Carter, Ventura College football team to host Riverside for SoCal title, state berth

Zane Carter craves contact. Even when the ball is in his hands.

So the Ventura College safety was disappointed with his clear route to the end zone after intercepting a pass along the sideline last weekend.

“I didn’t get touched,” Carter said. “I just wanted to truck someone.”

The 30-yard interception return for a touchdown helped the third-seeded Pirates upset second-seeded host Fullerton, 27-24, in last Saturday’s Southern California semifinals.

And now Carter, who already led Buena High to a sectional football final and state basketball final, finds himself in another final, this time at the two-year college level.

Ventura College (8-3) will host fourth-seeded Riverside (10-1) in the Southern California championship game Saturday afternoon at the VC Sportsplex. Kickoff is 2 p.m.

“All these games have been super exciting,” Carter said. “These are the games that people remember. It’s been really fun for me and everyone else.”

Ventura and Riverside have built a postseason tradition over the past nine decades.

This will be the seventh time they will face each other in the Southern California playoffs, dating all the way back to the 1935 SoCal title game.

VC is 1-5, including a 31-21 win at Riverside in the 2018 regional title game, when the Pirates made their lone trip to the state championship game.

Riverside eliminated the Pirates in the semifinals the past two years, 41-21 in 2021 and 47-32 in 2022.

“They’ve got a very potent offense and solid, athletic football team in all aspects,” VC head coach Steve Mooshagian said. “It’ll be a great challenge.”

After upsetting top-seeded Mt. San Antonio last weekend, Riverside is making its seventh straight appearance in the SoCal title game.

“It seems like you’ve got to go through Riverside to get there,” Mooshagian said.

Although it is VC’s fourth trip to the SoCal title game, it will be the first held on campus. The Pirates made trips to Riverside in 1935 and 2018 and, without an on-campus venue, hosted the 1999 final against Allan Hancock College at Nordhoff High.

Although Mooshagian has led the Pirates to an unparallel run of success, the Pirates are still looking for their first home playoff win.

“We talked about that this week,” Mooshagian said. “You know me and my history. I try to bring these things up.”

This will be the third home playoff game in 11 years. VC lost semifinals to Bakersfield in 2012 and Riverside in 2021.

This opportunity is unique, considering the Saturday’s winner will also host the CCCAA state championship game. Despite being the No. 3 seed, VC now has home field throughout the playoffs.

“It’s really different,” Mooshagian said. “We didn’t really expect to be at home.”

Riverside quarterback Jordan Barton leads the SCFA in completion percentage (71.7%), passing yards (3,493) and touchdown passes (32).

The Pirates are familiar with Barton, who threw for 278 yards and two TDs at VC in the 2021 SoCal semis.

“He’s already beat us on our field before,” Mooshagian said. “So I’m sure they’ll be very confident.”

The Pirates have been driven by running backs Lamonte James and Jaylen Thompson and its All-Oxnard offensive line of Jakob Lemus (Hueneme High), Julio Rey (Pacifica), Gabe Rivera (Pacifica), Malaki Brown (Rio Mesa) and Donald Dixon (Pacifica).

James (194 att., 1,179 yards, 13 TDs) and Thompson (152 att., 1,079 yards, 6 TDs) are the first 1,00-yard running back tandem in school history.

Carter, who played quarterback at Buena, has transitioned to safety at the collegiate level. He has 64 tackles and two interceptions and also serves as the punter and placekicking holder.

“He stays level throughout,” Mooshagian said of Carter. “Whether things are going good, things are going bad, he doesn’t get too high or too low. He does what he’s coached to do. He makes all the checks and he moves around in different spots.

“There isn’t anything he can’t do. He’s a very gifted athlete, but he’s also very humble.”

Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura College football to host Riverside for SoCal title Saturday