James carries Ventura College football team past Fullerton, into SoCal championship game

Lamont James and the Ventura College football team turned the Southern California playoffs upside down.

The Ventura College sophomore running back had 255 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as the third-seeded Pirates came from behind to upset second-seeded and previously undefeated Fullerton College, 27-24, Saturday afternoon in the Southern California semifinals in Fullerton.

“Lamonte is a special player because he doesn’t get overly emotional,” said Ventura coach Steve Mooshagian. “He stays very level and he keeps coming at you. He won’t go away. He’s going to fight to the end.”

The third-seeded Pirates’ upset win, combined with top-seeded Mt. San Antonio College’s 52-49 loss to fourth-seeded Riverside, gives Ventura College home field throughout the rest of the CCCAA state playoffs.

“It’s funny how one game can change everything,” Mooshagian said. “It changed fast. That’s why you’ve got to play the game.”

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VC (8-3) will host Riverside (10-1) this Saturday in the Southern California championship game. The winner will host the CCCAA state championship game on Dec. 9.

“We’re taking it one game at a time and we’re just excited for the opportunity,” Mooshagian said. “That’s how we’re approaching it.”

James was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after running for 195 yards and two scores on 27 carries and catching a team-high five passes for 60 yards.

Jaylen Thompson also ran for 65 yards on 17 carries to join James beyond the 1,000-yard mark, giving VC its first thousand-yard rushing duo in school history.

“They’re like having two heavyweight fighters in the ring (at the same time),” Mooshagian said.

The Pirates piled up 250 yards rushing and three TDs on 51 carries. Quarterback Chris Irvin completed 17 of 26 passes for 159 yards. Tyler Woodworth caught two passes for 30 yards.

“We played with really good tempo,” Mooshagian said. “Chris Irvin did a really good job orchestrating it all. But Lamonte just kept coming at you.

“The offensive line and the running backs are a special group. They just kept getting better and better.”

Freshman safety Zane Carter (Buena High) returned an interception 30 yards for a score, sophomore linebacker Ben Hall (St. Bonaventure High) also had an interception, and defensive ends Poi Aina (Pacifica High) and Isaiah Garcia (Oxnard High) added sacks to lead a monster defensive effort.

“We finally found our niche, trying to wear people down and being patient and running the football,” Mooshagian said.

Fullerton (10-1) jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. It was so one-sided that the home broadcast began discussing next week’s potential matchup with Mt. SAC or Riverside.

“I was concerned with their fast start,” Mooshagian admitted. “It took about a quarter to get going. I think that was the typical adjustment part. Once we got that out of the way, they played great on both sides of the ball.”

James’ 2-yard run capped a huge 13-play, 88-yard drive to pull the Pirates within 10-6 with 10:02 left in the first half.

Then Carter stepped in front of a Brandon Nunez pass along the sideline and raced untouched to give VC its first lead, 12-10, with 2:44 left in the half.

Nunez twice gave Fullerton the lead. His 40-yard strike to Christian Steward with 1:40 left in the half gave the host a 17-12 halftime lead.

After James’ 10-yard run capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive to give VC a 20-17 lead on the first drive of the second half, Nunez made it 24-20 Fullerton with a 16-yard TD pass to Cameron Woods with 5:12 left in the third quarter.

But James and the VC defense took over the final 20 minutes.

“It turned into an old-school game,” Mooshagian said.

Ezekiel Savage’s 3-yard TD run with 13 seconds in the third quarter capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive to give the Pirates the lead for good, thanks to three straight three-and-out possessions by the defense.

James nearly put the game away with a 60-yard TD run with 3:05 to play, but it was nullified by a penalty. Instead, Carter punted the ball inside the 1-yard line and the VC defense kept Fullerton out of field-goal range late.

The potential game-tying 47-yard field goal on the game’s final play was short.

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: James carries VC football past Fullerton, into SoCal championship game