CLU Ends Season on Winning Note

Nietzsche believed in the inevitability of returns, and after what happened at Mt. Clef Stadium on Saturday, Cal Lutheran Coach Bob Shoup appears to be a believer as well.

Against Azusa Pacific, Shoup took a chance repeating a mistake as his theory on the inevitability of returns seems to be more along the lines of, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Last week at a crucial point in a game against Southern Utah State, Shoup called for a reverse on a kickoff return. Disastrously, Craig Ashley fumbled the handoff from Eddie Hoffman, Southern Utah went on to score and Cal Lutheran went on to lose.

Somehow, however, on a gorgeous day in a year in which little else has gone right for the Kingsmen, perhaps this return was fated to be a success.

The freshmen Hoffman and Ashley, man and superman on this particular play, executed the handoff flawlessly. Ashley dashed 42 yards to the Azusa Pacific 46, and three plays later, Cal Lutheran scored the winning touchdown with 9:46 to play in a 21-17 victory.

Rather than dooming Shoup, this return helped ease the burden of last week’s gaffe.

“We practiced on it,” Shoup said of the reverse. “I felt the ballgame was at a momentum-change point. If we didn’t turn it around, Azusa was going to get stronger.”

Still, amid the celebration after the season finale for Cal Lutheran (3-6), Shoup’s return as coach remained by no means inevitable.

Senior running back Dean Henderson said he was “sure” that Shoup would return; junior tight end Dave Deisinger said he thought Shoup would return; but, according to Shoup, the issue is still under negotiation.

“From a coaching standpoint, it was a difficult week because everything is not settled,” said Shoup, who has coached all 28 years of Kingsmen football. “I thought the players stayed out of that, and that’s been true all year. We’ll certainly work hard at (a settlement). Now that the season is over, it frees my time. If we can get it settled within a week or two, it would be good for all parties.”

Regardless of next year, after watching his team finally produce in the clutch, Shoup said he would like to return to the first two games of the season, losses to Sonoma State and St. Mary’s, and play them over.

Trailing, 10-7, at halftime, the Kingsmen responded to a Shoup pep talk with two second-half touchdowns and some stern defense.

Ken Whitney returned the second-half kickoff to the 42, and Cal Lutheran quarterback Dan Nagelmann directed a 14-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that consumed more than seven minutes and put the Kingsmen ahead, 14-10.

Nagelmann sneaked from inches away for the touchdown after Cal Lutheran had simply hammered the last 12 yards with five consecutive rushing plays behind its physically superior offensive line.

“I thought at halftime we pulled together really well,” Shoup said. “We settled down and just decided to play rock-and-sock football and not get cutesy.”

Although it could manage only 53 yards of total offense and one first down in the second half, Azusa Pacific (4-4) capitalized on a fumble by Hoffman, one of four Cal Lutheran turnovers, to regain the lead with a 25-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. Ashley immediately answered with his kickoff return.

Nagelmann then hit Tom Leogrande for seven yards and Deisinger for 20 to set up Henderson’s 19-yard touchdown run. Henderson, who led Cal Lutheran with 82 yards in 13 carries, found a gaping hole on a draw play and jitterbugged for the score.

Azusa Pacific quarterback Fitz Wilson led all rushers with 95 yards in 14 carries and ran for a touchdown. He completed only seven of 22 passes, but one was a 35-yard first-half touchdown toss to wide receiver Kevin Griffin on a double reverse, flea flicker.