A late Sagehens comeback fell short as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team held on to win 29-23 in the end of the cross-campus rivalry match-up. The Stags and Hens traded the lead until late in the second quarter, when the Stags took over. With long, drawn-out drives and quick stops on defense, the Stags kept the Hens’ offense off the field. Overall, the Hens had possession for just over a third of the game. The game also marked the end of a tradition, as this year’s rivalry game was the first in which the Peace Pipe was not exchanged.

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Pomona-Pitzer scored first, on its first drive after the opening kick off. Just two minutes into the game, Michael Weil PO ’14 kicked a career long 40-yard field goal to give the Hens a 3-0 lead. Late in the first quarter, the Stags took the lead after Kris Otterholt CM ’14 scored on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Trey Reynolds CM ’17. The extra point attempt by Matthew Aven CM ’17 went through the uprights to give the Stags a 7-3 lead. 

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Duncan Hussey CGU and the Sagehens fought back, however, as Hussey scored on 13-yard pass from quarterback Alex Bresler PO ’17. The touchdown capped a seven-play, 50-yard drive early in the second quarter. This was the last lead the Hens would hold. CMS scored late in the second quarter when Reynolds found his way into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. Aven’s kick failed, momentarily stalling the lead at four with the Stags up, 13-9.

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On fourth and one, with just enough time left in the first half to run a play, CMS’s running back Caleb Cunah CM ’15 scored to extend the lead to 10. The Stags proceeded to score on their first possession of the second half, driving 70 yards and taking four minutes off the clock. Reynolds threw his second touchdown pass of the day, this time a two-yard strike to wide receiver Tyler Stanek CM ’16. The extra point from Aven gave the Stags a 26-9 lead. 

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After a P-P three and out, Stags kicker Matthew Aven CM ’17 added a final score for CMS with a 27-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter. Things got interesting when the Hens began to rally. Hussey caught his second touchdown pass of the game. The seven-yard strike came after a clutch first-down pick-up on fourth down late in the third quarter by Kyle Lee PO ’17, who caught a pass from Bresler and picked up 13 yards. The touchdown and extra point from Weil made the score 29-16.

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The Hens made a strong attempt to close the lead late in the fourth quarter. Starting deep in their own territory, Bresler completed three big consecutive passes to Hussey, Weston Staubus PO ’14, and tight end Sean Mulcahy PZ ’16. With 1:04 left in the game, Bresler scored on a keeper to make it a one-score game. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Stags, however, who ran the clock out to ensure a 29-23 victory over the Hens.

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Hussey had high praise for his team’s perseverance and resilience.

“I think [the comeback] speaks to the character of the team and the tenacity that they showed throughout the season. I’ve never been more proud of a group of guys for the way they continued to compete even when the odds weren’t in our favor, and I think you could feel the change in the culture of the program in those close games,” Hussey said.

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Stags quarterback Reynolds threw for 180 yards and had two passing touchdowns in addition to his rushing touchdown. He also ran for 107 yards. Bresler threw for two touchdowns and 197 yards passing, and ran for an additional 90 yards on the ground. Hussey, who missed the last two games with injury, had 62 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Linebacker Kyle Roskamp PO ’14 ended his stellar career with P-P on a high note, making 21 tackles, 12 of which were solo. Nick Sbardellati PO ’14 also finished his career with the Hens in good fashion: He made seven tackles and sacked Reynolds once as well. 

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The Stags improved to 3-6 on the year, and went 2-5 in the SCIAC. The Hens finished the season at 2-7 overall and were 2-5 in SCIAC play.  

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When asked how injuries affected the Hens this year, Hussey was unwilling to make excuses.

“Unfortunately injuries are a part of the sport, so while it’s easy to think about what our record might have been with everyone healthy, at the end of the day that wasn’t the reality of our season and we can’t hide behind our numbers as an excuse,” Hussey wrote in an e-mail to TSL.

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As for the future of the team, Hussey was very optimistic. 

“I have very high expectations for the team moving forward,” he wrote, “and I think Pomona-Pitzer is going to surprise teams in the years to come. Defensively we showed that we can compete with anyone in the conference this year, and I’m excited for the young skill players we have on offense to continue to improve and step out as stars. We may not have the numbers of the other teams in the league but we know we have the talent to win; the challenge will be to maintain confidence in our ability to go out and execute.”