WON FOR THE ROAD T.O. STRONG AGAIN AWAY FROM HOME T.O. 28, AGOURA 7.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

AGOURA HILLS - The homecoming pageantry at Agoura High on Friday night included pyrotechnics, jousting competitions and an unconfirmed sighting of horse droppings on the 30-yard-line.

Thousand Oaks was undaunted by the chaos. The Lancers have thrived on the road against the Marmonte League's elite.

Playing away from home for the third time in four weeks, Thousand Oaks continued its march toward a league tile with a 28-7 win over the Chargers.

The Lancers (5-2, 4-0) will play at home the final three weeks (San Luis Obispo and Marmonte League opponents Simi Valley and Newbury Park). They've got this away-game routine down pat.

Winning at two-time defending champion Westlake on Sept. 27 was a breakthrough. Last week's 45-14 rout at Royal of Simi Valley cemented Thousand Oaks as the Marmonte League favorite.

And behind its underrated defense, Thousand Oaks was in control much of the game against the Chargers (3-4, 2-2). Agoura managed just 214 total yards, many coming against Lancers' reserves in the fourth quarter.

A late Agoura touchdown ended a five-plus-quarter shutout streak dating back to the Royal win.

``We don't make a lot of big plays. We're just sound,'' said Thousand Oaks linebacker Patrick Hoffman, consistently in the Chargers backfield Friday.

``We got our away games out of the way. Now we can just concentrate on playing well at home.''

Wherever the venue is, Thousand Oaks is tough to beat when senior quarterback Ben Olson is playing with the poise and confidence he's showcasing in Marmonte League play.

In just three quarters of work, the left-hander was 17 of 22 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores.

``When you can win on the road, it makes it a lot easier to win at home,'' Olson said. ``I think everyone's playing better now. We're having fun playing football.''

For the third consecutive week, Olson deftly directed a two-minute drill for the clinching touchdown. Taking advantage of soft pass coverage and working the sideline, Olson had completions of 14, 13 and 13 yards as the Lancers quietly moved forward from their 30.

Olson ran 9 yards off a draw for a touchdown that gave Thousand Oaks a comfortable 21-0 halftime lead.

The Chargers' offense, which had been productive the last two weeks, was grounded much of the first half by an aggressive Lancers defense.

Agoura quarterback Joel Arias constantly was hurried when dropping back and went just 2 of 13 for 16 yards and an interception in the first half.

The Chargers did have one sustained drive, aided by three Thousand Oaks penalties near the end of the first quarter. On third-and-goal from the 4, the normally sure-handed Bryan Huston dropped an Arias pass in the end zone.

Rejecting a possible field goal that would have cut into a 14-0 deficit, the Chargers got nothing out of a promising possession when Arias was crunched by Brad Witkosky and Josh Carson just as he released an incomplete pass.

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Photo:

Thousand Oaks' Ryan Sheldon dives forward for an extra yard Friday against Agoura.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer