MOORPARK — Brody Tweedy usually tries to run over defenders. On Friday night, Moorpark coach Christian Dearborn noticed something different about his junior running back.
Tweedy was being patient, finding openings and letting the game come to him.
Tweedy rushed for more than 200 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 76-yard run, as Moorpark (9-2) defeated Trabuco Hills (7-4) 38-21 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 football playoffs Friday.
“We always give him a hard time because he’s just always so downhill trying to run people over,” Dearborn said. “And he really had great vision tonight.”
Moorpark built a 21-0 lead behind Tweedy’s running game, but Trabuco Hills fought back to within three points in the third quarter before the Musketeers pulled away.
Tweedy opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After Moorpark defensive back Blake Davidson intercepted a Trabuco Hills pass, Tweedy broke free for a 76-yard touchdown on the next play.
“It was just a basic run call,” Tweedy said. “I saw the lane and then the moment it kind of all came clear and I got past everyone, I’m like, just don’t get tracked down.”
Tweedy added a 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give Moorpark an early 21-0 advantage.
Trabuco Hills answered with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Johnson before Moorpark kicker Jace Mangers made a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-7.
Jaden Raimondo caught a 9-yard touchdown pass before halftime, cutting the deficit to 24-14.
Trabuco Hills continued to rely on its running game in the third quarter, with Raimondo scoring on a 2-yard run to bring the Mustangs within 24-21.
Trabuco Hills running back Luke Hoffman, who missed the previous game with a leg injury, also contributed to the Mustangs’ rushing attack.
Trabuco Hills coach Mark Nolan said Hoffman worked hard to return in time for the playoffs.
“He was able to rehab and be very diligent with his training and his PT, and he was able to grit and tough through a playoff game,” Nolan said. “And I thought he played really, really well.”
Davidson said Moorpark’s defense struggled to contain Trabuco Hills’ running game during the comeback.
“We really just needed to stop the run,” Davidson said. “They kept just running the ball right down and we didn’t have an answer for it.”
But Moorpark responded when quarterback Dawson Armstrong connected with Davis Benson on a 64-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 31-21.
Armstrong added a 23-yard touchdown pass to Colby Cronquist in the fourth quarter to give Moorpark a 38-21 lead.
Dearborn said getting the ball to his playmakers was important as Trabuco Hills began focusing its defense on Benson.
“They come down keying on Davis Benson and there goes Colby down the sidelines, just kept working his route,” Dearborn said.
Davidson finished with two interceptions, including one in the end zone with less than two minutes remaining that ended another Trabuco Hills scoring opportunity.
Davidson, who has been playing through a shoulder injury, said the second interception was particularly meaningful.
“That was electric,” Davidson said. “I’ve been dealing with a little bit of a shoulder injury, so playing through that, that has definitely made it more special too.”
Despite the loss, Nolan praised his team’s ability to fight back after falling behind by three touchdowns.
“They showed great grit tonight and they can hold their heads high,” Nolan said.
Moorpark advances to the second round after losing at that stage last season.
“Not many people had high expectations for us,” Tweedy said. “We lost over half our team last year.”
But Tweedy believes this year’s group can go further.
“We don’t get the biggest guys, we don’t get the fastest guys, but everyone here has heart,” he said. “And so I really think we can make a deep run with this group.”