Suspensions Don’t Stop Cal Lutheran From Fresh Start

It’s a new beginning for Cal Lutheran.

After starting the season with three losses, the Kingsmen opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play by defeating Whittier, 48-12, Saturday at Cal Lutheran.

The Kingsmen (1-3) won at home for the eighth time in nine games, despite not having a full compliment of players. Coach Scott Squires suspended nine players, including seven defensive starters, for violating team rules.

The Cal Lutheran defense, featuring numerous freshmen, held Whittier (0-4, 0-2) to six points in the last three quarters. The suspended players will return next week.

The suspended players, who Squires said helped coach the younger defenders from the sideline during the game, may have inadvertently brought the team closer together.

“We had a players-only meeting on Monday,” junior running back Dorian Stitt said. “It allowed guys to voice any concerns and really helped bring us together as a unit.

“Now we are 1-0 [in conference play]. I was here two years ago when we split the conference title. We want to win it by ourselves this year.”

The Kingsmen, who had a bye last week, focused on fundamentals for two weeks.

“Most teams add plays during a bye week,” Squires said. “But we threw out a majority of the offense, simplified the defense and went back to work on the basics.”

Whittier took a 6-3 lead, set up by a Kingsmen fumble, but Cal Lutheran mounted a 14-play, 83-yard drive capped by George Keiaho’s seven-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to regain the lead.

The score remained 10-6 when, late in the half, Kingsmen receiver Eugene Sullivan caught a short pass from Chris Czernek and outran the Whittier secondary for a 63-yard touchdown.

Sullivan, who also caught a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, finished with six catches for 130 yards. In addition, he returned five punts for 36 yards and filled in at punter because of the suspensions, averaging 40.8 yards on four punts.

Czernek completed 14 of 20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Cal Lutheran rushed for 250 yards against a Whittier defense that entered the game allowing 243 yards rushing per game, last in the SCIAC. Stitt led the Kingsmen with 82 yards in 13 carries, including a 20-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left in the first half for a 24-6 lead.