THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran football showed flashes of prowess in the first half but couldn't put it all together, dropping its SCIAC opener to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 31-13 at William Rolland Stadium on Saturday evening. The Kingsmen (0-3, 0-1 SCIAC) couldn't overcome a tough Stags (3-0, 1-0 SCIAC) defense, falling to 0-3 for the first time since 2004.
Quarterback Jaden Casey threw for a career-high 307 yards on 24-47 passing. Casey found his top weapon Cade Cadam 10 times for an impressive 181 yards and a touchdown. Cadam's 181 receiving yards was also a career-high, smashing his previous best 121 yards and marking the third time he's eclipsed the triple-digit receiving mark.
After the Stags scored in their first two possessions to go up 14-0, kicker Daniel Burgos drilled a 48-yard field goal to cap off a 6:35 drive and get the Kingsmen on the board. The defense had no answer for the Stag's offense, as CMS answered by marching 70 yards in six plays to make it 21-3 in just the second quarter.
The Kingsmen responded with their most explosive play of the day. Casey found Cadam on a go-route and hit him in stride down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown.
The Stags found the endzone once more before the half ended while Burgos got the Kingsmen another three points from 42 yards out. The Stags led 28-13 in a high-scoring first 30 minutes of football.
The second half flipped the script, with just three points scored for the rest of the game. It came from a Stags' field goal in the third quarter that allowed them to cruise to the finish line.
Jake Frey led the Kingsmen defense with nine tackles. The Kingsmen got to the Stags' quarterback four times, as Diego Serrano, Devon Goosby, Hunter Hall, and Max Juarez all posted a sack. AJ Townsend had two pass breakups while Frey, Agenhart Ellis IV, Joshua Christopher, and John Moore all added one.
The Kingsmen look to get in the win column next week on the road. They travel to Orange to take on Chapman (2-1, 1-0 SCIAC) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
