Moorpark fans lend their support to Musketeers’ cause
Thousands of MHS faithful on hand at the Home Depot Center
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

SEBASTIAN RAMIREZ/Acorn Newspapers SHOWING THE LOVE—Moorpark community, friends and family gather together along Tierra Rejada Road between Mountain Trail and the 23 Freeway to show support to the Musketeer football team as the squad drove by on the way to the Home Depot Center for the CIFSS finals last Saturday. More than 100 people came out to cheer MHS on. The team was escorted out of town by fire department trucks.

It’s not every day that a team makes the championship game in high school football. Realizing this, Moorpark High fans did their best to support the Musketeers last Saturday in Carson at the Home Depot Center during the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division championship game against Canyon High.

Friends, family members, students and football fans came out dressed in green and gold ready to root for MHS against Canyon High. Pom-poms, balloons and people decked out in face paint were a familiar sight.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Moorpark junior student K.C. Allen said. “We are really good friends of some of the players, and we made the long drive down here to see the game. We talked to them this week and before the game today to offer our best support.”

Many of the Musketeer faithful came to the Home Depot Center four hours before kickoff.

“We wanted to come out and tailgate before the game, but we weren’t allowed to do that here,” said Dave Messing, father of Moorpark senior David Messing.

“It’s been great watching this team all year long. I think the team has really brought the community of Moorpark together.”

The older Messing said that watching the game took him back a few years, with Messing having coached many of the Musketeers years ago in youth leagues.

“It’s bittersweet to watch this game today,” Messing said. “I’m so happy for them, but at the same time, it’s sad as it is the last time they will all be playing together for Moorpark. It’s great to see that some of the kids that weren’t great athletes early on have turned out to be real good for this team.”

Messing wasn’t the only former coach at the game. Scott Reinhardt, father of senior Daniel Reinhardt, had previously coached the majority of the team in youth leagues.

“It was a great pleasure to coach most of these kids, and to now see how they all stuck together over the years and ended up playing in this game,” Reinhardt said. “This game will be so precious to them later on; I don’t think they realize yet just how great it is.”

For many of the Musketeers, Reinhardt was their first football coach, and he is held in high regard.

Senior linebacker and fullback back Zach Trottier had to give a report in school when he was 12 years old on who his hero was. According to Trottier’s mother, Dana, Zach picked Reinhardt for his report.

“We used to nickname (Trottier) Forrest from the movie “Forrest Gump” because he had such good speed and was always running,” Reinhardt said. “It’s been a pleasure to watch him through the years and get to this game. I don’t think he has much feeling left in his body, but he can still hit very hard.”

Trottier’s family came to the game as well, including his grandfather, Gerry Snider, who made the drive all the way from Arizona. This year Snider celebrated his 50th anniversary of making the championship game for his high school baseball team.

“This game is very emotional,” Snider said. “It definitely takes me back to when I played in the championship game. This week I was talking to some of those former players and I told them I had a grandson playing this week in the high school football championship game.

“I talked with him (Trottier) a little during this week. I see a lot of myself when watching him play. I see my old quickness and desire in him. I see him hurt and how he keeps going and it makes me proud,” Snider said.

Although Moorpark played a tough game and pulled off a fourthquarter rally to take a 2221 lead late, the Musketeers came up just a little short when Canyon senior Christopher Chapman kicked an 18-yard field goal to win the game for the Cowboys.

As time expired, Moorpark fans made their way through the aisles as the public address system played Green Day’s “Good Riddance.” Though the team had come up on the losing end, the fans seemed pleased with the effort and already were thinking about next year.

“It’s a pretty tough loss to swallow,” Moorpark freshman Nick Yasman said. “But we tried our hardest and played a good game. It’s sad to see Josh Smith go, but next year with Darrell Scott, I think we will be dominating again.”

Dan Thompson, father of Moorpark volleyball player Shannon Thompson, was at the game and agreed wit Yasman.

“It’s heartbreaking to see them lose after how hard they have played all season,” Thompson said. “They played with a lot of heart today.”

After the game, Reinhardt gave praise to the team he has watched grow up over the years.

“I’m really proud of the way they hung in there today,” Reinhardt said. “It’s tough the way they lost, but this was a good team. This is a time they won’t soon forget.”