Moorpark Keeps Getting Defensive

MOORPARK — One player wears multicolored socks to practice. Another is a chatterbox who splits playing time with a silent partner. A fourth member of the cast pumps his right arm when he makes a good hit, like a bowler would after a strike.

With other teammates they form the most successful junior college football defensive unit in the state this season.

Which for Moorpark College is pretty much standard. The Raiders are traditionally strong on defense. But this group could become one of the best in school history.

“It’s too early to mark a stamp on something, but at this point, they are as good as any we’ve had,” said Coach Jim Bittner, now in his 16th season.

The Raiders lead the state with an average of 152.5 yards allowed per game, by far the best defensive showing for a Western State Conference team since 1980.

Not surprisingly, another Moorpark team owns the top defensive effort over that span. In 1988, the Raiders limited opponents to 173.8 yards.

Last week, the Raider defense survived its stiffest test of the season and was instrumental in a 23-20 upset victory on the road over previously unbeaten Bakersfield, then ranked No. 1 in the state.

The Renegades went into the game averaging 44.5 points and 312.7 yards rushing. Except for the third quarter, when Bakersfield scored 17 points, Moorpark shut out the Renegades and preserved the victory with a key play.

On second and 10 from the Moorpark 15-yard line with 34 seconds left, Raider inside linebacker Robert Webb sacked Danny Henry on a blitz and caused him to fumble. Linebacker Jeffery Maxey recovered and the Raiders whooped it up in front of 8,000 at Memorial Stadium, where Bakersfield is virtually untouchable.

“They thought they were going to run all over us, and it was the wrong idea,” said Eddie Flores, an outspoken sophomore nose guard who platoons with soft-spoken sophomore Jason Sandel. “They didn’t give us much respect.”

Maybe so, but Moorpark’s next opponents definitely won’t take them lightly.

The Raiders (3-1, 3-0 in conference play), ranked No. 13 in the state, will face host Valley (5-0, 5-0) tonight at 7. The Monarchs, ranked fifth in the state and 13th in the country by USA Today, feature a run-and-shoot offense that is the opposite of Bakersfield’s run-oriented attack and one that could give Moorpark headaches.

But Valley Coach Jim Fenwick says his team’s explosive offense that ranks first in the state in passing with 1,711 yards and second overall with 2,176 yards will be challenged.

“They (Raiders) have so much team speed they are really scary,” Fenwick said. “They just pressure you so hard and are so consistent.”

There, folks, lies the secret to their success. Well, most of it. The Moorpark defensive players, however, claim they are prosperous on the field because of intangibles.

“We all rely on each other and we know everyone is going to do his job,” said Jason Jones, a 6-foot-5 sophomore tackle and fashion statesman who wears what he calls “Rainbow Power” socks. “I think it’s the camaraderie that makes us good. We like each other.”

If not naturally, at least by design. Gil Mendoza, Moorpark’s defensive coordinator, said the players are required to remain cordial with each other on the field.

“We try to enforce that,” Mendoza said. “(They) have to leave any differences they might have off the field. Fortunately, they don’t seem to have them on this team.”

If that’s the case, then some opponents might want to spread some nasty gossip about Moorpark instead of studying game films. Bakersfield, for one, discovered how much havoc the Raiders can cause with this harmony of theirs. The Raiders forced the Renegades into five turnovers and had six sacks, including two by Jones, who leads the team with 10.

Moorpark also intercepted two passes, one by free safety Doyle Holmon and one by cornerback John Moss. Holmon, who has two interceptions, anchors the secondary that also includes cornerback Walter Thomas and strong safety Laurence Kennedy.

“Their defense, year in and year out, is the best we play in our conference,” said Carl Bowser, the Bakersfield coach. “They are coming after you on every down.”

From the left side of the line that means David Acosta, a 280-pound tackle who has 19 unassisted tackles and seven sacks, and who Jones calls “the voice of reason.” Maxey says Acosta is the glue binding the unit.

“Everything has a leader and the leader of this defense is Daddy Acosta,” said Maxey, a sophomore who has 15 solo tackles and four sacks. Maxey handles the outside duties with sophomore Mike Prchal.

Acosta, one of three Raiders to score a defensive touchdown this season (Jones and Maxey are the others), smiles sheepishly at the compliment. Although he pumps his right arm after stopping ballcarriers--”It’s just something that happens. It’s not like I plan it”--Acosta is otherwise quiet and undemonstrative. He also likes to keep things in perspective.

“Our heads don’t swell,” Acosta said. “We are not satisfied with what we’ve done. . . . The (team) rankings don’t matter much. What matters is where we are at the end of the season.”

But there is no denying that the Raiders would like to finish the season at the top of the state defensive charts. Sophomore inside linebacker David Hairston, who leads the team with 41 tackles, says the possibilities are too obvious to ignore.

The Raiders were third in the state last season at 230.5 yards allowed per game and Hairston figured the returning players would make the team equally strong.

“We said at the beginning of the season that we wanted to be No. 1 on defense,” Hairston said.