SANTA BARBARA, CA – For the first time since 1991, SBCC football has been crowned conference champion. The Vaqueros (8-1, 4-0) defeated Moorpark (5-4, 3-1) on Saturday at La Playa Stadium 28-18 to clinch the American Pacific League title with one game left in the regular season.
With its record-setting eighth straight win, SBCC finds itself at 8-1 for the first time since that same 1991 season, thanks to another huge team effort and three touchdowns from Alex Johnson. The second-year quarterback threw for two and ran one in to seal the deal late in the fourth quarter.
"Again, just like the whole season's been, in all three phases we played well," head coach Craig Moropoulos said. "We slipped at times, struggled at times, but we just came back and kept coming after them. I'm really proud of the team."
The banged up Vaquero squad would open the scoring early in the second quarter. Linebacker Aneterea Lealao recovered a fumble forced by defensive lineman Caleb McNeill-Tyler, setting SBCC up with an instant red zone possession. After converting a 4th-and-2 with a 3-yard rush, Johnson would hit wide receiver Chase Wells for a 6-yard score.
The Vaqueros hit a 21-yard pass and relied on a run-heavy attack to score again on their next possession. Runningback Mekhi Norfleet capped it with an 11-yard run into the end zone.
After going up 14-0, SBCC would stall a bit on the offensive end. The Raiders inched their way back into things with a pair of third quarter touchdowns, but a blocked field goal, two missed PATs and a failed two-point conversion would haunt them in the end. A well-designed screen pass from Johnson to tight end Elian Sundquist early in the fourth quarter put the home side up 21-12.
Santa Barbara managed the clock well down the stretch, taking precious time off the clock while turning a nine-play, 72-yard drive into a touchdown via an 18-yard Alex Johnson scramble and score with less than 90 seconds to go. Moorpark quickly moved the ball down the field and decided to save time by kicking a 37-yard field goal with a little over 40 seconds remaining. Once again, the kick was missed, sealing the 10-point victory for the Vaqueros and at least a share of the APL title.
"It means a great deal. I say it week after week, but I'm just really proud of this team," Moropoulos said. "A lot of successful teams are really strong on defense, or they're really strong on offense, but this is a really balanced team. We've lost some really good players, and there were a lot of people who were banged up today, but it's just a great example of the next man up philosophy and that makes me really proud. There are a lot of guys contributing to the success of this team and as a head coach that's what you love to see."
Johnson finished 12-of-17 through the air for 115 yards, while also using his wheels to pick up 42 rushing yards (3.5 Y/R). Norfleet led the way with 50 yards on 13 carries (3.8) and Brandon Smith added 22 rushing and five receiving yards in limited playing time.
Linebacker Will Smith had a big day, recording his first 1.5 sacks of the season. Defensive back Lamar Campbell added an interception in the second quarter.
SBCC has just one regular season game remaining at Santa Monica next Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m.
