Recap
Chargers fall behind 28-0 before putting together an excellent drive for their only score
Dos Pueblos 7, Ventura 35
Ventura, CA — VENTURA — The Dos Pueblos High School football team put together a well-executed, time-consuming, 14-play drive that resulted in a David Buso 7-yard touchdown run Friday night.
That drive came on the first possession of the second half after Ventura already built a 28-0 lead. The host Cougars scored another touchdown early in the fourth quarter and beat the Chargers 35-7 in a Channel League game, spoiling A.J. Pateras’ return to Larrabee Stadium.
The scoring drive by Dos Pueblos (2-2, 0-2) showed just how good it can be on offense.
That’s the point Pateras wants to get across to his football team.
He said Ventura (3-1, 2-0) is a disciplined team that’s had the same coaching staff for years and is consistent in how it runs things on and off the field.
“Our guys are learning that right now,” Pateras said. “With the reset of me coming in (last year) and coming out of COVID, it’s reestablishing those norms and expectations. Right now, we’re experienced and we’ve got some youth, and (the coaching staff) is trying to get them to understand that every play matters at that moment and building from that moment to the next moment and stacking them.
“We did that when we came out in the third quarter. That was the challenge: ‘Come out and have a great drive, convert two fourth-down plays, go down and score and get the onside kick.”
The Chargers recovered the ball at the Ventura 45 and Buso had gains of 6 and 5 yards on first and second down.
But DP lost momentum after a fumble and a stoppage of play when referee Wally Burquez was shaken up.
The Chargers recovered their fumble and Burquez returned to action, but DP couldn’t pick up where it left off. After an incomplete pass, the Chargers fumbled the snap in shotgun formation and Ventura recovered at its 48.
“Young guys learn now to do it, and we’ll get there,” said Pateras.
The Cougars capitalized on the turnover as quarterback Joey Reynoso hit wide receiver Makana Arndt on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Donovan Chappell kicked his fifth PAT for a 35-7 lead at 11:11 of the fourth quarter.
Reynoso had a good night for the Cougars, completing 13 of 19 passes for 222 yards and three scores to Arndt.
Arndt caught a 3-yard TD pass at 9:18 of the second quarter for a 14-0 lead and then ran through DP defenders on 75-yard pass play for a 28-0 lead at the 1:52 mark.
Dos Pueblos twice intercepted Reynoso in the first half. Daniel Johnston picked off a pass on the Cougars’ first possession of the game and Zac Gesswein made a pick in the end zone.
The Chargers, however, failed to capitalize on the turnovers against a tough Ventura defense.
The Cougars have allowed just 17 points in the last three games.
Ventura used the running of Sawyer Cline to score its first touchdown of the game. He finished a 53-yard drive with a 2-yard run at 6:05 of the first quarter.
The Cougars’ Ryder Koontz picked off Charger quarterback Ryan Marsh, and three plays later Reynoso found Arndt for the touchdown.
Their third score came on a 1-yard run by Cline at 4:37 of the second quarter.
Cline rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries.
Buso played a solid game at running back for the Chargers, pounding out 73 yards on 14 carries.
“David went up against Mylan Walker, and he plays very hard,” Pateras said of the standout Ventura cornerback. “David matched that and Mylan went off early.
“We have that, we have that intensity,” the coach stressed “It’s just consistently trusting that I, me, the individual, are just going to go out there and play free. We just got to keep teaching them how to do it. Once we learn how to do it, things are going to be great.”
The Chargers showed it on their third-quarter touchdown drive.
“We can play with teams. We just can’t play with consistency right now. We got to continue to grow and work and we’ll be all right,” said Pateras.