It’s No Picnic, but CLC Tops Azusa, 30-27

You knew when dozens of Azusa Pacific University fans set up lounge chairs within a yard of both end zones Saturday that Hillside Field was not going to be a friendly place for Cal Lutheran. Boisterous Cougar faithful lined each sideline and their decibel level went up as the game progressed and the sun went down.

So it was to the dissatisfaction of nearly everyone except the Kingsmen that Azusa’s hopes for an unbeaten season were dashed. Tight end Darren Gottschalk made a diving catch of a Tom Bonds’ pass for a five-yard touchdown with 3:57 remaining and dusk falling to give CLC a 30-27 win and the NAIA District III title.

Gottschalk, with three touchdown catches, was like a huge ant interfering with spectators who had spread picnic blankets near the end zone. On his first score, he nearly fell in their food, and his last score spoiled their mood.

The win avenged losses to Azusa the past two years and was CLC’s 11th over the Cougars in 13 games. CLC (5-5) has been District III champion 17 of the last 21 years.

Azusa (7-1-1) believed it had to avoid a loss to qualify for its first-ever NAIA Division II playoff berth. The Cougars were ranked fifth before the game and must make the top eight in the final poll, which will be released today, to receive a playoff invitation.

Pride, not playoffs, was what CLC played for. After four straight losses to Western Football Conference opponents, a victory was sorely needed.

“This win saved our program,” junior wide receiver Joe Fuca said. “If we lost to Azusa, we might as well go back to the NAIA. This will help our morale going into the offseason.”

CLC, a long-time NAIA independent, moved up to the NCAA Division II WFC this season. Because the Kingsmen are dual members of the NAIA and NCAA, the District III title was at stake.

Azusa tried everything from A to Z in the U.S.A. to remain unbeaten.

Mammoth Nigerian tailback Christian Okoye (6-2, 255 pounds) carried 29 times for 139 yards. Backs Greg Johnson and Dave Titchenal combined for more than 100 yards. And left-handed quarterback David Russell completed 16 of 33 passes, mostly after play-action fakes to Okoye.

But after coming back from a 24-10 halftime deficit to take a 27-24 fourth-quarter lead, the Cougars gave Bonds one too many chances to win the game.

The Cougars gave the game away, losing five fumbles, including two in the fourth quarter. CLC advanced to inside the Cougar 20 four times in the last 12 minutes and were turned away on the first three occasions.

Azusa Pacific was like a carnival vendor who gave away one too many tosses at a pyramid of bottles. Bonds was handed the ball with five minutes left after Titchenal fumbled following a 20-yard gain, and the sophomore signal-caller hit Fuca for 41 yards on second-and-28 and Leo Briones for 12 yards to set up the scoring strike to Gottschalk.

CLC Coach Bob Shoup made a curious decision to fake a kick and pass for two points on the conversion try. With a three-point lead, one point was enough to force Azusa to score a touchdown to avert a loss, and when Victor Wilson made a low throw to Briones for an incompletion, the Cougars only had to move into field-goal range for a chance to tie.

“I would have kicked a field goal if we had the opportunity,” Azusa Coach Jim Milhon said. “Our unbeaten record would have been salvaged and we would have had a reasonable shot at the playoffs. I was surprised they tried the pass.”

Said Shoup: “The pass was open. It was nearly a sure thing.”

The decision was rendered moot when Azusa’s final drive stalled at the CLC 33, Russell’s fourth-down pass falling incomplete.

The Kingsmen had been penalized for 102 yards, and when a flag was thrown on the play, panic nearly set in. The infraction was against the Cougars, however, and CLC took over possession and ran out the clock.

After CLC built a 10-3 first-quarter lead on a 30-yard Kurt Lohse field goal and a one-yard scoring run by Tracy Downs, Bonds began picking apart the Azusa secondary. He completed 13 of 17 passes for 200 yards in the first half, including touchdown passes of seven and 39 yards to Gottschalk.

Azusa’s comeback hopes in the third quarter were reinforced by memories of last week’s game against San Francisco, when the Cougars overcame a 38-17 deficit to tie, 38-38. And when Tim Dry blocked a Tom Sweeney punt out of the end zone for a safety early in the period, momentum shifted.

Tight end Kimball Chase leaped to catch a Russell pass for a six-yard score with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter to close the gap to 24-19. Chase snagged another touchdown pass from Russell, this one of 11 yards, in the first minute of the fourth quarter to give the Cougars a lead. Titchenal passed to Charlie Hetzer for a two-point conversion to increase Azusa’s advantage to 27-24.

Russell, who completed 16 of 33 passes for 152 yards, was effective but not impressive. He lobbed the ball like a slow-pitch softball player. It was up to his receivers to out-jump CLC defenders for catches.

The Kingsmen hurt themselves in the third quarter. A 20-yard catch by Fuca, a 12-yard catch by Greg Harris and an interception by linebacker Ken Wood had something in common. All were nullified by penalties.

Senior tailback Noel Hicks posed a break-away threat for CLC, rushing for 91 yards on eight carries including a 62-yard sprint. He also returned a kickoff 47 yards.