SportsFootball

Leo football rolls past Pomona, 54-13

Anthony Rice catches one of his five receptions last Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer, three of which were for touchdowns. Rice is ranked fourth in the nation in receiving yards per game, with 158.3. / photo by Jeff Leard
Anthony Rice catches one of his five receptions last Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer, three of which were for touchdowns. Rice is ranked fourth in the nation in receiving yards per game, with 158.3. / photo by Jeff Leard

by Rosie Sinapi
Sports Editor

The Leo football team wasted no time last Saturday, as they devoured the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at Ortmayer Field, 54-13.

“Our game plan was to come out and run the ball. We were going to do it all out from the beginning,” said Head Coach Rex Huigens.

Within the first three minutes, the Leos scored twice. The first came on a 56-yard drive carried exclusively by senior running back Darren MacLellan. He would prove to be too much for the Pomona defensive line, capping off the drive with a one-yard run for the score.

MacLellan did not slow down. On the next possession, he took the ball 31 yards on the first play. Junior quarterback Ryan Campuzano connected with sophomore wide receiver Anthony Rice for a 34-yard touchdown pass on just the second play.

Campuzano threw for 197 yards while rushing for 22 yards. His teammate, Rice, averaged more than 27 yards on five catches, finishing the day with 139 yards. Rice went into the game ranked fourth in the nation for receiving yards per game.

Although the Campuzano-Rice connection was powerful, producing yet another touchdown in the second quarter, a substantial effort toward the win was the defense. It held the Sagehens to only 49 yards on 20 carries and 85 passing yards before the half.

“We didn’t feel that good in halftime. I think we showed it in the third,” said Huigens.

The Leos, who had been unstoppable during the first half, fell in the third quarter. The first play of the half ended on a sour note when junior linebacker Doug DuBois suffered a concussion while tackling Sagehen running back Robert Hicks. He was taken off the field by ambulance as his teammates saluted him with a “Hi-Five” in the air. Five is DuBois’s number.

“We put up five in the air for him,” said senior Wide Receiver Bill Battin. He expressed deep sympathy for his teammate and felt his injury dampened the players’ fire which had been so strong.

DuBois was taken to the hospital for the concussion and neck x-rays. According to Huigens, he will be out for a couple of weeks.

On the same drive, the Sagehens took the ball 85 yards to score their first touchdown of the game. It came off of freshman quarterback Jack Ramirez’s 8-yard pass to junior tight end Bradley Heinz. Ramirez finished the day with 127 yards rushing.

ULV scored only once in the third. The drive looked dead when Campu­zano was unable to find an open receiver and ran 28 yards to Pomona’s 35. Five plays later, he nailed a 16-yard pass to Rice giving the Leos a 27-6 lead with 3:51 left in the third.

On the Sagehens next possession. The defensive line was unable to hold Po­mo­na back. It took the Sagehens only five downs to score, closing the gap, 27-13.

With a dim third quarter behind them, the Leos came back strong in the fourth. They immediately scored off of a Campuzano keeper from 5 yards out. The defensive unit was able to stop the Sagehens on their next possession by holding Pomona to 5 yards.

Also helping ULV on the drive was a shanked punt by Pomona’s Brendan McDer­mott. His punt went for 30 yards less a 5-yard return. It gave the Leos the ball at mid-field. Less than two minutes from the last La Verne touchdown, MacLellan ran 17 yards to complete the drive.

After that Huigens sent in the re­serves to finish the game, but even they were too much for Pomona. Running back Alvin Jenkins scored on the next drive giving the Leos the last word.

Rosie Sinapi, Editor in Chief
Rosie Sinapi
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Jeff Leard, Photography Editor
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