THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran football returned to the win column Saturday night, earning a 24-3 victory over Azusa Pacific at William Rolland Stadium.
The Kingsmen (3-2, 2-1 SCIAC) used a strong defensive performance and two touchdown passes from
Joe Farley to secure the home victory. Cal Lutheran limited the Cougars (1-3) to 184 yards of total offense, recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers, including a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown by
Jacob Ramirez.
Cal Lutheran opened the scoring with a 19-yard field goal from
Matthew Montegna, capping a 17-play, 79-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes of the first quarter. The Kingsmen extended their lead in the second quarter when Farley connected with
Bradley Chavez for a 28-yard touchdown, giving Cal Lutheran a 10-0 advantage at halftime.
The Kingsmen struck quickly to open the second half. On the first possession, Farley found
TeNorris Merkel for a 66-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 17-0. Azusa Pacific answered with a 12-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but the Kingsmen defense kept the Cougars out of the end zone.
Ramirez sealed the victory in the fourth quarter, intercepting a pass from Miguel Larios and returning it 62 yards for a touchdown with 3:26 remaining. Montegna's extra point put the Kingsmen ahead 24-3, where the score would stand.
Farley completed 13 of 20 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Merkel led the receiving corps with four catches for 104 yards and a score, while Chavez added a 28-yard touchdown reception. On the ground,
John Gilbert rushed for 71 yards on 12 carries, and
Jordan Barbadillo added 59 yards.
Defensively,
Blake Hurley led the Kingsmen with 11 tackles, while
Logan Bowers recorded eight tackles and a sack.
Max Juarez added five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Ramirez finished with five tackles and the game-sealing pick-six as Cal Lutheran held APU to just 83 passing yards.
The Kingsmen finished with 330 yards of total offense and converted eight of 14 third-down attempts. Cal Lutheran also controlled the trenches, recording four sacks while allowing none.
Cal Lutheran returns to William Rolland Stadium next Saturday, October 17, for Homecoming against Pomona-Pitzer. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
