Kendall Henderson had a big game defensively for the Owls. Photo by Danyil German
Kendall Henderson had a big game defensively for the Owls. Photo by Danyil German

Owls Drop Another Heartbreaker

It came down to the final quarter, but Citrus College couldn't walk away with the victory at Pasadena City College Saturday night. The Lancer defense proved too much to handle as the home team won the game 30-27.

With the loss, the Owls – who rank No. 24 on the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) Poll – drop to 2-2 on the season while Pasadena City improves to 3-1. Both teams are receiving votes on the JC Athletic Bureau Coaches Poll.

Citrus finished with 172 passing yards and 167 rushing yards for 339 yards of total offense.

Adam Urena was 5-for-14 with two touchdowns. Ivan Castro was 2-for-3 for field goals and a perfect 3-for-3 in point after touchdown (PAT) attempts.

Defensively, Kendall Henderson grabbed a pick-six, returning an interception for 41 yards for a touchdown. Matthew Littlejohn also had an interception. Brandon Armstead, Josh Stills, and Jackson Belville each had a sack in the game.

PCC scored first, but the Owls tied things up after converting on a fourth-and-two situation. Urena found Isaiah Espinosa sprinting down the field as he ran 34 yards for a touchdown.

The Owls then took the lead just before the quarter ended as Urena found Robert Vega for a 67-yard touchdown. The drive took just three plays and spanned 80 yards over a minute, 21 seconds to put Citrus up 14-7.

Castro kicked in a 35-yard field goal with 13:17 left before halftime to increase the visitors' lead to double-digits, 17-7, but the Lancers responded with a touchdown halfway through the second.

With almost two minutes left before halftime, Castro kicked in a 24-yard field goal to give the Owls some cushion, 20-14, heading into the break.

The Lancers evened the score with two minutes to go in the third, but with just under a minute left in the quarter, Henderson snatched a free ball up and ran 41 yards to put Citrus back in front. Castro followed with a good PAT attempt to give the Owls a one-possession lead, 27-20.

Citrus couldn't carry that momentum into the fourth, however, as Pasadena City scored off a blocked punt and tacked on a field goal to seal the 30-27 victory.

The Owls look to bounce back next week, heading to Antelope Valley for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff.