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Despite a valiant fourth quarter comeback Saturday, the Lancers football team was unable to get back in the win column on the road, losing to Moorpark College 23-17.

PCC rallied from 17-7 down late in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but could not connect on a 33-yard field goal attempt by freshman kicker Franklyn Cervanka.

Although Cervanka connected on a 48-yard kick to tie the game at 17 in the fourth quarter, the potential game winning kick missed wide left. 

“We threw the ball fairly proficiently, but we have to re-establish our running game,” head coach Fred Fimbres said. “Our receivers have been pretty consistent in keeping us in the games. We played 64 minutes and hung in there for 63 of them.”

For the second consecutive week the Lancers (2-6 overall, 1-3 in conference) were first on the board when freshman quarterback Trevor Hampton connected on a 65-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver J. Turner Jackson.

Despite the defeat, Jackson became the fifth player in PCC history to total more than 200 yards receiving in a single game. Jackson recorded a game-high 202 yards on only five receptions, becoming the first Lancer to hit the 200-yard mark with less than eight catches.

“He [J. Turner Jackson] is obviously very important to our team,” offensive coordinator Bill Laslett said. “He’s very good under pressure, and he’s your typical big play guy. He’s a smart young man and he makes adjustments throughout game. It’s nice to have that.”

Down 10 points in the fourth quarter, Hampton connected on an 86-yard touchdown pass to the always reliable Jackson to cut the score to 17-14 with 5:37 left. Cervanka then tied the game with his 48-yard field goal with 38 seconds left in regulation.

Despite getting the first possession in overtime, the Lancers could not capitalize, leaving the door open for the Raiders to seal the victory.

“Unfortunately the last play of the game in overtime we didn’t perform as we had most of the game,” Fimbres said. “We were in the game until the end and forced overtime and I’m really proud of how I guys battled and continued to fight and represented the institution.”

Moorpark would go on to win the game on its first overtime series with a 15 yard game-winning touchdown run up the middle.

Although the Lancers lost their fourth consecutive game Saturday, the future looks to be in good hands. After starting the season as the third-string quarterback, Hampton has passed for more than 300 yards in each of his two college starts.

Despite their communication lapse in overtime, the Lancers defense looked much improved and made several big plays. In the second quarter, defensive back Marlon Dobbins returned a fumble 68 yards. Defensive backs Paul Gandara and Idrissa Simpson made interceptions as did lineman Patrick Webb on an errant shovel pass.

“We lost fundamentally,” Webb said. “Our defense was much improved but we have to finish strong. If we buckle down and play fundamental defense we should be OK.”

Lineman Serge Vita had a monster performance as he recorded a team-high six tackles—five behind the line of scrimmage?including three sacks. Linebacker Anthony Johnson added four tackles for the Lancers.

Moorpark (2-6 overall, 1-2 conference) was led by sophomore quarterback Nick Davis, who passed for 244 yards and ran for 98 yards on 11 carries.

The Lancers will travel to play Allan Hancock College on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Righetti High School in Santa Maria. 

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