Midway through the second quarter on Saturday’s home game at Moorpark College, the score stood 22-7 as the Raiders held a lead on the Long Beach City College Vikings.

The quick start from the Raiders is just what this team needed and it seemed to come at the best time against one of the best community college teams in the nation. This early lead put the pressure on Long Beach to figure it out and over the next two plus quarters of football they held the Raiders to only seven more points and won the game 43-29.

“We need to get back to what we did in game one and game two, defensively,” said Moorpark defensive end Jordan Flack. “We need to get back to the practice field, wrap up on tackles because that’s what hurt us.”

In weeks past, slow starts have plagued the Raiders on offense, but Saturday it was the ground game that got the ball rolling. Running back Isaiah Johnson toted the rock 14 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came on back-to-back drives in the first quarter to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead. Johnson racked up 32 more yards on five catches.

Long Beach struck back with a touchdown when quarterback Jake Maier connected with wide receiver Jacob Welch for a 42-yard catch at the 12:24 mark in the second quarter.

On the ensuing possession for Moorpark, they orchestrated an 11-play drive which resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kado Brown to wide receiver Emmanuel Osuchukwu.

Maier took over the next drive for Long Beach and once again hit Jacob Welch for a long catch and run for a 53-yard touchdown. It wasn’t long after a Moorpark three-and-out that Maier hooked up with another talented Vikings receiver Jabari Minix for a 62-yard touchdown catch. This score, followed by a two point conversion, tied the game at 22-22.

“At the end of the day, we couldn’t tackle at the point of attack and that’s what hurt us tonight,” said Moorpark Raider defensive line coach Eddy McGilvra. “The scheme was there, we just didn’t execute.”

Long Beach kept the pressure on after a shanked kickoff from Moorpark to open the half, a quick drive from the Vikings resulted in a 12-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jason Floyd.

The score held firm at 29-22 in favor of Long Beach for the remainder of the third quarter as Moorpark carried their drive into the fourth when an 11-play drive into Viking territory stalled for a turnover on downs.

“As an offense we need to put up more points,” said Osuchukwu. “We need to give the defense a break, can’t have these three and outs.”

It didn’t take long for the Vikings to march down the field as running back Tyree Harris tallied 53 yards on the ground on 4 attempts resulting in a touchdown. Harris finished the day as the leading rusher for the Vikings with 10 total carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

The second half for the Moorpark Raiders was a polar opposite performance as far as the defense is concerned. In the first half they notch 10 tackles for loss and nearly eliminated the running game for Long Beach. The usually stout defensive front for the Raiders looked worn down in the second half, as the offense for Long Beach switched their play calling up and changed to the ground game.

When the score hit 36-22 in favor of Long Beach, who had accounted for the last 29 points, the responsibility fell on the offense for Moorpark to make something happen and quick.

When Kado Brown and company took over at their own 30-yard line with 7:04 to play in the fourth quarter, Isaiah Johnson rushed for 39 yards on two plays as they drove into Viking territory. On the very next play Brown linked up with one of his favorite targets, Osuchukwu, for a 31-yard touchdown catch and run.

Brown finished the game going 22 of 34 for 249 yards, and two touchdowns through the air, while adding another 81 on the ground. Brown had a 75-yard scramble early in the game erased on the next play with a bad handoff, resulting in a fumble.

Bringing themselves within one score, the Raiders needed to make one defensive stop, but the Viking running game sealed the deal with a 63-yard touchdown drive on eight rushing plays.

When the clock hit all zeroes, the final was 43-29, Long Beach.

An inability to move the ball against a very talented, and depth-heavy program proved to be too much for the Raiders, but a fast start and new offensive look showed positives for this Raider program.

“I am confident in our team, I’m confident we will turn this around,” said Brown. “I want my team to know I’ll do whatever it takes for them to be successful, we will turn this around.”

The Moorpark Raiders take to the road in their second away game of the year on Sept. 24 at Palomar College. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.