The Thousand Oaks Lancer football team was defeated by Simi Valley Pioneers 42-28 in the Lancers Homecoming game on Sept. 20.
The loss routed the Lancers to a record of 3-2, heading into their bye week.
Junior quarterback Jackson Taylor recently received the Champion of Character award from CIF. He went 24-42 for 278 yards with three touchdowns. Two touchdowns were from connections with junior wide receiver Hayden Vercher.
“It’s a tough thing, we got a good team for Homecoming, but that’s what makes good football,” said Taylor. “(I’m) happy about the plays we did make.”
The Lancers held the score to 7-7 in the first quarter, but Simi Valley quickly ran away with the game.
Poor defensive tackling and special teams play were the root of the loss.
“We put them on a short field,” head coach Ben McEnroe said after the game. “We just didn’t tackle very well… didn’t come out with the right energy and I’ll take full blame for the loss.”
This matchup was the first game the Lancer defense didn’t secure an interception.
The Pioneers had 619 all purpose yards, almost doubling the Lancer’s 335.
The Lancers were banged up in the first four games. They will use the bye week to recover. They will begin league play afterward.
Post-bye week, the Lancers will play Calabasas at home on Saturday, October 5. They then face a quick turnaround to play at Westlake on Thursday, October 10.
