THOUSAND OAKS — Thanks to an excessive celebration penalty on a game-tying score, the Thousand Oaks High football team found itself on the wrong end of a 54-48, double-overtime loss to Rio Mesa on Friday night.
Junior quarterback Jackson Taylor raced into the end zone from 6 yards out in the final minute of regulation to tie the score at 41-all. The Lancers (5-3 overall, 2-1 Conejo Coast League) were hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty to be enforced on the PAT attempt, which was ultimately missed just wide.
“I didn’t do a good enough job coaching them,” Thousand Oaks coach Ben McEnroe said. “If they think it’s okay to do that and draw attention to themselves, that’s my fault for not hammering it home. You would think in a huge moment like that, that you would be aware and be extra careful.”
Taylor’s touchdown run came on a night when he also threw six touchdown passes. He finished 27-of-34 for 362 yards through the air.
Classmate Hayden Vercher was on the receiving end of three of those touchdown passes and finished with five catches for 166 yards.
Luke Sullivan had 11 catches for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Justin Lewis chipped in seven catches for 41 yards.
Rio Mesa scored three times in the first quarter to open a 20-7 lead.
The Lancers chipped away from there, climbing back into the game before eventually forcing overtime.
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“I love the fight,” McEnroe said. “Nobody will question our fight. They can question everything else. We obviously weren’t very good executing on defense, but we fought. I love these guys for their fight, but we didn’t deserve to win today.”
Rio Mesa quarterback JJ Bittner scored the game-winning touchdown on a 10-yard scramble – the sixth rushing touchdown of the game for the Spartans.
“They just bullied us a little bit,” McEnroe said. “Hats off to them. They had scheme and a good plan and they just out-physicaled our defense.”