CLAREMONT, Calif. –
Mitchell Rodenbaugh piled up 180 yards from scrimmage and scored twice, and the Pomona-Pitzer defense carried a shutout into the fourth quarter as the Sagehens beat La Verne 24-6 on Saturday night at Merritt Field.
Season Impact: The win evens Pomona-Pitzer's record at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in SCIAC play.
Dominick Catalano led the Sagehens through the air after he completed 19-of-27 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, and added 25 yards on the ground.
Rodenbaugh led the rushing attack with 139 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt with a long of 41.
Brennan Dragomer added 69 yards on 13 carries, including a 29-yard burst in the fourth quarter, as the Sagehens finished with 249 rushing yards on 38 attempts.
Rodenbaugh also paced the receivers with four catches for 41 yards and a score.
Nicholas Buchenau had three receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown, while
Nick Matthews and
Jackson Irons each caught two passes for 26 yards and
Jack Sobota had two for 24.
Defensively,
Leo Ryals led all players with 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack.
Cole Krawiec added nine tackles and a quarterback hurry, and
Max Eastman had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a 10-yard sack and a blocked extra point.
Bo Molinelli finished with five tackles and a pass breakup,
Danner Lim had three tackles with a sack and a hurry, and
Will Albrecht blocked a punt that set up a touchdown. As a unit, the Sagehens recorded three sacks and held La Verne to 70 rushing yards on 2.5 yards per carry.
How It Happened
After forcing a three-and-out to open the game, the Sagehens marched 67 yards in 10 plays. Facing fourth-and-2 from the 19, Catalano found Rodenbaugh on the left side for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead
Special teams set up the next score.
Will Albrecht blocked a La Verne punt to give the Sagehens the ball at the Leopards' 49, and three plays later Rodenbaugh broke loose around the left side for a 29-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
La Verne moved the ball in the second quarter but came away empty, missing field goals from 39 and 23 yards, the second capping a 14-play, seven-minute drive. The Leopards reached the Sagehens' 28 in the final seconds of the half before
Max Eastman's 10-yard sack and end-zone breakups by Jaques Philippe and
Colby Cooley preserved the shutout.
Rodenbaugh opened the second half with runs of 7, 12 and 41 yards, setting up a 30-yard
Aidan Streidl field goal for a 17-0 lead.
La Verne got on the board on the second play of the fourth quarter with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brian Rudden to Jimmy Rumsey, but Eastman blocked the extra point. The Sagehens answered with their best drive of the night, a 14-play, 71-yard march that took 8:36 off the clock and ended with Catalano's 11-yard touchdown pass to
Nicholas Buchenau.
Up Next: The Sagehens hit the road as they head to Whittier on October 10
th at 1:00 p.m.
