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Converting after TD crucial in Ventura College victory
STORY TOOLS 
More from CollegeFour touchdowns were scored Saturday night at a gusty Monarch Stadium in Van Nuys.
The only one that was properly capped with a point-after pushed the Ventura College football team to its third straight victory.
The Pirates jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead and held off host Los Angeles Valley, 16-15, on the slight margin of the only successful extra point of the game.
Ventura (4-3) improved to 3-1 in the Western State Conference's Pacific Division to maintain its second-place position.
It has a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2004 and has a winning record for the first time under first-year head coach Jon Mack.
Ventura was buoyed by another solid defensive performance and 166 yards of offense on the ground — including 88 yards on 21 carries by freshman Michael Lee and 75 yards on 21 carries by freshman Gabriel Bostic.
Both backs ran for short touchdowns in the second quarter to give Ventura a 16-3 halftime lead.
Quarterback Lee Mondol made his third straight start, completing 9 of 20 passing for 108 yards.
His best connection, a 33-yard pass to a diving Jordan Cameron on the final play of the first quarter, set up Lee's 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.
Ventura marched 99 yards late in the second quarter. The drive was capped by Bostic's 3-yard run with 1:44 left in the half.
Helped by a successful onside kick, Valley running back Anthony Dickson rushed for two short touchdowns in the final five minutes to pull L.A. Valley within 16-15, but the Monarchs twice failed to covert the extra point.
Dickson finished with 104 yards rushing and two scores on 25 carries.
Ventura killed the rally by recovering a second onside attempt with 2:24 to play.
For the second straight week, Lee and the Ventura offensive line ground out the clock with two vital first downs.
In the gusty conditions, the two teams combined for a single pass play in the third quarter.
Valley's Paul Landon and Ventura's Kris Reveles exchanged short field goals in the first quarter.
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