by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on September 16, 2009
Zach Poisal
Staff writer
The Ventura College men’s basketball program recently hired new assistant head coach Joey Ramirez, hoping to restore something that has been missing the past couple years: tradition.
Coach Ramirez plans on renewing the proud tradition of prominence in Pirates basketball. He has had experience with success, leading the Pirates to its most recent state championship in 1995.
One thing that Ramirez would like to see change in the Pirate basketball organization is the tradition that has been forgotten; a team that had an impressive 24-8 record, only to see it turn to disappointment with an early playoff exit in the SOCAL Playoffs Regional.
“Right now, [it is] tradition,” he said. “Respect for the tradition.”
Ramirez is not the only one looking forward to bringing back the glory days of Pirate basketball, head coach Will Cowen is too. He feels that Ramirez is the right man to help bring the program back to where it used to be.
“[Ramirez has] tremendous knowledge of the tradition here at the program,” Cowen stated. “He brings an outstanding coaching career from multiple places.”
Coach Cowen believes that with the new addition to the coaching staff, Ventura will be a more motivated and energetic squad this season.
“Most of all, he brings tremendous loyalty and energy to Ventura College.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on September 13, 2009
Dan Lovi
Staff writer
The Moorpark Raiders football team struggled to get their offense moving, resulting in a 27-12 loss to West Los Angeles College Saturday night. It looked bleak from the start for the Raiders, especially for the offense, which struggled to produce first downs and scored only one touchdown.
The Raiders seemed to be headed in the right direction on the opening kickoff when kick returner Evan Yabu gave the team great field position, getting to the opponents 27-yard line. Like the rest of the night however, nothing went according to plan, as kicker Zachary Shultis missed a 39-yard field goal.
The West LA Wildcats wasted no time capitalizing on the missed field goal, scoring on a long touchdown run by their quarterback on the very first play. The defense looked confused by the Wildcats option formation to start the game, but was able to adjust to it as the game progressed.
The Raiders defense gave up 27 points, yet played hard. They looked physically exhausted towards the end of play because they were on the field most of the game. Meanwhile, the Raiders offense succumbed to 3-and-outs seemingly every possession, forcing the defense onto the field within minutes of them departing.
The defense played with spirit, taking down Wildcat players with gang tackles, intercepting and deflecting passes, and even blocked a field goal. However, their continual presence on the field allowed the Wildcats offense to wear them down in the second half.
Shultis was two for four on field goals, booting one at the end of the first half to bring the score to a respectable 13-6. This field goal would turn out to be the last points scored by the Raiders until late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
Quarterback Ian Shultis started the game, but his passing attack never got going. Quarterback Darren McGee replaced him in the second quarter and played most of the game. He showed some flashes with his quick speed and his passing attack late in the game, firing a 24-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Gant for the Raiders’ only trip to the end zone.
by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Photo by Jeffrey Farrar
Published on September 12, 2009
Louis Hernandez
Staff writer
The Moorpark College women’s soccer team kept its un-defeated record alive with a 2-2 tie against Santa Monica City College Friday afternoon.
While the Corsairs opened up with a goal early in the first half, the Raider’s intensity was not diffused. The girls remained aggressive and spent most of the remaining half with on an unforgiving offensive push that ended in a goal from Olivia Geckle.
When the second half began, the Raiders continued to show their determination to win with a goal headed in by Leanne Aceves, breaking the 1-1 tie.
However, the Corsairs would not go down quietly, going on the offensive and trying to tie the game with a flurry of attacks on goal. Their attempts seemed despondent, shut down by phenomenal play by Raider’s goalie Brookie Nixon.
The Corsairs’ offensive attacks late in the game paid off as they squeezed in a goal, tying the game 2-2 with 22 minutes remaining in the game.
Assistant coach Mark Tietjen believed his team “gave” the goals to the Corsairs.
“Defensively, we had some breakdowns that led to their goals,” said Tietjen.
The Raiders are set to play at home next when they take on Bakersfield College, Friday Sept. 18 at 4 p.m.
by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on September 14, 2009
Zach Poisal
Staff writer
The Moorpark women’s volleyball team began its onslaught with a three set sweep (25-10, 25-11, 25-15) in match one of the doubleheader Saturday against Santa Monica City College.
Olivia White had 35 assists against the Corsairs, while Erika Smith added six digs for Moorpark (2-0), who never gave the Corsairs any chance.
The hitting parade continued into the second match of the double header, as the Raiders completed another sweep, beating Golden West College in 3 sets (25-18, 27-25, 25-22).
When Moorpark got a lead, they rarely let it slip away from them. The first set was a prime example, never trailing after they took an 8-7 lead. The Raiders outscored Golden West 18-11 to take the first set 25-18.
Confusion between Golden West’s coach Bill Lawler and the officials caused large delays in the second set, and helped spark a comeback from Moorpark.
Trailing 9-15 midway through the set, the Raiders took the timely delay as a chance to gather themselves and mount an entertaining comeback. Smart plays, hustle and scorching hot kills from Una Siljegovic, allowed Moorpark to climb back into the set and take the lead. The Raiders sealed the deal with a kill from Shalika Balkhi, taking the set 27-25.
The final set proved to be the most challenging for the Raiders. In the first six points, there were three lead changes and three ties, but after the set was tied 6-6, the Raiders would not have a letdown.
