SportsFootball

Homecoming brings first LV win

Justin Wolfchief (No. 44), running back for La Verne, dives narrowly into the end zone after avoiding a tackle by Casey Tom (No. 26) of Chapman late in the first half. ULV won its first game this season in its Homecoming match against Chapman. The lead changed hands a number of times before the Leopards came out on top, 49-44, after taking the lead for good in the third quarter. / photo by Adam Omernik
Justin Wolfchief (No. 44), running back for La Verne, dives narrowly into the end zone after avoiding a tackle by Casey Tom (No. 26) of Chapman late in the first half. ULV won its first game this season in its Homecoming match against Chapman. The lead changed hands a number of times before the Leopards came out on top, 49-44, after taking the lead for good in the third quarter. / photo by Adam Omernik

by Jonathan Corral
Staff Writer

Break out the champagne, strike up the band ­ it’s party time!

Behind an offensive explosion, which featured dominating performances from Ricky Sullivan and Jeff Williams, the Leopards powered to their first victory of the season with a 49-44 triumph over Chapman in the Homecoming game Saturday afternoon at Ortmayer Stadium.

“We finally put it together for the entire game,” head coach Don Morel said. “Our guys are so deserving of this victory, they have worked extremely hard the entire season.”

The Leopards (1-7, 0-5) were led in the game by tailbacks Sullivan, who recorded his 153 yards on only 14 carries to go along with a touchdown, and Williams, who also had a monster game with 146 yards rushing and a touchdown. The two combined for 299 of the 337 yards the Leopards gained on the ground.

Not to be outdone, Leopard quarterback Brian Guerrero, still replacing injured starter Jason Winn, turned in an all-star performance as he was accountable for four of the team’s seven touchdowns.

Guerrero finished the game six for 15, passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns, as well as adding two rushing touchdowns. Of his 107 yards passing, 101 of them went to receiver Mike Raffee, including both of his touchdown passes.

The game was an offensive explosion as both teams combined for 846 yards of total offense and 93 total points, 56 of which came in the first half. With the 337 rushing yards in this game, the Leopards have now rushed for a total of 630 yards in their past two games.

“The game was nothing but offense,” Morel said. “Our offense put lots of points on the board, and Sullivan and Williams did an outstanding job, as well as the entire offensive line.”

Both teams wasted little time as they scored a combined 49 points in the first quarter alone, with the Leopards jumping out of the gates first.

The Leopards took their opening drive and pushed 66 yards on 11 plays, capping it off with Guerrero connecting with Raffee for the 20-yard strike and the quick 7-0 lead.

Chapman’s opening drive resulted in a fumble recovery for the Leopards, and Williams took full advantage of the opportunity and dashed into the end zone from 17 yards out, increasing their lead to 14-0 with 9:55 left in the first quarter.

Chapman jumped on the board on its next drive with an 80-yard bomb from quarterback Patrick Josten to receiver Chase Twedell to draw them a little bit closer at 14-7 midway through the first.

From then on, both teams traded shot for shot, like a heavyweight title fight, but they headed to the locker room at halftime with a draw, knotted at 28-28.

The Leopards took the lead for good in the third quarter when Guerrero hooked up with Raffee again for the 63-yard knockout strike, putting them ahead, 35-34.

Chapman kept the pressure on, but the Leopards were too strong down the stretch as they used excellent team defense and a potent offense that would let nothing stand in its path.

The Leopards will attempt to keep the momentum rolling as they return to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a battle against Occidental College, at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Los Angeles, marking the end of the 2003 season.

Jonathan Corral
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Adam Omernik, Photography Editor
Adam Omernik
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