Rebounded
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Desert (0-6) | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
|
Citrus (4-2) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
Glendora, CA -- After getting handed back to back disappointing losses in its last two contests, the Citrus College Football team rebounded on Saturday afternoon when they played host to College of the Desert. Once the Owls settled in, they cruised using a number of big plays offensively and defensively, to record the 38-21 win.
It took a little while for a Citrus offense which was picked off three times last week to get rolling, but once they did they gashed the Desert defense for 281 yards through the air and 183 yards on the ground. The Owls' first score would come late in the first quarter when a 65 yard pass from freshman Larry Cutbirth to freshman Brayton Newton would give the Owls a 7-0 lead.
On Citrus' very next possession, freshman Emmanuel Pooler would take a handoff from Cutbirth and take it 76 yards to the house. The Owls weren't done in the first half either, as Cutbirth connected with Newton again, this time for a 47 yard catch and run to give the Owls a commanding 21-0 lead headed into the break.
Desert came out and scored to start the second half, but the Owls responded with a 10 play 61 yard drive that ended when Cutbirth carried the ball in himself from two yards away. The Runners would score again late in both the third and midway through the fourth, but each time the Owls answered. The first would be a 23 yard TD pass from Cutbirth to freshman Raphael Barr, and the final score of the game a 29 yard field goal by freshman Jaime Toscano that made it 38-21 with just over four minutes to play.
In the win, Cutbirth went 13 of 25 for 276 yards and 3 TD's. Pooler carried the ball nine times for 108 yards, and Newton caught just those two passes, both for big gains and scores, for a total of 112 yards. Defensively, sophomore Maurice Dupleasis was all over the field, despite not playing most of the second half, recording 14 tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and a break-up. Sophomore defensive back Derek Calderon had seven tackles, including a tackle for a loss and a break-up of his own.
With the win, Citrus improves to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in National Division Central Conference play. The Owls will get a big road test next Saturday when they travel to Riverside City College to take on the Tigers for a 6:00 PM showdown.
