Thousand Oaks, CA — Twenty one years later, the Thousand Oaks High football team has finally earned its next league championship. Make that 21 years and one improbable comeback for the formerly downtrodden program. Three seasons after finding itself amid a 25-game losing streak, the Lancers clinched a share of the Canyon League championship with a hard-fought 24-17 victory over visiting Moorpark on Friday night. Perhaps fittingly, it required another dramatic rally. Thousand Oaks trailed 17-14 late in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Travis Endicott drove his team 85 yards in the closing minutes, culminating in a 9-yard touchdown toss to Andrew Simon Lacombe with 20 seconds remaining for the winning score. Not only is Thousand Oaks a league champion, its closing in on its first undefeated season since 1989. The Lancers are 8-0 overall, 5-0 in league and will complete its Canyon League schedule Friday night at Agoura. Third-year coach Evan Yabu revels in the achievement. "It's crazy, almost hard to believe and such a credit to the players," said Yabu, himself a Thousand Oaks alum. "It's been a magical season, and what we'd like to do next in finish undefeated going into the playoffs." Endicott finished 15 of 27 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Will Halub had six receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown. Johnny Abarzua was among the key heroes on the winning drive, hauling in two receptions for 57 yards. The Lancers defense, led by Chase Martin, yielded 211 yards, with 154 rushing and 57 passing. Martin notched 16 tackles, including 11 solos and two tackles for losses. Brolin Harrhad had seven tackles, six solos, three tackles for losses and two sacks. The victory didn't come without controversy. On the possession prior to the winning march, Endicott was intercepted near the goal line by Jayden Gray. It was the sophomore's second pick of the game. After corralling the tipped pass, Gray stepped into the end zone, where he was tackled. The referee ruled a safety, much to the chagrin of Moorpark's players and coaches. "Under the high school rules, that's either a touch back or our ball at the one and a half yard line," said Moorpark coach Ryan Huisenga. "(Gray's) momentum took him into the end zone. He wasn't facing the field. He was looking toward the back of the end zone." Said Thousand Oaks' Yabu: "It's a tough call, a judgement call. I understand how some people will say his momentum carried him into the end zone. Obviously, we were on the positive side of that call. All we could do was play on." The safety narrowed Moorpark's lead to 17-16. With the subsequent free kick, Thousand Oaks found itself at its own 15-yard line with under two minutes on the clock. Yabu loved his team's poise. "We've been in this situation before, like against Newbury Park," he said. "In that game, it seemed like we were a little nervous at the end, a lot sweaty. "This time, everybody seemed calm and poised. They were ready for the moment." Moorpark is in the middle of its own gritty comeback this season after finishing 1-9 a season ago. The Musketeers stand 5-3, including 2-2 in the Canyon League, and can earn its own playoff spot with wins over Camarillo and Agoura the next two weeks. "It was a great effort by our guys, who played with physicality and mental toughness," said Huisenga. "I could not be prouder of our players. "We made mistakes -- really both teams did -- but we put ourselves in a position to win the game late." Huisenga expects his players to rebound swiftly. "We have a 48-hour rule, win or lose," said the coach. "It's a tough loss, but I know our guys will show up for Monday practice ready to work." Connor Smith finished 12 of 21 for 92 yards passing, and rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Luke Cochran ran for 115 yards on 22 carries.