It was a first half to forget for Carpinteria High football, but not one it could overcome as the Warriors lost 34-21 in their do-or-die season finale against Channel Islands Thursday at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium.
With the loss, the Warriors’ season officially ends at 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the Citrus Coast League. Meanwhile, the visiting Raiders keep their season alive, winning three of their last four games to finish 3-2 in league play and nab the third and final playoff spot.
“We dug ourselves a hole in the first half with so many turnovers, and it just wasn’t our night,” Carpinteria Head Coach Van Latham said.
After the game, Lathan said the message to the team was still one of great pride.
“We’re proud of them for doing a great job. They worked hard. Tonight wasn’t our night, but it doesn’t downplay what we’ve accomplished this year. We continue to improve as a program and get better,” he said.
While it was a first half to forget for the Warriors, it was a first half to remember for Raiders quarterback Christian Silva and his tight end Rajai Moody. Silva completed 10-of-16 passes in the first half for 191 yards and two touchdowns, with Moody catching five for 113 yards and both scores.
Silva ended the contest throwing for 249 yards on 16-of-23 passing. Moody finished with six catches for 119 yards and those two scores.
“These guys deserve it. They put the work in,” Channel Islands Head Coach Jeremiah Valoaga said. “We had a rough start to the season, but they found a way to persevere through our little ups and downs and really put it together.”
The Warriors’ four turnovers ended up being their Achilles heel on Thursday night, with all four coming in the first half. Defensively, Carpinteria also had several lapses that allowed Channel Islands to score easily.
The scoring started early, as the Raiders started the game with the ball and scored in the first five plays, with Silva hooking up with Moody for a 19-yard score.
Channel Islands then kept its aggression, kicking an onside and recovering the ball on the ensuing kickoff. It scored just seven plays later as senior running back Luis Hernandez punched it in from three yards out.
Finally getting the ball seven minutes into the contest, Carpinteria’s offense got to work, driving the ball down the field thanks to in part thanks to a 26-yard completion from junior quarterback Isaac Neri to senior Drew Filippini.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Filippini fumbled the ball just two plays later, his first fumble of the season.
Taking advantage of the turnover, three plays later, Silva again found Moody, this time on a 40-yard bomb, to put Channel Islands up 21-0.
The Warriors’ offense had two more possessions in the first half, but both ended in interceptions.
The first one hurt the most, as two plays earlier, Neri scored on a 20-yard touchdown run, but holding brought the score back. Channel Islands would take the 21-0 lead into the break.
Instead of rolling over, Carpinteria got to work in the second half and made it a game.
The Warriors opened the second half with a 13-play, 65-yard drive, which included two fourth-down conversions, and cashed in with a Neri 19-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead down to two scores with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Feeling the momentum, Carpinteria’s defense stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs on the next possession to get the ball back to its offense.
On the ensuing drive, big runs from Neri (27 yards) and senior Chris Jaimes (18 yards) put the ball at the 1-yard line, and Filippini scored from there, putting the score at 21-14.
Channel Islands’ Hernandez put the comeback efforts to rest, however.
The senior rushed for 135 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns on Thursday night, 81 of which came in the fourth quarter, along with scores on the Raiders’ next possessions, putting them up 34-14 late in the final frame.
Neri found Jaimes for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 to go for the game’s final score, ending the contest 34-21 in favor of the visitors.
Neri finished the game completing 10 passes on 15 attempts for 137 yards, tossing one touchdown and two interceptions. He added another 69 yards on the ground and one touchdown.
Filippini rushed for 73 yards and one score, adding another 30 yards on three catches. Jaimes rushed for 41 yards and caught four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.
“After halftime, we just knew we didn’t want to go down like that and we wanted to go play with momentum and play more like ourselves,” Filippini said. “I love this program. This is my family.”