Chapman Rout Isn’t Satisfying : Football: Panthers end season with 63-7 victory over Whittier, but team feels snubbed by not making playoffs.

The Chapman football team finished its season Saturday with the expected rout--63-7 over Whittier--but the Panthers are still missing a sense of closure.

There will be no postseason for Chapman, although the Panthers won their final eight games after La Verne beat them by one point in the season opener. The NCAA Division III West Regional is hard for California teams to break into. Even La Verne, which finished 9-0, could be left out.

“I’m just sorry the season’s over,” Chapman Coach Ken Visser said. “I think if this team goes back there, it does pretty good. I think a Midwestern team would have trouble with this team’s speed.”

Whittier (1-8) couldn’t catch up in front of a Chapman homecoming crowd of 4,075. The Panthers scored on their second play from scrimmage when quarterback Greg Hyland hit Oscar Ford with a 75-yard touchdown pass play.

It was the first of three touchdowns for Ford, who also scored on a 65-yard punt return and a 42-yard run. Ford, a senior who played at Servite High, gained 305 all-purpose yards.

Hyland completed nine of 18 passes for 289 yards and five touchdowns.

One of Hyland’s scoring passes, however, was more of a run. The play was all Darnell Morgan.

Morgan, the Panthers’ tailback, appeared to be stopped on a second-quarter screen pass. At one point in the play, Morgan was being chased by three linemen about 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Then he saw a small opening and turned up field.

No one touched him as he completed a 50-yard scoring play.

Morgan, a junior from Norwalk, scored two other touchdowns, on runs of 24 and four yards. In 22 carries, he had 208 yards rushing, helping the Panthers to a school record 640 yards total offense.

Chapman led, 35-0, before Whittier scored its only touchdown on an 81-yard pass play from Tyrone Phillips to Marcos Ramirez with 4 minutes 23 seconds left in the third quarter.

It was one of the few good offensive moments for the Poets, who were held to 14 yards total offense in the first half.

Chapman’s defense against the run was especially tough; Whittier was held to minus 29 yards, the first time Chapman has held a team to negative rushing yards.

Chapman defensive lineman Efriam Miranda did much of the damage. Miranda, a senior from Tustin High and OCC, sacked Phillips four times and had six other tackles for losses. Miranda was in on a game-high 16 tackles.

Miranda was smiling after the game, but said had mixed emotions about playing his final college football game.

“It’s bittersweet,” Miranda said. “I think this is probably one of the best games I’ve had all year. I guess it’s a pretty good way to go out, but I sure would have liked to go out with a championship.”