The Thousand Oaks football team couldn’t get it going in the opening half, with long stalled out drives resulting in failed scoring attempts, often turning the ball over on downs.
But after a hard fought defensive battle and a late offensive surge from the Lancers in the second half, TO defeated familiar foe El Modena, 21-14, to advance to the semifinals of the CIF-SS Div. IV playoffs.
“It was a familiar opponent which is huge in the playoffs,” quarterback Jackson Taylor said of the Vanguards, whom the Lancers beat in last year’s playoffs before succumbing to them in overtime of the first game this year. “You don’t get that often, so you don’t have to prepare for a team you’ve never seen before. You know what to expect; they’re a very good team, very physical team, but happy we could get it done.”
On a cold Thousand Oaks evening, the El Modena team captains took some additional time to get out on the field for the coin toss, however it didn’t take them long to score. After a surprise onside kick to open the game where the Vanguards would recover the ball, quarterback Xzavior Guess would take it himself for an early 7-0 lead. This would be the only first-half score on either side, as both teams provided strong defensive halves before the break.
Finally the Lancers found themselves with a defining stand midway through the third quarter, giving the team a taste of hope that would spark their offense. Taylor connected with Luke Sullivan for a 55-yard touchdown tying the game up at seven. But the Vanguards would again take the lead, this time from a 39-yard touchdown pass from Guess, giving the Vanguards a 14-7 lead after three quarters.
With just under five minutes remaining, the Lancers went for it on fourth and long, and Taylor connected with Hayden Vercher for the conversion, before Justin Lewis would run it in for a Lancers touchdown from the 11-yard line, tying the game up at 14 with just shy of four minutes remaining.
Sullivan would once again rise into the spotlight as he blocked a Vanguard punt to give the Lancers the ball in El Modena territory with under three minutes remaining.
Lewis would once again punch it in for the Lancers, giving the team their first lead of the night at 21-14 with under two minutes remaining. After pushing the Vanguards to a fourth and long with the game and season on the line, Sullivan would again shine bright under pressure, intercepting the Vanguards last chance and giving the Lancers the ball in victory formation.
“We completely changed our approach from last time we played them, we turned it loose,” coach Ben McEnroe said. “We overthought it when we played them Game 1, and our defense played lights out. All credit to those guys, that and our run game.”
The Lancers will host Pacifica next Friday night in the CIF semifinals. This is the first time the Lancers have made consecutive football semifinals since 1986-87, as the Lancers’ lone CIF championship came in 1987.
