Leila El Sabbagh
Staff Writer
The Leopards were unable to secure a win against the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen on Homecoming weekend, losing 31-17 at Ortmayer Stadium.
The Kingsmen neutralized the La Verne defense, scoring on their opening drive of the game.
Cal Lutheran added two more touchdowns, taking a three score lead in the second quarter, 21-0.
After a fumbled ball by sophomore quarterback Brian Rudden, sophomore running back Mason Uribe recovered the ball, scoring La Verne’s first touchdown of the game.
The touchdown ended the first half with the Kingsmen in front, 21-7.
The Leopards carried their momentum into the second half where they would be receiving the kickoff, taking the field with an optimistic outlook.
Uribe opened the half where he left off, rushing for a 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the Leopards, making it a one score game at 21-14.
Uribe was the rushing leader of the game for the Leopards, gaining 70 yards.
“It was a really good start to the second half,” Uribe said. “We were down by a little bit and just needed that spark.”
Following back-to-back touchdowns by the La Verne offense, the Kingsmen responded on their next drive with a touchdown, caught by senior wide receiver Desmond Thompson, to extend their lead to 28-14.
The Leopards’ defense were able to step up during the second half, with sophomore lineman Marlin Brown and sophomore linebacker Devin Martin both recording sacks.
Martin set a single game season high in tackles with 11.
The sophomore’s energy on the sideline was electric, passing that energy onto his teammates.
“We were all smiling and laughing,” Martin said. “We never stopped talking about being in the game.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, Martin was able to recover a fumbled ball forced out by senior linebacker De Lante’ Moore.
The Leopards’ intense pace continued until Rudden threw an interception into the end zone.
However, there was a penalty marker thrown on the field.
With the Ortmayer Stadium awaiting the call, the officials announced a Kingsmen defensive holding penalty negated the play resulting in a repeat first down.
After the suspenseful drive, the Leopards had to settle for a 33-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Jayson Lopez.
As the game clock trickled down the Leopards never let up, taking every opportunity to stay in the game.
From deep in the La Verne end zone, Rudden completed a 42-yard pass to junior wide receiver Isaiah McNaught-Thornton.
Unfortunately for the Leopards, it was not enough to win their Homecoming game, resulting in a 31-17 loss.
“The goal is to just win,” senior defensive lineman and long snapper Justin MacArthur said.
The Leopards fought hard against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags on Saturday at Fritz B. Burns Stadium but lost, 57-14.
“Just keep fighting,” Rudden said as a message for his team, “We’re so close we just gotta keep improving.”
The Leopards’ losing streak continues with an updated record of 0-6 and conference record of 0-4.
Their next game will be against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at 7 p.m. Saturday at Merritt Field in Claremont.
Leila El Sabbagh can be reached at leila.elsabbagh@laverne.edu.
Leila El Sabbagh is the sports editor for the Campus Times. She is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism who aspires to be a sports broadcaster. She has previously served as a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Chris Rodriguez is a senior photography major and photo editor of the Campus Times.
