Owls Close Out Season With Spirited Effort Against Riverside

Glendora, CA - The 2015 Citrus College Football season came to a close on Saturday afternoon, when they Owls played host to State #4 and SoCal #2 Riverside City College. Citrus put forth a spirited effort, but couldn't keep up the Tigers in the end in a 45-24 loss.

The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Owls, as Riverside scored the first two touchdowns of the game, and Citrus looked like it was going to struggled all day long against a stout Tiger defense. Trailing 12-0, after back to back missed extra points by Riverside, the Owls finally got some positive momentum and got on the board late in the first quarter via a 27 yard field goal from freshman kicker Luis Vasquez.

 Just a little under three minutes later, Citrus officially made it a game when freshman quarterback Brian Meyette connected with freshman wide receiver Britton Noskoff for a 13 yard score that made it 10-12 with 14:53 in the second quarter.After the two Citrus scores Riverside reacted appropriately scoring on their next two possessions to go back on top 25-10.

The Owls didn't shrink though, using a quick strike in their next possession, when Meyette found sophomore Brayton Newton for a 75 yard touchdown pass that made it 25-17. The Owls defense would respond in kind, when freshman defensive back Daijohn Isbell picked off RCC quarterback Ian Fieber on the Tigers' very first play of their next possession to get Citrus back the ball. The Owls couldn't do anything with it though, and instead Riverside got the ball back with just over four minutes left in first half.

Citrus' defense wasn't done yet, forcing a three and out and getting the offense the ball back on the Owls' 20 yard line with 1:42 to go. Meyette and Co. responded by marching all the way down to the Riverside six yard line. The offense stalled out there though and after two penalties, a sack, and an incomplete pass, the Owls were left empty handed headed into the break, trailing 17-25.

The Owls' inability to score at the end of the second quarter proved to be a crucial turning point in the contest, as Citrus scored just one touchdown in the entire second half. Riverside meanwhile got a touchdown in the third and two field goals and a touchdown in the fourth to put the game away for good. Citrus' last score of the game would come late in the fourth quarter when Meyette found freshman wide receiver Marcus Whiteside for a four yard score.

In the loss, Meyette finished 20 of 32 for 372 yard and 3 TD's with no picks. Newton was Meyette's favorite target on the afternoon catching seven balls for a program record 180 yards and the one score. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Adrian Barrios had a game high 11 tackles. Freshman defensive back Dominque Walker added 10 including a pass break-up in the losing effort.

With the loss, Citrus' 2015 season ends with a 2-8 record overall and 1-5 mark in National Division Central League play.