When the Pomona-Pitzer men's football team faced off against La Verne last Saturday, their eyes were set on redemption. It was La Verne, after all, that defeated the Sagehens 15-14 last year to taint the team's otherwise perfect record. After three relatively painless victories and a break from action during last week's bye, the Hens traveled to La Verne poised and ready to revenge last year's disappointment.

As the game got under way, however, things did not look good for the Sagehens. Hampered by soreness in his throwing hand, senior quarterback Brian Ferrette was unable to connect during Pomona-Pitzer's first drive, and the Hens were forced to punt after three plays. Things went from bad to worse during the Sagehens second drive, when an errant snap sailed over Ferrette's head into the end zone. The quarterback dove on the ball, and the Leopards came away with a safety for two points.

Though the offense came out flat at La Verne, the defense was as strong as it has been all season. The defensive line squashed the Leopards' early attempts at establishing a ground game and the secondary came up with some big pass deflections on key plays. Facing constant pressure from Dan Wire '01, Khary Espy '01, and Patrick Maloney '01, the less-than-mobile La Verne quarterback was unable to get clear looks at his receivers, and the Leopards were forced to punt frequently.

When the snap sailed high during the Leopards' third punt of the quarter, things started looking a little better for the Sagehens. After jumping to reel in the wild snap, the punter was greeted by the collective punishment of Wire and Espy. The offense took over at the La Verne ten-yard line, and promptly capitalized with a six-yard touchdown run from senior Ryan Hattersley. After a failed two-point conversion pass, the Sagehens were up 6-2.

In the second quarter, the Sagehen defense continued its relentless assault on the La Verne quarterback, sacking him twice and rushing him on numerous occasions. They once again stifled La Verne's running game, and held the Leopards scoreless. Unfortunately, replacing the injured Ferrette with senior Teohua Sanchez was not enough to spark Pomona-Pitzer's offense, and the teams went into halftime with only eight points between them.

After stopping the Leopards' first drive of the second half, the Sagehens' special teams came through with their second crucial play of the day. As La Verne set to punt from midfield, Jonathan Chock '01, Wire, and Espy all broke through the line and rushed the punter. After Chock's fingers deflected the punt, freshman Alexander Mondau picked up the loose ball and lumbered to the La Verne 18-yard line. Following a completion to senior tight end Benjamin Lacoss on a cross route for a 15-yard gain, Sanchez finished off the drive with a three yard run for the touchdown. La Verne blocked the point after attempt, and with 11 minutes left in the third quarter, Pomona-Pitzer led 12-2.

The Sagehen offence continued to roll on their next two possessions. After shaking defenders at the line of scrimmage with a quick cut to the right, freshman running back Jonathan Samples scored on a 23 yard run to make the score 19-2. On the next possession, Sanchez hooked up with Samples out of the backfield for a 27-yard pickup. Hattersley's 40-yard gain up the middle put the Sagehens in field goal range for what would be the last points of the day. As the final whistle blew, Pomona-Pitzer walked off the field with a 22-2 victory.

"This La Verne team wasn't as good as last year's, but we're stronger this year than last, so it was a combination that led to our success," said Hattersley of the victory. Regarding the lukewarm offensive production on Saturday, Hattersley remarked, "In a game where every single one of their players is faster than us, you can't expect a lot of passing success because they close on the ball so quickly. Offensively we did what we had to win the game, and thankfully the defense was able to contain them."

Contain them they certainly did. "Everything came together defensively on Saturday," said Wire of a defensive outing that racked up eight sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, forced eight punts, and allowed only 33 yards rushing. "It wasn't like the defensive line was good and the secondary was off, we all played as well as we could at one time and the result was an outstanding defensive effort."

The Sagehens successfully avoided the team that stopped them on their way to a perfect season last year. Their next roadblock comes on Saturday, when Pomona-Pitzer travels to Tacoma, Washington to battle the University of Puget Sound. UPS is undefeated in what many consider the country's toughest division which includes last year's Division III champs, Pacific Lutheran University.