Looking Back: Moorpark's Football Season Was an Exciting One

Summer has arrived, and it’s time to take a final look back at Moorpark’s 2010 football season, the first in a Patch sports series reviewing the highlights from the 2010-2011 school year.

At first glace, Moorpark's 6-6 final record was not flashy, especially for a program that had made four Southern Section championship appearances over the preceding five seasons, but the Musketeers still had a good year, especially when you consider the Marmonte League was fortified with the addition of high-powered private schools Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure.

The season got off to a tough start. Moorpark made its way all the way to Chula Vista – the last stop before the Mexican border – in an opening 24-21 loss at Eastlake. The defeat proved dramatic, as Moorpark overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half, only to loss on a 41-yard field goal by Marcelo Urrutia with nine seconds left.

It was a heartbreaker, but with first-time starters at nearly every position, Moorpark knew there were better times ahead, and that’s exactly what happened.

Grant Rohach passed for 192 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, and the junior continued to prove himself.

The next contest came down to the wire, too, but this time Moorpark escaped with a 31-30 win over visiting Newbury Park, as a potential winning 44-yard field goal by Kevin Kircher hit the crossbar to a huge sigh of relief for the Musketeers.

Rohach scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes, as Moorpark again overcame a late 14-point deficit. He completed 25 of 31 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, a great way to start Marmonte completion.

But weaknesses were exposed, as Newbury Park’s Jake Geringer passed for 474 yards in a losing effort.

Moorpark looked like its old self in a 37-7 win over Agoura to set up a showdown with St. Bonaventure, an opponent that two years earlier had defeated the Musketeers by 35 points in the 2008 Northern Division final.

In yet another thriller that saw Moorpark erase a 13-point deficit, Moorpark lost 28-25 on a 46-yard touchdown reception with just over two minutes left. Rohach, who passed for 138 yards, hit Jerry Shumway on an 18-yard touchdown with 5:12 left, capping a 92-yard scoring drive.

More tough losses followed, including a 35-14 defeat to Westlake in a rematch of Moorpark’s Northern championship loss the year before. The Musketeers also fell to Oaks Christian 21-14 and Thousand Oaks 29-28 in heartbreaking finale that evened Moorpark’s record to 5-5 heading into the playoffs.

Moorpark opened the postseason with a 27-17 win over reigning Western Division champion Mira Costa, then the season ended with a 40-21 loss at Valencia in the Northern quarterfinals.

"We weren't sure what we had coming into the season, and we wouldn't really know until after our first game," coach Tim Lins said. "After our first game versus Eastlake, we were really happy with our effort and the way we played even though we came out on the short end."

Four of Moorpark's six losses were by a combined 14 points. 

Rohach passed for 1,897 yards and 23 touchdowns, and with one season remaining, the quarterback has committed to Iowa State. Shumway finished with 35 receptions for 488 yards and eight touchdowns, Tyler Peterson rushed for 851 yards and seven touchdowns, and linebackers Jake Woolley and Quinn Bauducco were among the leaders on defense.

"I saw a lot in our senior class as they welcomed us as juniors, and we're going to have to do the same to next year's juniors. We all developed as a team," Rohach said.