Victor Valley College's run defense continues to impress despite an 0-3 start

After coughing up seven turnovers in the home opener, the Victor Valley College football team played somewhat of a cleaner game Saturday night against LA Valley College.

Three fumbles and one interception late in the game proved too costly and the Rams lost to the Monarchs 23-18 at Apple Valley High School’s Newton T. Bass Stadium.

Victor Valley College was in a position to win the game, with an 18-10 lead at halftime.

However, the Monarchs slowly chipped away, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter immediately following a fumble, and then the game-winner in the fourth quarter.

Up 18-16, the Rams were forced to punt in the fourth quarter and the Monarchs took over at their own 25 with just over eight minutes left to play.

Graham Blubaugh broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run to give the Monarchs the five-point lead with 5:31 left on the clock.

“We called a two-high defense and there was one blown assignment,” Victor Valley head coach David Slover said. “That happened, not because of their execution, but because of our error.”

The Rams were incredibly effective at stopping the run.

More: High Desert Sports Highlights: Apple Valley's late rally falls short against Upland

Blubaugh did most of the damage with his 54-yard touchdown run as the Monarchs ran for 124 yards collectively on 35 carries.

Besides that big run, the Rams allowed just two yards per carry.

“We made them abandon the run,” Slover said. “They went away from it. I think we were getting very confident in taking away the run. Then we paid.”

The following Rams drive ended with a punt and then the defense stalled out the Monarchs.

The punt went out of bounds at the VVC 38-yard line and a 15-yard penalty set the Rams up just into Monarchs territory with 3:20 left on the clock.

Quarterback Miguel Larios fumbled the ball on the first play of the drive but the Rams recovered three yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Three plays later, the Rams faced fourth-and-11 from the 47 with 2:21 left to play.

Larios, a Hesperia High School graduate, stepped back into the pocket and threw the ball towards the VVC sideline. Guarded by double coverage, Oak Hills High School graduate Christian Macias leaped up and made a spectacular grab, just staying inbound to extend the drive at the 28-yard line.

But Larios was picked off by Isaiah Paul, a Palmdale graduate, with 1:32 left on the clock, sealing the deal on the Monarchs' victory.

“The defense played well, and our special teams was fine,” Slover said. “But it comes down to our offense having to execute. We didn’t do that. They didn’t execute. They didn’t take care of the ball. We’ve gotta clean things up. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to position battles. No one’s job is safe. We just gotta preach ball security.”

The Rams coughed up a fumble on the first offensive snap of the game.

More: High Desert Football: Two-year unbeaten streak comes to an end for Oak Hills

After a three-and-out, the Monarchs attempted a field goal from the 25-yard line but it was no good.

The Rams took over at their own 25-yard line, marched up the field and scored on a rushing touchdown from 10 yards out for a 6-0 lead.

The Monarchs took a 7-6 lead later in the first quarter.

It didn't last long as Rams quarterback Landon Webster threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to retake a 12-7 lead to end the first quarter.

The Monarchs added a field goal in the second quarter, and then the Rams took an 18-10 lead into halftime, scoring a touchdown on a 21-yard fumble recovery.

LA Valley College pulled within two points early in the third quarter, and the teams went scoreless until what proved to be the game-winning touchdown run.

“Ultimately, we can’t focus on the big picture,” Slover said. “You correct the mistakes from this game. What we have to understand is that it’s us. It’s really not the opponents. We are losing games more than they are winning.”

The Rams are on the road next week at Pasadena City College, which is unbeaten and coming off a 59-13 victory over College of the Desert.

“We don’t look at Pasadena as the next opponent, we look at Monday’s film evaluation and take it one day at a time,” Slover said. “Tuesday’s practice is about execution and ultimately my philosophy is you take it one day at a time, focus on being the best you can be on that day and the game takes care of itself.

“We haven’t put a complete week together and then carried it into a game. This is a young team. We just have to put the whole week together and show up on Saturday and execute. One day at a time. One practice at a time.”

Daily Press reporter Jose Quintero may be reached at 760-951-6274 or JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @J0seQuintero.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: VVC's run defense continues to impress despite an 0-3 start