Cal Lutheran’s Debut in SCIAC Spoiled by Pomona-Pitzer, 27-21

Cal Lutheran was effective on offense and defense for parts of each quarter in its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football debut Saturday before 465 at Mt. Clef Stadium in Thousand Oaks. But from midway through the third quarter until the final nine minutes of the game, Cal Lutheran was not a factor on either side of the ball in a 27-21 loss to Pomona-Pitzer.

Despite the miserable stretch in which they allowed touchdowns on three consecutive possessions, lost a fumble and had the ball for just 10 plays, the Kingsmen had a chance to pull out a victory in the final seconds.

After Tom Helmer’s 12-yard punt return gave Cal Lutheran the ball on its own 28-yard line with 1 minute 20 seconds to play, Adam Hacker completed passes of 12 yards to Robert Caulfield and 23 yards to Len Bradley.

The Kingsmen also benefited from a personal-foul penalty when Cassidy O’Sullivan was hit out of bounds after losing four yards on a reception. The play gave Cal Lutheran a first down on the Sagehens’ 24-yard line with 40 seconds left.

Hacker threw into the end zone on first down, and defensive back Tyler Vradenburg knocked down the pass. Robert Christman went one better on the next play, intercepting Hacker’s pass in the end zone.

It was a disappointing end to what Coach Joe Harper called Hacker’s best game at Cal Lutheran. The sophomore completed 21 of 35 passes for 248 yards.

“They made a couple of defensive adjustments (in the second half), but that’s no excuse,” Hacker said. “We should have kept the momentum going.”

Bradley, who caught six passes for a game-high 110 yards, was also frustrated. “We played in spurts, and we’re the kind of team that can’t do that,” he said.

The Kingsmen led, 14-7, at halftime on Hacker’s 22-yard first-quarter scoring pass to Scott Wheeler and freshman Ivan Moreno’s 15-yard second-quarter scoring run.

Pomona-Pitzer tied the score in the third quarter on a 25-yard pass play from Josh Spitzen to Todd Tuney. Spitzen put the Sagehens ahead for good, 21-14, with a one-yard run to start the fourth quarter.

The Sagehens, 2-6 last season, increased their lead to 27-14 on their next possession when Robert Hicks scored on a two-yard run.

Cal Lutheran awakened on its next possession, a 14-play, 62-yard drive that consumed 6:01 and culminated in O’Sullivan’s one-yard run. Sullivan, who rushed for 990 yards last season, had 51 yards in 19 carries.