The Pomona-Pitzer football team improved their record to 2-0 on Saturday with a 38-20 victory at Whittier. The impressive offensive performance put on by the Sagehens was led by sophomore quarterback Justin Fenchel and senior running back Jon Samples who both ran for two touchdowns, while the defense held strong with three sacks and five interceptions.

The Sagehens went down 7-0 early in the first quarter to Whittier, but quickly came back to tie the score at 7-7 by halftime. With this momentum, the Sagehen squad jumped out quickly in the third quarter and led 38-7. The defense stepped up to hold Whittier scoreless for both the second and third quarters, setting up the Sagehen victory.

The third quarter highlights included two Samples touchdown runs of 5 and 15 yards and a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior defensive back Raudric Curtis. After gaining this sizable lead, the Sagehens gave up two touchdowns to Whittier, making the score 38-20, but Whittier's attempted comeback was too little, too late.

The offense was anchored by the running game; the Sagehens carried the ball 57 times for 277 yards. Samples had 17 carries for 117 yards, while freshman running back Alan Mouritsen got considerable playing time as well, with 18 carries for 91 yards.

However, the defense played the crucial role in the final outcome of the win at Whittier. The secondary had a number of standout plays, helping the defense take control of the game in the second half. Matt Waldeck '06 had two interceptions for 79 yards total while freshman defensive back Caleb Reiff got a sack, one of three for the Sagehens that day.

“The first half started a little slow for our defense, but the third quarter brought great defensive presence for us,” said defensive back Jordan Stone '07. “We got three interceptions that really helped us pull away in the second half.”

This was the second win of the season for the Sagehen football team, giving them a 2-0 record, but this win was not necessarily key to the season in general. It is an improvement on Pomona-Pitzer’s record of the past two seasons, however, in which the Sagehens started 0-2 in 2002, and 1-1 in 2001.

“We’ve started 4-0, but then lost the last four games of the season. We’ve also started 0-2 and won the last six,” said head football coach Roger Caron. “So starting 2-0 doesn’t necessarily mean a lot in the long run. But we have a very young team this year, one of the youngest we’ve ever had, and they work hard. So starting 2-0 is good for morale, but it isn’t very significant.”

Saturday’s game was the first of the season for Whittier, making them start 0-1. This undoubtedly came as a disappointment to Whittier fans, who had high hopes for a good season. Whittier recently named a new head coach, Greg Carlson, and expectations are great.

For the Sagehens, the win against Whittier may not have been vital to the season as a whole, but with the top 10 ranked Trinity Tigers coming to Claremont next week, Saturday’s win becomes more significant.

“In a way, the game against Whittier wasn’t a big win because we were almost expected to win,” noted freshman quarterback Cody Peterson. “But it did give us confidence going into next week’s game against nationally ranked Trinity.”

The Tigers are also 2-0 coming into this Saturday’s game, having beaten Austin and Texas Lutheran the first two weeks of the season. The team ranks eighth in the nation among NCAA Division III football teams according to D3football.com, making it an impressive opponent for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.