Owls Come Alive in Second Half for Seventh Win on the Year

After a scoreless first half, No. 18-ranked Citrus College came alive in the second half to grab a 35-7 victory over defending conference champion Santa Ana College.

The Owls remain perfect with a 7-0 overall, 2-0 American Metro League record, while the Dons drop to 2-5 on the year and 1-1 in conference.

Citrus finished with 317 total offensive yards, including 234 passing yards against a top defensive team in the State. Coming into the game, Santa Ana was only allowing 192 passing yards per game.

Adam Urena finished 15-for-26 with two touchdown passes and no interceptions to lead the Owls.

Defensively, Citrus had three interceptions, including two pick-sixes. Jonathan Calderon had two interceptions, including one for a 20-yard touchdown return, and Drew Merrill snatched the other for a 47-yard interception return. Darren Mercer led with seven tackles and had a breakup, while Jailen "JJ" Edwards finished with five tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.

While Citrus might have been held in check in the first half, less than 20 seconds into the third quarter, the Owls got on the board. Urena found Jesse Carmona wide open in the middle of the field for an 89-yard touchdown to spark the offense.

Five seconds into the fourth, the Owls struck again as Isaiah Espinosa made a great catch for a 22-yard touchdown.

Elijah Finney scored the third touchdown for the Owls in their next drive, finding a seam to split the Don defense and run in for 21 yards.

The Owl defense then stepped up with back-to-back interception touchdowns to all but seal the victory. Merrill grabbed an interception and ran in for 47 yards, his second-straight game with a pick-six, and Calderon followed with a 20-yard interception touchdown to cap the scoring for Citrus.

Jose Valdez was a perfect 5-for-5 with his point-after-touchdown attempts.

Citrus has one final home game in the regular season, hosting West La on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.