The Raider hitters did not seem to have any trouble placing the ball where they wanted. Big hitting and stellar defense was the key to gaining an 8 point lead at 20-12.
The set and match seemed in the bag until a late rally by Golden West. It got interesting when the lead was cut down to two points at 22-20.
The last surge from the visiting Golden West team was too little, too late going down in flames when Siljegovic fired another game-winning kill. The Siljegovic kill locked up the 25-22 set, and match, sweeping the competition 3-0.
by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on September 11, 2009
Michael Prieto
Staff writer
The Moorpark College men’s soccer team capitalized on a late surge to break their tie with the Irvine Valley College Lasers, pulling out a 3-1 victory.
In the first half, the Raiders dominated the ball, seemingly living on the opponent’s side of the field. Fernando Zandarin capitalized on the Raiders command of the ball by hitting a long distance goal with multiple defenders in his face, putting the Raiders up 1-0.
However, missed opportunities would begin to plague the Raiders after the score. Moorpark would see two corner kicks produce no tangible results and two shots at the goal that were missed by inches. Though they were missing great chances to strengthen their lead, the Raiders ability to be faster to the ball and win headers allowed them to deny the Lasers the ball for the majority of the game.
The missed opportunities from the first half began to hurt them again in the second. The Raiders missed two more corner kicks, and two shots; one of which was nearly inside the goal, but an Irvine player kicked it out at the last moment. These missed opportunities kept the Lasers close. This would prove to be costly as the Lasers would pick up the tempo and became more aggressive with the ball. Irvine scored in the middle of the second half, knotting up the score at 1-1.
With time winding down in the second, a tie seemed almost certain. However, team captain Luis Guitierrez took the ball in a one-on-one situation, made a series of moves, and scored the go-ahead goal with four minutes remaining.
Guitierrez knew exactly what he needed to do to get his team on top.
“Take him, fake him,” he said. “Put it right on top of the goal.”
The Raiders got an insurance goal from Kevin Staley towards the end on a great assist, putting the game away at 3-1.
At times, the game seemed to get away from the Raiders, but head coach Sean Roche believed they controlled most of the game and became more offensive minded towards the end.
“[I] thought that we had a large portion of the game,” he said. “[We] switched to a scoring mentality.”
Moorpark College looks to build on the momentum from this win when they host Cypress College Tuesday Sept. 15.
by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 29, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on September 6, 2009
Michael Prieto
Staff writer
From outstanding special teams play to a consistent run defense, the Pirates simply physically dominated the football field, downing the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs 35-13 in their home opener.
The Pirates were led by a potent rushing attack powered by sophomore running back Kraig McPherson’s 82 rushing yards and a touchdown. Also entering the rushing bombardment was freshman quarterback Antavius Sims, adding 41 rushing yards and a touchdown.
After slow offensive starts by both teams, the momentum seemed to lie in between both teams. After another failed third down conversion by the Pirates, it was time for the punt unit to show the crowd its merits once more. The ball was snapped, but sophomore linebacker Loren Powers took the ball instead and rushed his way forward for the first down.
The fake punt call would prove to be a stroke of genius by the Pirates head coach, as the very same offensive drive would result in a 28-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Gabriel Bostic.
Pirates coach Jon Mack gambled on the play because he believed the opportunity was given to them.
“It was open,” he said. “It’s something we always look at.”
Though the Pirate’s run defense stifled the Monarch’s rushing attack, they struggled mildly against the Monarch’s passing attack. This landed the Pirates in a spot where the Monarchs were in scoring distance.
Inside the 25-yard line, the Monarchs prepped to kick a field goal. The field goal was block, but defensive holding has been called. Seeming as though the Pirates let an opportunity slip away they lined up again and blocked the field goal again a second time.
Similar to the previous scoring drive, great special teams play led to a great offensive play as Sims threw a touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Nick Karam, taking a 14-0 lead.
Two scores and a missed extra point by the later, the great start was soon diminished when the lead was cut to one point. With the ball in striking distance to take the lead, sophomore linebacker Ryan Panapa intercepted Monarch quarterback Bret Visciglia’s pass, swinging momentum back into the Pirate’s favor.
After the interception the Pirate’s starting quarterback sophomore Gregory Jimenez helped move the offense down the field and threw a rocket touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Raphael Washington, who made a great diving catch.
Special teams play would show its importance once again as the Pirates forced a fumble on the kick return, putting them in scoring position once again. Sims made an electric 25-yard run to punch the ball into the end zone, increasing the Pirates’ lead to 28-13.
The Pirates head coach used fluid quarterback rotation throughout the game, believing they both had some spark to add to the team.
At the heart of this game was the Pirate’s ability to capitalize on great special teams play and shut down the Monarch’s rushing attack defensively. Throughout the entire game the Monarchs could not generate any semblance of a consistent rushing attack or pass protection. This was due in large part to the defensive lines strong push and aggressive penetration.
Freshman defensive lineman Tieg Kinkade believed it was the defense’s hard work in practice that helped them dominate the pass rush so well.
“[We] work a lot with pass rushing stuff, and hand fighting,” he said. “Our group works pretty much the hardest.”
The Pirates sit at 1-0, exactly where they wanted to be at the end of tonight’s game.
