the following drive after a fumble at the line of scrimmage was recovered by the hosting squad at the Hancock 23, which resulted in another VC touchdown on the first play after the turnover. Hancock managed to close the gap after John Allen broke free for a 59-yard scramble with 33 seconds remaining. Acosta's successful PAT left the Bulldogs trailing 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Ventura controlled most of the second frame after putting together a pair of scoring drives. The first drive spanned 69 yards through eight plays and ended with a successful 32-yard field goal try. The second drive, which took place after a failed 4th-and-1 attempt by Hancock, took just three plays as the Pirates made quick work of the 68-yard gap through the goal line and built to a 23-10 advantage at the intermission.
Hancock dominated the possession time in the third frame after building a 15-play drive that ate nearly 10 minutes off the cross and bridged 89 yards. Dior Kennedy ended the possession with a four-yard scamper to the endzone, followed by another successful extra-point effort from Acosta. AHC's defense stood tall by forcing a quick 4th-and-12 punt while limiting Ventura to just 54 seconds of ownership. The Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter with a gutsy decision to go for fresh sticks in a 4th-and-1 scenario on their own 22 yard line, which was successfully converted after a two-yard trek by Kennedy. Esekielu Storer moved the visitors along with a 29-yard completion to Jaleel Walker before a 47-yard rushing touchdown from Latrell Brown gave Hancock a 24-23 advantage with 13 minutes to go.
The hosting Pirates hovered outside of the red zone on the next drive after alternating between rushing and passing attempts to march downfield, but Devin Guggia ended the effort with a 60-yard interception that was snagged on the 16-yard line. Hancock capitalized on the turnover with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Brown and an Acosta PAT, resulting in a 31-23 AHC lead with just over seven minutes remaining. On the ensuing drive, Ventura marched 72 yards after putting together 14 plays for the score but failed on the two-point conversion try and trailed by three points with 2:23 remaining.
The Bulldogs were forced to punt just 24 seconds later after two failed pass attempts and a pair of VC timeouts halted the ticking of time. The Pirates managed to string together eight plays en route to scoring the game-winner with 18 ticks remaining.
Storer went 12-for-18 and registered 125 passing yards at the quarterback slot. Brown led a slew of receivers with 115 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, followed by 98 yards and one touchdown from Allen. Walker ended the night averaging 14.5 yards per catch after totaling 87 yards with six snags. Acosta added seven points to the team's total with one field goal and four PATs.
Lewis led the defensive effort with seven tackles while Andrew Laurtizen, Jesse Garza, and Jordan Fields were each credited with six. Guggia and Sidney Jefferies each registered one interception while Abraham Montero and Dylan Spiess combined for one sack.
NOTABLES:
- Jefferies now ranks third amongst SCFA competitors with four interceptions on the season
- Saturday marked the 40th meeting between the two programs, dating back to their first matchup in 1972
- Ventura now holds the all-time series, 23-17, and has won ten-straight pairings against the AHC squad
The Bulldogs are set to return to action on November 5th at 1 PM for the final home game of the season against Long Beach City College. Tickets can be purchased online at ahcbulldogs.com/ticketing. As a reminder, cash will not be accepted at the gate and the full description of ticketing procedures can be found here.
