Karina Rodriguez
Sports Editor
The La Verne Leopards lost to the Chapman Panthers, 30-14, Saturday at Ortmayer Stadium. The loss coincided with the football team’s Senior Day.
Early into the first quarter Chapman players fumbled the ball which was recovered by Leopard senior defensive end Marlin Brown, who returned the ball 30 yards for a touchdown.
“I was like, ‘Man, let me score real quick,’” Brown said. “I felt good to see everyone on the sidelines smiling, dabbing me up and it felt good to hear my family in the stands and my pops.”
A successful extra point kick by sophomore kicker Joshua Workizer brought the score up to 7-0.
Chapman followed soon after with an interception by senior safety Jacob Gaudi and an extra point kick by junior kicker Carson Nichols to tie the score, 7-7.
With 4:06 left in the first quarter, junior running back Tyler McCown ran six yards to complete the second touchdown for the Leopards.
McCown credits his linemen for helping him complete a touchdown.
“I practically put my life in their hands,” McCown said. “I know they’re going to get me to the promised land and I love my big guys.”
Another successful extra point kick by Workizer brought the score up to 14-7.
“I did what coach said, got a couple warm up kicks in and just kicked it right,” Workizer said.
To Workizer, it was a no brainer he had to complete a successful extra point kick.
“It’s a touchdown and then I am like ‘OK, I’ve got to go out there and make this extra point to give us a seven point lead,’” Workizer said.
La Verne did not score another touchdown after McCown’s run.
With 16 seconds left in the first quarter, junior running back Andrew Latu of Chapman ran four yards and Nichols completed an extra point kick, ending the first quarter with a tie of 14-14.
At 08:18 of the second quarter, junior running back Fischer Huss ran five yards to score a touchdown for Chapman. A successful extra point kick from Nichols brought the score to 21-14.
Early into the third quarter at 11:16 Huss completed another touchdown to bring the score up to 27-14.
At 01:11 of the fourth quarter Nichols hit a 28-yard field goal, giving Chapman three more points and bringing the final score to 30-14.
La Verne junior wide receiver Jimmy Rumsey found himself focused on Saturday’s game against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags.
“I really want CMS to feel this pain I’ve been feeling,” Rumsey said. “Nobody in this conference cares about us, nobody cares.”
The Leopards are currently 1-7 overall and 1-6 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference. The Leopards will play Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for fifth place in conference at 1 p.m. Saturday at Zinda Field in Claremont.
Karina Rodriguez can be reached at karina.rodriguez3@laverne.edu.
Karina Rodriguez is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and editor-in-chief of the Campus Times. She has previously served as sports editor, social media editor, arts editor and a staff writer.
Bajot Rathor is a senior organizational management major with a concentration in leadership and management, along with minors in photography and American law. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
