RUNNERS WIN SOME JEWELRY; GERRY GETS SECOND.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

The Moorpark College women's cross country team didn't leave its heart or anything else in San Francisco last weekend, but it did leave with a few gold watches.

The watches were prizes for the Moorpark runners, who finished second in the Golden Gate Invitational on Saturday.

Jeanene Gerry finished second in the individual competition in 19 minutes, 20 seconds and teammate Melissa McBain finished fifth in 19:47.

Also for the Raiders, Jessica Lepisto finished 25th in 20:59 and Kate Levinson broke her personal best by 20 with a 26th-place finish in 21:03.

The Moorpark women finished second to Santa Ana in the 22-team competition.

The Raiders will attempt to build on that strong finish Friday, when they host a Western State Conference minimeet. The women's competition begins at 3:30 p.m., followed by the men's at 4:15 p.m.

``We only have one sophomore (Levinson) on the women's team, so we're pretty young, but we have some talent,'' coach Doni Green said. ``The men are going through a little bit of a rebuilding year.''

Pedro Garcia was the Raiders' top runner in San Francisco with a 27th-place finish in 20:41. Norm Patton followed in 20:47, good for 31st.

Getting defensive: Moorpark's football team scored 58 points in a stunning victory over Ventura, which was ranked seventh in the state, but coach Jim Bittner was quick to praise his team's defensive unit.

``We play a lot of freshmen on defense, so it takes awhile for them to learn to play together,'' Bittner said. ``They have just continued to get better, and our offense has been consistent every week.''

The Raiders were up against Travis Rogers, the leading rusher in the Western State Conference. Rogers gained 128 yards on 20 carries but had only four runs of greater than 10 yards.

``That was our plan, to try to contain him,'' Bittner said. ``He runs right at you, and if you get over-concerned with him, then they try to throw the ball on you.''

But the Pirates gained only 98 yards in the air, with the quarterback position split between Glen Dudley (4 of 12) and Adrian Maciel (4 of 8).

Running on full: Two weeks ago, Moorpark struggled to find even one tailback who could run the ball consistently. Now the Raiders' backs are lining up to get carries.

Bryant Phipps (112 yards on 28 carries) went over the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive week, and Brian Parker, playing fullback for only the second time, gained 83 yards on nine carries. In addition, Emmanuel Evans, who missed the first three games with a sprained right knee, saw his first action of the season Saturday and scored a touchdown.

Healthy choice: Originally a tailback, Parker became frustrated with his lack of playing time and decided to make a move two weeks ago to defensive back.

``He wanted to do it,'' Bittner said, ``but with all the running they do on defense, he had an asthma attack in practice and couldn't do it anymore. He wanted to try to go both ways, but I told him to make a decision.

``I felt we needed a stronger runner at fullback, so that's the decision he made, and he did a great job against Ventura.''

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Photo: Shayne Sobel caught four passes for 83 yards and two touchdow ns in Moorpark's 58-33 victory over Ventura.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer