Two dominant signal callers in Logan Moon and Derek Garcia are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Moorpark Musketeers will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Ventura Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ventura will be up against a hot Moorpark team: the squad just extended their winning streak to six. The Musketeers blew past Oak Park 52-27 on Friday. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-21.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Moon and Grayson Auzat. Moon had a great game and rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries. Meanwhile, Auzat was balling out in the loss, rushing for 36 yards and one TD, while also throwing for 139 yards and one touchdown.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Moorpark, adding 22 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Payton Sustin, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ventura, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 62-13 victory over Buena. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 198th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 527th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ventura found their leader in sophomore Tristan Savage, who picked up 86 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and also punched in a pair of TDs on the ground. Miller Glasgow was another key player, rushing for 66 yards and one score on only eight carries.
Ventura's run defense was locked in: Buena could only muster 2.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Jordan Butcher for the heroic effort on defense: he. Ventura is a perfect 3-0 when they shut down the run game so well.
Moorpark's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Ventura, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Moorpark has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 176.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ventura struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 168.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Moorpark and Ventura were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but Moorpark came up empty-handed after a 36-35 loss. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Cougars' Garcia, who threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in one rushing score. Now that the Musketeers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
