THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - If history would be any indicator of how this game would play out, the Cal Lutheran football team and Pomona-Pitzer followed the script once again with the Kingsmen rolling by the Sagehens 41-17 in front of a packed crowd for Homecoming Weekend at Rolland Stadium.
Last season, CLU defeated the Sagehens by a similar score, 42-17, and in the last 10 games played between the two teams since 2003, the Kingsmen have averaged 41.8 points per game to Pomona-Pitzer's 17.1. With history on their side, Cal Lutheran got back in the win column this season and picked up their tenth straight win over the Sagehens in the process.
The Kingsmen did most of their damage in the first quarter, jumping out to a 20-0 lead to satisfy a big homecoming crowd. The Violet and Gold scored three straight touchdowns on their first three drives of the game to gain the upper hand.
Cal Lutheran moved the ball effortlessly to start the game as quarterback Nick Isham connected on a big 23-yard pass play to tight end Connor Allen. Ricky Johnson followed with a 21-yard run of his own and on second-and-goal, Isham completed an 8-yard pass to Sean Bellotti in the endzone for the touchdown.
Meanwhile, the CLU defense forced two straight three-and-outs and forced a fumble on Pomona-Pitzer's third drive of the game, not allowing any offense from the Sagehens. Robert Foy came up with a critical sack on the quarterback on third down and put the Kingsmen in great field position after the punt.
On their second drive of the game, Isham completed a pair of 11-yard passes to Andrew Worthley and Alix Moise whose reception came in the endzone for the touchdown and the 13-0 lead. The drive lasted 1 minute and 39 seconds and CLU just needed five plays to punch it in for a score.
The third drive for CLU took even less time than the previous two, with the Kingsmen gaining 30 yards on four plays in 1 minute and 25 seconds capped off by an Isaac Seymour 8-yard rushing touchdown.
Just before halftime, up 20-3, Isham and Bellotti connected once again for a 10-yard score to finish off a 7-play 64-yard drive and give the Kingsmen a commanding 27-3 halftime lead.
In the second half, Sagehens running back Aseal Birir gave all he could to bring Pomona-Pitzer back in the game but the high octane offensive of the Kingsmen proved to be too much. Birir scored two touchdowns coming off a 26-yard play and a terrific 61-yard run that left the stadium bewildered after thinking he had been tackled. Birir led all rushers in the game with 208 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per carry.
Despite allowing the two rushing scores in the second half, Isham added a 3-yard rushing touchdown of his own as did freshman running back Michael White for the final score of the game giving CLU the 41-17 victory.
Isham went 18-of-26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns from the pocket and added 74 yards on the ground. Quarterback turned wide receiver David Rico caught three passes for 52 yards and gave the Kingsmen an offensive boost with his exhilarating plays. Andrew Worthley recorded another triple-digit receiving game, hauling in 111 yards on eight receptions. Johnson carried the ball 12 times for 71 yards and added 44 return yards for 115 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, Erron Christmas and Trevor Roe led the team with nine tackles apiece and Steven David came up with two huge tackles for loss of 14 yards. Nikolas Kessler added an interception in the game and returned it for 15 yards on the play.
Cal Lutheran (2-3, 2-1 SCIAC) will look to carry their momentum on to next week, Oct. 25, as they take on Chapman (3-1, 2-0 SCIAC) under the lights at 7:00 p.m. at Rolland Stadium.
Box Score: PP 17, CLU 41
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