Just Short
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Citrus (3-1) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
|
Mt. San Antonio (3-1) | 10 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 33 |
Walnut, CA -- The Citrus College football team came within 1:26 of posting the biggest win in the Ponciano era on Saturday night. Alas it wasn't meant to be as the Owls came up just short, giving up a 78 yard kickoff returned for a TD with 1:25 to go in a 33-32 setback to Mt. San Antonio College.
The game was back and forth all night. The Mounties struck first, but the Owls quickly answered when freshman quarterback Larry Cutbirth found sophomore Donovan Holmes for a 17 yard TD midway through the first.
Mt. SAC scored 10 straight following that, but Citrus rallied getting a 25 yard touchdown reception for freshman Joseph Henderson from Cutbirth and then a 32 yard field goal from the foot of freshman Jaime Toscano that briefly made it 17-16 in favor of the Owls. The Mounties would finally break the Owls' roll getting a TD just before the break to grab a 23-17 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Citrus came out swinging. Cutbirth marched the Owls down the field 75 yards, capped off by a two yard TD carry for himself that put Citrus back on top 24-23. Neither team would score over the remaining minutes of the third quarter, but the Mounties did open up the 4th quarter with a field goal that gave them back the lead 26-24.
The teams would trade possessions, until the Owls got the ball back with 6:46 to go. Cutbirth then helped engineer an 11 play 70 yard drive that covered over five minutes of clock. The drive ended when Cutbirth found sophomore Brayton Newton in the back of the end zone to put the Owls up 32-26 after converting a two point conversion.
On the ensuing kick-off it happened, and the Mounties took the ball 78 yards to the house to go back up 33-32. The Owls didn't give up, moving the ball all the way back to midfield, but an ineligible receiver downfield in the final seconds of the game that negated a gain all the way to the Mt. SAC 36, helped sink the Owl effort for good.
With the loss, Citrus falls to 3-1 on the year. The Owls will get the next week off before getting back out on the field in two weeks at Chaffey College. Kick-off is set for 1:00 PM.