VALENCIA — Thousand Oaks football delivered a dominant performance from start to finish on Thursday night as senior quarterback Jackson Taylor and the Lancers defeated West Ranch 49-15 in a commanding road victory.
“I thought the focus and intensity was much better tonight,” said Thousand Oaks head coach Brenden Johnson postgame. “I think [it] being another team’s homecoming definitely motivated them a little bit more too, and they just… came out firing on all cylinders and they’re improving every day at practice.”
Thousand Oaks came into Thursday’s game off a 20-19 win over Agoura, but the Lancers showed why they’re a team to watch in the Conejo Coast League.
Taylor, who played the first half and threw five touchdowns in the win, talked about the team’s preparation leading up to the contest.
“I think the biggest thing was the entire week we spent in preparation, we got what we were expecting to see and that makes all the practice and all the work we did during the week valuable. … We were able to execute the game plan we had and we executed well.”
Thousand Oaks started strong early, as a 51-yard touchdown run from senior Jordan Johnson and a four-yard pass from Taylor to senior Luke Sullivan put them up 14-0 within the first five minutes.
A 12-yard touchdown from Taylor to senior Hayden Vercher a few minutes later extended Thousand Oaks’ lead to 21-0, and West Ranch couldn’t muster much of a sustained response on the night.
West Ranch scored early in the 2nd quarter when quarterback Blake Johnson scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown on 2nd and goal, but three additional touchdowns from the Lancers put them up 42-7 at halftime.
West Ranch’s offense dominated most of the 3rd quarter, and Johnson connected with sophomore wide receiver Darren Akuin for a 17-yard touchdown to finish a 63-yard drive, making it 42-15 after a successful 2-point conversion. By then, however, the outcome was clear, with a running clock used in the second half.
Thousand Oaks’ backups played the entire 2nd half, and their offense still performed well. Sophomore running back Trey Lewis scored from two yards out, extending Thousand Oaks’ lead to 49-15, ultimately putting the final touches on a successful night for the Lancers.
“I think they came out and they did a great job,” Johnson said about his team’s 2nd half performance led by his reserves. “They fought hard, especially against a team that still had their starters in, and they played their [butts] off all the way until the end, and I’m sure everyone’s ecstatic that they got some experience in a varsity football game.”
For Johnson, the message was about trying to improve as the team approaches the halfway point of the season undefeated.
“I don’t want us to get stagnant. I want us to keep working and keep grinding and getting better every day. I think that’s gonna be our focal point. … Getting another win tonight was great, but we’re already looking forward to the next one.”
Upcoming for Thousand Oaks (4-0) is a road game next Friday against Simi Valley. For West Ranch (1-3), they’ll begin league play next Friday at home against Valencia.