Kingsmen Passed on Last Play This Time

If you are associated with Cal Lutheran, this game is the new definition for heartbreak.

In the highest-scoring game in Cal Lutheran history, Luke Winslow’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Carlsen as time expired gave Azusa Pacific a 54-51 nonconference victory Saturday at Thousand Oaks.

The Kingsmen (2-3) led, 27-0, in the first quarter and took a 51-48 lead on a five-yard touchdown run by Dorian Stitt with 1:58 left. The touchdown was Stitt’s school-record tying fourth of the game.

The Kingsmen were unable to duplicate their Houdini act from last week, when they yielded an NCAA-record 731 passing yards but made a game-ending tackle at the five to preserve a 37-32 victory against Menlo.

Trailing, 44-40, in the fourth quarter, the Cougars (5-2) engineered a 12-play, 77-yard drive, capped by Larry Crabtree’s one-yard run with 6:20 remaining. Jimmy Travis ran for a two-point conversion to give the Cougars a 48-44 lead.

Stitt responded with a 22-yard kickoff return, and a 15-yard late hit penalty by Azusa Pacific put the ball at the Cougar 43. The Kingsmen, who had been shut out in the second half, turned to Stitt.

The senior had two 13-yard runs, converted a fourth and three from the 11 by going airborne over two defenders, and scored the go-ahead touchdown after taking a pitch from Chris Czernek.

“Dorian does so many good things for us,” said Coach Scott Squires. “We will really miss him after this season.”

However, the Kingsmen left too much time on the clock. Jonathon Lott returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards. Winslow completed 13- and 19-yard passes to Travis, and his six-yarder to Caleb Willis set up fourth and four with two seconds remaining.

The Cougars, who had three extra-points blocked earlier in the game, decided to go for the touchdown. Winslow lofted a fade pass to Carlsen, who came back to the ball and made the catch.

Azusa Pacific, No. 18 in the NAIA rankings, recorded its 16th consecutive victory over schools from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Kingsmen scored four touchdowns on their first 14 plays to sprint to a 27-0 lead in the first 11 minutes.

Stitt and Brian Woodworth each scored two touchdowns.

It is the third consecutive week Cal Lutheran had at least a 21-point first-quarter lead.

The 105 points broke a school-record of 100, set when Cal Lutheran defeated Menlo, 59-41, in November, 1996.