Winning one for Ort

Our school may not be well known for its football program; it has not put us on the map, nor has it produced any professional athletes that anyone outside of La Verne can name.

Every year there is a growing sentiment that our football team should be better than it has been the past few years, and, in recent memory, we have been disappointed.

Last weekend our team members not only played well, they won. They won their first game of the season, and we could not be prouder of our guys.

We would like to say congratulations and thank you to the football team who gave us a Homecoming victory last weekend. They rose to the occasion and played football the way Coach Ortmayer would have wanted them to.

The players also seemed to be having fun on the field. Granted, when a team is winning, it is always a little easier to have some.

Last Saturday’s game against conference rival Pomona-Pitzer was no cakewalk. The game was close throughout, yet our team continued to make big plays when it needed to. Maybe it was that our team players have finally come together, or maybe they just fought a little harder for Coach Ort. Either way, our guys gave us a show, performing as if they were playing in a championship game.

Diving catches, swarming defense, downfield blocks, touchdown throws and broken tackles are what you missed if you were not at the game. Unlike in recent memory, it was the Leopards who were doing all of this, not the other side.

The truth is we are a Division III school that is in the purgatorial position of not being able to offer athletic scholarships. We field athletes who love the sport and just want to play college football. No matter how many losses pile up every season, the spirit of the program is never compromised. Every player, coach and fan wants to win. That is apparent as the stands are filled at nearly every home game with rowdy fans and supporters. The La Verne community wants its football team to succeed.

We, as a staff, student body and community all stand behind our football program hoping for a winning team. Our hopes went up with the arrival of a new coach last year; they went up again when we brought in nearly 80 players this summer, and they also went up when we saw our team play the way they did at the Homecoming game. So while this is the first win of the season, we all hope this will not be the last. Keep them coming, men.

Other Stories

Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Latest Stories

Related articles

Leopards dominate Cougars in season opener, 30-3

The La Verne Leopards beat the Azusa Pacific Cougars, 30-3, on Saturday at Ortmayer Stadium in the Leopards’ season opener. 

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.

Leopards win two of three in conference clash with Sagehens

The Leopards defeated the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, 2-1, on April 24 at Campus West for a late season conference clash. The team then lost the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader in Claremont, 10-2, but took the deciding game, 9-5. 

Leopard Scoreboard

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