Chaffey Football Loses a Thriller Against Moorpark Raiders 27-23 at Home
By Aaron Rogers
Credit: Louie Vincent Fraijo
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Sept 13 - Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
The Chaffey College Panthers came off a dominant win last week. They look to continue this trend against Moorpark who was (0-2) going into the game.
The Raiders won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first. The Panthers' defense started right where they left off the week before with an interception by defensive back Jalen Carter.
Chaffey's opening possession did not go very far, leading to a turnover on downs. Moorpark's defense came to play, rivaling Chaffey's early defensive prowess.
Moving forward to the next drive for Moorpark, the Panthers' defense intercepted the ball, once more. This time by defensive back William Harper, who came into the game fourth in interceptions out of all California Junior Colleges.
The game remained scoreless until the second quarter when Chaffey took a 3-0 lead on a 38 yard field goal from kicker Mustafa Hnyin.
The Panthers' defense continued with their takeaways as Jalen Carter got his second interception of the game. Moments later, the Panthers' quarterback Francisco Villalbazo connected with wide receiver Yaqiym Halliburton for a touchdown, extending the Chaffey lead to 10-0.
The turnover belt was yet again brought out as Jalen Carter got his third interception of the game.
Moorpark with 3 minutes left in the first half scored to bring the score 10-7.
The Raiders carried that momentum into the second half as they scored 13 unanswered points with a touchdown run and two field goals, extending their lead to 20-10 with 14 minutes in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers' offense responded as quarterback Evan Powell used his legs to score a 9 yard touchdown to bring the score to 20-16. With 2 minutes left, Evan Powell then broke free for a 38 yard touchdown run, putting the Panthers in the lead 23-20.
However, with a minute left Moorpark sealed the game with a touchdown pass to take the lead 27-23.
Statistical Recap
On offense the Panthers had 351 total yards, with 257 passing yards and 94 rushing yards. Chaffey continues to have success with the rotation at quarterback as Villalbazo threw for 142 yards and a touchdown and Powell threw for 115 yards while rushing for 65 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
As for the Panthers' defense, they continue to take the ball away with four interceptions and four fumbles. William Harper and Jalen Carter are both tied for the most interceptions in California Junior College football.
The Panthers (1-2) look to bounce back as they travel to play their first league game against El Camino College (2-1) on Saturday September 20th @ 6 p.m. PDT.