WOODLAND HILLS — Short practice week. Large challenge.

Big win, too.

Fate conspired against the Moorpark College football team last week, with wildfires raising smoke that drastically cut the practice schedule just when it seemed the Raiders needed the work.

With the defense set to take on pass-happy L.A. Pierce College and Alex Pettee, the leading passer in the Western State Conference, the Raiders barely had time to set their schemes.

Practice was axed last Monday, while Tuesday and Wednesday were short days. That barely left time for a walk-through to set the stage for Saturday's kickoff.

"It was tough," admitted sophomore safety Wiston Juene. "I'll tell you this, Pierce is a hard team to play. They've got receivers flying all over the place, and (Pettee) is probably the best quarterback in the conference.

"We basically had our walk through, then we had to come and play the game."

In the end, no matter.

Moorpark College romped to a 52 victory at Pierce, building leads of 31-10 at halftime and 45-10 in the third period.

Pettee was limited to a modest 176 yards while completing 19 of 40 passes, with one interception.

Sam Hollis picked off a pass in the third period and turned it into a 40-yard return for a touchdown.

Hollis, a sophomore from Moorpark High, said the end results weren't as easy as it looked.

"It was hard, especially with all the practice time we missed," he said. "This is a tough team to play against. I just think we're coming together as a defense. We've played together for awhile, and looking forward to playing our best football in the next couple of weeks."

Hollis also said he relished the challenge of taking on Pierce.

"I'm a defensive back, so I love going up against a team like this that likes to throw it around," he said with a grin.

The offense did its part, too, with Bryan Randolph throwing for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and the Raiders rushers amassing 304 yards, Xavier Walker led the way with 109 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown run, on 20 carries.

James Clay rushed for a 20-yard touchdown, Shelton Banks had a 7-yard scoring run and Marcus Hunt scored from 1-yard out.

Now the challenge accelerates this week, with Citrus College set to visit Griffin Stadium on Saturday night for a 5 p.m. kickoff.

Moorpark's hopes for a bowl berth just might be at stake.

Juene said the timing is right, but the work must continue.

"I'm pleased," he said. "We're playing well at the right time of the season. But we still have lots of things to work on. We need to be even better next week."