SportsFootball

ULV cancels Chapman’s parade

Senior Leopard running back Anthony Rice had 218 yards on 37 carries in La Verne's 22-19 win over Chapman. Junior offensive guard Enrique Ybanez clobbers Chapman's Jim Ahern (#50) while Tim Leonard (#75) chases from behind. / photo by Starr Carroll
Senior Leopard running back Anthony Rice had 218 yards on 37 carries in La Verne’s 22-19 win over Chapman. Junior offensive guard Enrique Ybanez clobbers Chapman’s Jim Ahern (#50) while Tim Leonard (#75) chases from behind. / photo by Starr Carroll

by Echelle Avelar
Sports Editor

The Leopards took the field Saturday with upset on their minds against Chapman University, with the Leopards winning, 22-19.

“We’ve won five in a row, coming off the Chapman victory I couldn’t be more pleased. It was a tremendous effort by our players,” said head coach Don Morel.

Chapman, who in the course of the week declared two of their players ineligible and at the opening of the week placed at No. 4 on the NCAA Division III polls for West Region, came helmet-to-helmet with ULV, who entered the game after a bye, unranked and with it a possible chance at nationals.

“Anthony Rice [senior running back] makes that other guy [Darnell Morgan] look like a little kid, so it made no difference anyway,”said junior quarterback Ryan Hawkins.

Both teams came at each other with full force as the opening kick off booted by La Verne’s freshman Armando Hernandez was returned to the La Verne 35-yard line by Chapman’s Darnell Rubin.

La Verne’s defense held tight and forced Chapman to punt, La Verne played the ball from the 8-yard line after junior defensive back Terrell Davis recovered the dropped ball.

After one rushing first down by junior Fred Coffee, junior quarterback James Free entered the game with ULV third-and 12. Chapman applied the pressure, sacked Free and La Verne was forced to a fourth down on the 21-yard line.

Junior Tom Moreland executed the punt and after Malcolm Hunt fumbled the ball, La Verne’s senior defensive back Matt Wendt put a lid on the loose ball and La Verne’s offense once again took the field.

With a carry by Rice giving La Verne a first and goal, Rice was handed the ball again gaining an extra 3 yards. Trying for the 2-yard touchdown, Rice broke through the line for the score. A bad snap to Hernandez on the point after touchdown kick was recovered by Free who tried to complete a pass to senior offensive tackle Mike Holm left the Leopards ahead 6-0.

Minutes later Chapman hit La Verne with a touchdown of its own as quarterback Curtis Robinson cannoned a 41-yard pass to David Vaccaro. The PAT placed the Panthers ahead 7-6 with 9:15 on the clock.

At third and 12, with La Verne on the 44-yard line, Free scrambled, and picked up the first down at the 38-yard line. The next play at 7:12 came from a handoff from Hawkins to Rice, who sprinted the ball 40 yards for a ULV touchdown. Attempting to make up for the last PAT error, La Verne tried a two-point conversion. Hawkins tossed the ball to senior fullback Jeff Parness, a bit to high, leaving La Verne ahead, 12-7.

With ULV holding the lead in the second quarter, the Panthers kept the Leopards in check. La Verne managed to move the ball close enough for a field goal attempt from the 10-yard line at 5:45. Hernandez’s kick boosted La Verne’s lead to 15-7.

ULV hoped to get more of a gap between itself and the Panthers before halftime, another field goal attempt, was taken by the Leopards at 1:11 on a fourth and 19 at the 31-yard line but a bad snap left La Verne short with the score still 15-7.

Chapman, knew it must make some sort of a big play, Robinson ripped a 58-yard pass to Martrice Stephens from the 31-yard line.

On the next play, Robinson found a wide open Ralph Langston and shot the 11-yard pass for the Panthers touchdown with 52 seconds remaining in the half, and with a failed two-point conversion Chapman trailed, 15-13.

The Panthers returned from halftime fired up, taking control of the ball for the beginning of the third quarter. At 8:36, a 18-yard pass from Robinson to Stephens gave Chapman the lead, but a failed conversion pass kept the score at 19-15.

Getting back into the game was not a problem, as La Verne stepped up its chance for a touchdown. Controlling the ball, and driving it yard-by-yard La Verne reached the Panthers 14-yard line where Rice carried the ball home for a ULV score and after Hernandez’s PAT the Leopards stood on top, 22-19.

In his second year as head coach, Don Morel directs practice every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He graduated from La Verne in 1987, after playing defense under Roland Ortmayer. Before returning as a coach, he was the offensive coordinator for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. / photo by Veero Der-Karabetian
In his second year as head coach, Don Morel directs practice every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He graduated from La Verne in 1987, after playing defense under Roland Ortmayer. Before returning as a coach, he was the offensive coordinator for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. / photo by Veero Der-Karabetian

In the fourth quarter, La Verne’s defense held the line of scrimmage, not willing to let the Panthers score. Robinson spotting Stephens deep in La Verne territory fired the ball twice, both times unsuccessful. First from the 48-yard line. After Chapman was hit with a false start penalty, Robinson tried again, this time from the 42-yard line, again deep to Stephens but with great coverage from La Verne’s junior defensive back Darryl Jackson. Chapman being unable to get the first down, a 42-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful with 4:34 remaining.

“Although it may have appeared that Chapman had a good passing game, they only completed nine out of 20. It was a terrific job by our secondary considering they were manned up all night,” said Morel.

Time running out in the game, ULV was unable to keep control of the ball and after the two minute mark Chapman regained control.

“The offense did a great job controlling the clock which enabled the defense to rest. Defensively we did a great job stopping their running game and forcing them to pass,” said linebacker Anthony Russo, Jr.

ULV held tight, when the Panthers’ ball popped out of the hands of Rubin and into the awaiting hands of Rice, on his first defensive play of the season, who recovered the ball and downed it at the 40-yard line.

“It was coach Kirk Harmon’s idea to put Rice in. We were out of guys who could run really fast and he’s the fastest guy we had,” Morel said.

With 35 seconds left in the quarter the game was already being celebrated by La Verne players and their ecstatic fans.

Echelle Avelar, Sports Editor
Echelle Avelar
Other Stories
Starr Carroll, Photography Editor
Starr Carroll
Other Stories
Previous article
Entertainment Briefs
Next article
Refuse to choose on Tuesday

Latest Stories

Related articles

Baseball

Baseball and softball end seasons at SCIAC tournament

The baseball and softball teams both saw their seasons end last weekend in their respective Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournaments.
Baseball

Leopards sweep Senior Day doubleheader, head to SCIAC tournament

The Leopards dominated during their Senior Day doubleheader against Redlands at Ben Hines Field on Saturday, bouncing back from a series-opening loss to the Bulldogs on May 1. Game one’s final score was 9-2, and game two's score was 6-2.
Baseball

Leopards earn walk-off win over Chapman

A walk-off error gave the Leopards the win over the Chapman Panthers, 8-7, in their series opener April 24 at Ben Hines Field. 
Leopard Scoreboard

Leopard Scoreboard

Sports results, schedule and standings for the week of May 1, 2026.