In a hard-fought battle under the lights of Hilmer Lodge Stadium, the No. 4 ranked Mt. SAC Mounties emerged victorious with a 22-14 win over the No. 6 ranked Ventura College Pirates in their first home game of the season.
Ventura College took an early lead with a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Daniel Duran to wide receiver Silas Kemp, making it 7-0 in the first quarter. However, Mt. SAC responded with a 42-yard field goal by Matthew Fidone in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 7-3 by the half.
Mt. SAC gained momentum in the third quarter as Juwan Grant caught a 20-yard pass from Noah Fuailetolo, followed by a 30-yard field goal from Jacob Bonilla, giving the Mounties a 13-7 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Mt. SAC's defense and special teams excelled as Jacob Bonilla successfully made three additional field goals from 41, 27 and 35 yards, bringing their total to 22 points. The Pirate's Daniel Duran scored on a 1-yard run bringing them to 14 points, but it was not enough to overcome Mt. SAC's strong finish.
Standout performances include, the Mounties quarterback Noah Fuailetolo, who threw for 150 yards and one touchdown, running back Devin Miles who recorded 130 rushing yards and wide receiver Juwan Grant who secured one touchdown reception.
Coach Jastrab reflected on the game saying, "We've certainly gotten better, cleaned up the turnovers and won a big game. This was like a playoff game involving two big teams. I'm happy with the way the guys played. We need to turn those field goals into touchdowns. We had six field goal attempts and made five of them, which is a positive, but we still have to try and improve each week."
The victory improves Mt. SAC's record to 2-0 for the season, while Ventura falls to 1-1. The Mounties will play away against No. 14 ranked Allan Hancock College at 2:00 PM on Saturday, September 21.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.
