CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Pomona-Pitzer Football team started their 2026 season with a 42-23 victory over non-conference opponent Willamette on Saturday morning at Merritt Field.
Pomona-Pitzer opened its season in style on Friday at Merritt Field, jumping out to a commanding 42-3 lead through three quarters before weathering a frantic Willamette comeback bid to escape with a 42-23 victory.
On offense,
Carson Green got the start at quarterback on opening day and was very efficient, completing 22 of 32 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
Brennan Dragomer was the workhorse of the ground game, piling up 44 yards and a score on just 7 carries, while
Mitchell Rodenbaugh made the most of limited touches, averaging 9.4 yards per carry on his way to 47 rushing yards, including a long 28-yard burst. Dragomer also doubled as the top receiving option, hauling in 7 catches for 77 yards, with
Broghan Daley (3 catches, 53 yards, a touchdown) and
Jackson Irons (3 catches, 20 yards, a touchdown, plus his electric kick-return score) rounding out an attack that produced 332 total yards on just 67 plays.
On defense, the Sagehens got a strong effort up front and in the secondary.
Cole Krawiec led the way with 8 tackles and a tackle for loss, while
Leo Ryals added 6 stops of his own.
William Weber contributed 5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, and
Max Eastman notched a sack among his 3 tackles. The defense also came up with two of the game's biggest turnovers:
Will Albrecht forced a fumble, recovered another, and blocked a punt, while
Kalani Pickett intercepted a pass in the win.
Willamette actually struck first on a 39-yard field goal from Rory Mckee, but the Sagehens needed just one play to respond as Irons fielded the ensuing kickoff and raced 100 yards for a touchdown, and from there Pomona-Pitzer never trailed again. Green took full control of the offense in the first half, connecting with Rodenbaugh on a 38-yard scoring strike, finding Irons again from 13 yards out, and capping the half with a short touchdown toss to
Jack Sobota to send the Sagehens into the locker room up 28-3.
Pomona-Pitzer didn't let up after halftime. quarterback
Will Black got in on the action with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Daley, and Dragomer punched one in from 2 yards out to push the lead to a staggering 42-3 through three quarters.
Willamette had a short offensive burst in the fourth quarter, mounting a response that made the final score look considerably closer than the game actually was. Lukas Hews found the end zone through the air, Micah Ho'Omanawanui connected with Nicholas Gianni on a 42-yard scoring strike, and Colby Ford punched in a short rushing touchdown to pull the Bearcats within 42-23.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next hit the road as they travel to Lewis & Clark on Saturday, September 19
th at 1:00 PM.
