CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Pomona-Pitzer football team earned its fourth-straight win with their 14-0 shutout against Azusa Pacific on Saturday night at Merritt Field.
Season Impact: With the win, the Sagehens improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in SCIAC play.
Freshman
Dominick Catalano completed 15 of 30 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. He also had the rushing score on a 17-yard run.
Pomona-Pitzer ran for 114 yards on 38 carries. Junior
Mitchell Rodenbaugh led the way with 44 yards on nine attempts. Senior
Brennan Dragomer added 40 yards on 15 carries, and freshman Brennan Yamane ran six times for 26 yards.
Dragomer also led the receivers with five catches for 34 yards and the touchdown. Senior
Jack Sobota caught four passes for a team-high 49 yards, and junior
Nicholas Buchenau had two catches for 40 yards.
Junior
Alden Kling dominated the game on defense. He finished with seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, and he forced a fumble. Juniors
Cole Krawiec and
Colin Miller shared the team lead with eight tackles each, and Miller added 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior
Max Eastman had 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry. Senior
Kalani Pickett had the interception and a pass breakup.
As a team, the Sagehens recorded five sacks. Azusa Pacific averaged just 1.8 yards per play, converted 2 of 14 third downs and threw for only 24 yards. The Sagehen defense also recorded its second shutout of the season, which is the first time a defense for Pomona-Piter has recorded more than one shutout in a single season in over 20 years.
On special teams, sophomore
Gage Eastlack punted seven times for a 39.7-yard average. His long was 51 yards, and he pinned two punts inside the 20. Junior
Jackson Irons returned six punts for 15 yards.
How It Happened
The Sagehens scored on their opening possession, going 78 yards in nine plays. Sobota and Buchenau each had 31-yard catches during the game. The drive ended when Catalano found Dragomer for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 11:33 left in the first quarter. Freshman
Aidan Streidl added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
After that, the game became a defensive struggle. Azusa Pacific's best chance to score came at the end of the first half, but a 47-yard field goal attempt missed. Pomona-Pitzer took its 7-0 lead into halftime.
Late in the third quarter, the Sagehens doubled their lead with an eight-play, 65-yard drive. Catalano finished it himself, running 17 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 left in the quarter. Streidl's kick made it 14-0.
Azusa Pacific tried to answer early in the fourth quarter, but Pickett intercepted a Cougar pass. Pomona-Pitzer had two chances to add to its lead, a missed 30-yard field goal and a turnover on downs at the Azusa Pacific 13. Each time, the defense took the field and kept the Cougars scoreless. Azusa Pacific's final drive ended on downs deep in its own territory, and the Sagehens ran out the clock.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next head to Chapman on Saturday, October 31
st at 1:00 p.m.
