The Sagehens keep playing thrilling, down-to-the-wire games, but unfortunately, Friday’s contest against Chapman did not end on such a positive note.
After QB Jake Caron PI ’11 led the offense on a clutch 94-yard touchdown drive to give Pomona-Pitzer a late three-point lead, the Panthers responded by driving down the field to set up a potential game-tying field goal, a play that would prove heartbreaking for the Sagehens.
The center botched the snap, rolling the ball into the holder’s hands and making a clean kick impossible. Scrambling to salvage the play, the Chapman holder rolled out to his right and found an open receiver in the end zone as time expired, giving the Panthers an improbable 23-20 win.
In the first half, P-P had some great defensive stops and led going into the break 14-10.
With 5:32 remaining in the game and the ball on their own 6-yard line, the Sagehens drove downfield and put themselves in a position to win. With the home crowd on its feet, Caron and the offense moved the ball down to the Chapman 12-yard line and took a timeout. On the ensuing play, Caron scrambled out of the pocket and decided to keep it, diving into the end zone for a touchdown with only 24 seconds remaining. The Sagehens could not convert on the PAT kick, which would prove costly as the miss allowed Chapman to tie the game with a field goal.
After a long return set up the Chapman offense in P-P territory, the Panthers drove downfield, and with 11 seconds remaining, the Chapman quarterback fired a bomb that was caught at the 6-yard line to set up the game-winning touchdown pass.
The P-P offensive line held its own, not allowing a sack and creating big holes for RB Russell Oka PI ’11. Oka ran for a season high 151 yards on 27 carries, many coming in key stretches in the fourth quarter. Caron was 19 of 33 for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, while last week’s SCIAC Player of the Week RJ Maki PO ’11 had 8 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.The Sagehens begin league play next Saturday at home against Cal Lutheran at 1 p.m.