by Matt Paulson
Sports Editor
The University of La Verne football team halted a five-game losing streak Saturday in a 29-21 triumph over Chapman University in Orange.
The non-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Panthers marks the first time in which the Leopards have been victorious this year since their season-opener against Pomona-Pitzer at home on Sept. 7.
Head coach Don Morel was pleased with the Leopard performance in the victory, which ended a two-month drought.
“Overall, we played a very good football game,” he said.
ULV scored first on a quick, two-play drive with freshman running back Justin Wolchief finishing it off on a 13-yard run for the touchdown.
The Leopards tried for the two-point conversion but failed.
Eight seconds later, ULV got the ball back on a Panther turnover for another offensive opportunity.
The Leopards ate 3:28 off the game clock as they traveled 16 yards in eight plays, capping off the drive with a 31-yard Ian Britt field goal to take a 9-0 lead.
The beginning of the second quarter was painted orange and green as ULV scored 13 more points on a Gabe Lujan two-yard run and a 67-yard Lujan-Dionte Holloway touchdown strike to take a commanding 22-0 lead.
The Panthers were able to answer back in the first half with two big plays from both sides of the line of scrimmage.
An 85-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Patrick Josten to junior wide receiver Lorenza Wilson opened up the Panther scoring. With a successful extra point, Chapman narrowed the gap to 22-7 with 3:20 remaining in the second half.
Just more than one minute later, on the ensuing Leopard drive, Panther freshman defensive back Randell Hill intercepted the Lujan pass, taking it back 60 yards for the defensive touchdown.
Chapman’s two-point conversion was successful, narrowing the Leopard lead to 22-15 at the half.
Chapman came out from the locker room blazing in the second half as the Panthers put together a five-play, 61-yard scoring drive, which was accentuated by a 34-yard scoring jaunt by Josten. After a failed extra point, Chapman pulled within one point of ULV, 22-21.
But the Panther flame eventually burned out as La Verne managed to finish the game’s scoring the way it started: with a touchdown run by Wolchief. Wolchief’s second touchdown of the evening gave the Leopards a seven-point lead. After a Britt extra point, the lead was stretched to eight at 29-21, and this is where it finished.
The win brought the Leopards’ overall record to 2-5 and dropped the Panthers to 3-6 on the season.
One of the biggest factors in the Leopard win was ULV’s ability to rush the ball. As a team, the Leopards accumulated 241 total rushing yards in the contest.
Wolchief, who was named Male SCIAC Athlete of the Week for his efforts Saturday, led the charge with 148 yards on 29 attempts, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
“Wolchief continues to improve every game,” Morel said.
Senior running back Travis Lerma also contributed to the Leopard victory with 73 yards on 18 carries.
“Lerma had an excellent game in the back,” Morel said. Lerma contributed on both sides of the ball for ULV as he also played defense in the game.
Morel also acknowledged the Leopard offensive line as a huge part of the rushing success in Saturday’s victory as it allowed no quarterback sacks in the contest.
ULV had not been able to score early in some of the previous games this season, leading to insurmountable early deficits. This was not the case Saturday.
Morel ultimately attributed the Leopard early performance to one thing: “Intensity.”
“We capitalized on big plays early, and we played with the same amount of intensity throughout the game,” he said.
Another problem that haunted the Leopards earlier in the season was their inability to put together an entire game of play. In earlier contests, ULV played well for a half; Saturday, the Leopards performed for the whole contest.
“We just had guys playing well for all four quarters,” Morel said. “We finally put a complete game together.”
Throughout the game, ULV decided not to throw many passes as Lujan accumulated 76 yards in the air with two completions on five attempts.
Morel said that the Leopard lack of aerial assault was due to the muddy, wet and windy weather, making it difficult for the Leopards to establish any consistency in their passing game.
Even Chapman, a team who averages around 400 total yards per game, had a tough time throwing the ball, barely over 200 yards passing with two interceptions.
Overall, Morel said that the Leopards are coming nearer to the light at the end of the tunnel in the program with the improvement of his young squad.
“We’re a very young team. We seem to be getting better every week,” Morel said. “We’re seeing some of the fruits of our labor.”
At 1 p.m. tomorrow, the Leopards return home to Ortmayer Stadium to host the Occidental Tigers for the Leopards’ last game of the season.
The Tigers are 5-3 overall this season with a conference record of 1-3.
ULV has not played a game in the stadium since its Homecoming contest against Redlands was cut short following the traumatic head injury to senior Rollie Dykstra.
Dykstra was transferred Tuesday from Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he remains in serious condition.
“I think [to move him] was the plan. It just took a while for him to stabilize,” said Kathy Roche with Pomona Valley media relations.
Morel said that the Leopards are ready to play despite remembrances of the Homecoming game on Oct. 19.
“Our guys are dealing with it, and we continue to play for Rollie every day,” Morel said. “We have one game left, and we’re looking forward to playing it.”
