SportsFootball

Leopards dethrone Kingsmen in OT

Senior linebacker Mike Barreiro (#42) gets through Cal Lutheran's defensive line to record one sack for a loss of 6 yards while senior defensive lineman Clarence Martin (#91) helps out. When asked to describe Barreiro, head coach Don Morel said, "Insane." The Leopards defeated the Kingsmen 35-32 in overtime. / photo by Isela Peña
Senior linebacker Mike Barreiro (#42) gets through Cal Lutheran’s defensive line to record one sack for a loss of 6 yards while senior defensive lineman Clarence Martin (#91) helps out. When asked to describe Barreiro, head coach Don Morel said, “Insane.” The Leopards defeated the Kingsmen 35-32 in overtime. / photo by Isela Peña

by Brice Nixon
Managing Editor

With Saturday’s double-overtime victory, the University of La Verne football team kept alive its hopes for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship and remained in the hunt for a Division III playoff berth.

After ULV’s defense held Cal Lutheran (3-4, 3-1 SCIAC) to a field goal on its second overtime possession, senior receiver Rashard Magee grabbed the ball from the hands of his defender in the end zone, giving La Verne (6-1, 4-1) a 35-32 victory.

“It was very big,” said head coach Don Morel, of the Leopards’ defensive stand. “We were running out of offense. We hit a big play to win it and that was a thrill.”

Trailing 32-29, senior quarterback Dan Blahy threw a lateral pass to junior receiver Richard Hoeft, who tossed it to Magee in the end zone.

“I thought the ball was intercepted,” said Morel. “Rashard is a pretty physical guy, and he just grabbed it.”

ULV had a 22-16 lead with 1:46 to play after Blahy missed a 29-yard field goal attempt, giving the Kingsmen possession.

On third and 10 from Cal Lu’s 30-yard line, ULV was penalized for roughing the passer after a reception by junior running back Dorian Stitt.

La Verne was called for holding on the next play, giving the Kingsmen a first down from ULV’s 32-yard line with 45 seconds left.

Cal Lu sophomore quarterback Chris Czernek then hit Stitt, who ran it into the end zone for a 32-yard score to tie the game, 22-22.

But Stitt was penalized for excessive celebration, bringing the extra-point attempt back to the 25-yard line. Junior kicker Ryan Geisler missed the attempt and a chance to win the game, sending it into overtime.

Stitt’s penalty provided the Leopards an opportunity to steal a game they could have lost.

After the teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime series, the Kingsmen had possession at the 25. They drove to first and goal at the 10 before La Verne’s defense tightened, holding Cal Lu to a field goal.

Blahy’s 394 yards passing led the Leopards’ attack. He threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another.

Senior quarterback Dan Blahy pitches the ball to senior wide receiver Kenny Fredieu during Saturday's Homecoming game. The Leopards checked the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen in double overtime with a 35-32 victory. / photo by Michelle Zimmerman
Senior quarterback Dan Blahy pitches the ball to senior wide receiver Kenny Fredieu during Saturday’s Homecoming game. The Leopards checked the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen in double overtime with a 35-32 victory. / photo by Michelle Zimmerman

Senior receiver Andrew Woolsey, Blahy’s favorite target in the game, opened the scoring with a 28-yard TD catch in the second quarter. Woolsey caught 11 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

The lead changed hands for the third time when Cal Lu junior kicker Ryan Geisler, who had four field goals, kicked his third for a 16-14 lead with 12:31 left in the game.

Blahy’s 1-yard run and a two-point conversion pass to Woolsey gave La Verne a 22-16 advantage with more than 10 minutes remained on the clock.

Cal Lu had first and 10 from its 45 when ULV’s defense, led by senior linebacker Mike Sanchez’s 20 tackles, stopped the Kingsmen to force a punt.

Czernek’s second-down pass was tipped by senior defensive end Terrence Williams. His next pass was incomplete after pressure from senior defensive end Korey Turner, who had two sacks. Pressure from senior linebacker Mike Barreiro then forced Czernek to be flagged for intentional grounding.

Czernek was 21-for-41 but threw for only 170 yards, averaging only 8 yards per completion.

La Verne took possession on the 15 and had third and 10 from its own 31 when Blahy hit Magee, who caught eight passes for 127 yards and a TD. Magee fought his way to midfield, giving the Leopards a first down.

But, as it had done several times in the game, La Verne set itself back with penalties. After illegal procedure and offensive pass interference penalties, the Leopards faced first and 25 from their own 30.

A pass to Fredieu, who had seven receptions for 89 yards, and two catches by Woolsey, who had several key receptions for La Verne, overcame the penalties and gave the Leopards first down from Cal Lu’s 26-yard line with 3:30 left to play.

A quarterback sneak by Blahy gave the Leopards first down from the Kingsmen’s 15. But after La Verne was penalized for illegal motion, which was declined, Blahy’s third-down pass to Magee in the end zone was incomplete.

Blahy attempted the field goal in place of junior kicker Daniel Lindner, who was three-for-three on PATs, but his 29-yard attempt with 1:46 remaining missed.

The Leopards were flagged 14 times in the game for 115 yards while Cal Lu committed nine penalties for 94 yards.

La Verne hosts Azusa Pacific University, the reigning NAIA champions, tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Brice Nixon, Sports Editor
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