A Perfect Balance

Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Football team, ranked #9 in the State, displayed what was nearly a perfect balance on Saturday afternoon in their 39-14 defeat of State #10 Grossmont College. The Owls racked up 199 yards through the air and 201 on the ground, and got 8 of their first downs via pass and 11 more via run in the victory.

Citrus wasted little time in putting a score on the board. After the Owl defense set the tone with a three and out to start the contest, the offense went to work, marching 63 yards down the field and scoring on their first possession.

Freshman quarterback Larry Cutbirth found sophomore Justin Williams in the corner of the end zone to put Citrus up 7-0.  The Owls would score again two drives later. Cutbirth connected with freshman Dane Cruikshank for a 30 yards catch and touchdown run to give the Owls an early 14-0 cushion.

Coming into Saturday's contest, Grossmont College boasted the #1 scoring offense in the State. At some point, you knew they'd find the end zone. That some point came just before the end of the first as they cut the Owls' lead in half after a six yard touchdown run.

The Owls never panicked though, and the Citrus defense got their revenge early in the second quarter. Sophomore Derek Calderon picked a pass at the Citrus 32 yard line and took it all the way up the sideline and into the end zone to give Citrus a 22-7 lead after a converted two point play.

Grossmont would score a few minutes later, but the Owls got another score before the end of the half when freshman Emmanuel Pooler had a 31 yard touchdown run to give Citrus a 29-14 lead at the break.

In the second half, it was all about the Owls' defense. Citrus held that vaunted Griffin offense scoreless in the entire second half. In the third quarter alone, the Owls held Grossmont to 37 total yards, a far cry from the over 600 yards of total offense the Griffins had been averaging.

With the defense shutting down every, Grossmont advance, the offense took care of business. Citrus scored twice more in the third quarter, getting a 17 yard pass from Cutbirth to sophomore Charles Johnson and a 34 yard field goal from freshman Jaime Toscano to arrive at their 39 points on the day.

Offensively, Cutbirth continued to excel going 13 of 21 for 199 yards and 3 TD's and no interceptions. Cutbirth also ran for 57 yards. Pooler would finish with 12 carries for 73 yards, while Cruikshank led the Owls in receiving yards with a pair of catches for 72 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, it was sophomore Jose Nunez who led the way with a game high 10 tackles, including a half a sack, two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery. Calderon had eight tackles, and sophomore Kenyatta Johnson, who leads the State in sacks, continued to terrorize opposing quarterbacks with two more sacks on the day.

With the win, Citrus improves to 3-0 on the season. The Owls will get their toughest test to date next Saturday when they travel to Mt. San Antonio College (2-1) which has long been a thorn in the side of the Owls. Kick-off is set for 6:00 PM at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. SAC.