The Pomona-Pitzer football team will be commanding the athletic spotlight this weekend hosting the Puget Sound Loggers for the 1999 Homecoming game. Coming off a 33-12 victory over the Whittier Poets in which the Sagehens spoiled the Poets’ own homecoming, an injury-plagued Pomona-Pitzer squad hopes to maintain their momentum against a potent Puget Sound offense.

Grayson Schaffer The Sagehens hope to celebrate early and often during their homecoming game against Puget Sound Saturday.

The Sagehens dominated the Poets offensively, tallying 440 total yards of offense. In his return from a bothersome ankle injury, quarterback Brian Ferrette ’01 retook the reigns of the offense, throwing for 244 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for another, and leading the Sagehens to their best overall offensive performance of the year. Fullback Joshua Meier ’02 accounted for 133 of those receiving yards and two touchdowns in a career performance in which he had 180 yards total offense. Of Meier, Coach Roger Caron said, "He’s a really talented kid-a good runner and he’s got good hands. He also had a good game against La Verne."

Running back Ryan Hattersley ’01 also had a productive day, rushing the ball 37 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Hattersley said, "It was really good to carry the ball so many times and be an integral part of the offense, especially coming off my injury." Hattersley, who had been out the previous two games with a hamstring pull, went on to say: "For the first time this season our offense won the game for us. It was a strong performance."

Offense lineman Jack Kim ’01 agreed. "The offense had a good game- we ran our basic offensive plays and that really did it for us."

The defense had some big plays as well. Most notably David Rothwell ’01 had two sacks for the Hens. Puget Sound should give the Sagehens offense yet another opportunity to score some points. In six games, while accumulating a record of 1-5, the Loggers have given up 37 points per game. However, the Sagehens defense will have their work cut out for them- the Loggers averaged two touchdowns a game for themselves. Their most dangerous offensive player is receiver Jeff Halstead ’00, who has averaged over 100 yards a game and caught 5 touchdowns.

Both Kim and Hattersley shared the same opinion of what the Sagehen strategy should be against Puget Sound. Hattersley said: We’re going into the UPS game hoping to put up a lot of points. For the first time this season we’re playing a team that is not a lot bigger than us physically and that means we can rely on the run a little more and overpower them that way." Kim was not so verbose in his statement. He put it simply: "We’ll just take it to ‘em."

The Homecoming festivities should add some hype to the game as well. Hattersley said, "It adds a little to the game when the alumni come back to watch us and we have a change to show them how much this team has improved in the past few years. It excites the players a little more." Coach Caron, although pleased to see the show of support, was not as excited about the festivities. "I tend to ignore the hoopla." he said.

Despite all of the excitement surrounding the game, the Sagehens can’t ignore their own fragile status as a team. Although celebrating the returns of prolific receiver Jake Howard ’00, starting quarterback Ferrette and running back Hattersley, they will still be hampered by the losses of safety Ronnie Tamale ’00, out with a hand injury, and freshman sensation Jeremy Lim ’03, who is still bothered by after-effects of the serious concussion he received in the frustrating La Verne loss.

Tamale, who broke his right thumb in the La Verne game while making 14 tackles, at first refused to sit out against strong medical advice. So distraught over the prospect of missing Homecoming and the upcoming CMC showdown, Tamale initially cut off his cast and signed himself out of the Kaiser Fontana Medical Center using his broken thumb to sign his release form. As he left the doctor’s office he blurted out, "How do you like my signature?" Tamale was understandably disappointed by the injury, but upon receiving further medical advice he decided to succumb to the doctor’s orders and get surgery. He will sit for the rest of the season.

Tamale’s actions mirror the Sagehens’ attitude at this point in the season. With two games left, and on the verge of proving themselves as one of the best Pomona-Pitzer football teams ever assembled, the Sagehens are geared up for the Homecoming game.

Dr. G’s homecoming prediction: Pomona-Pitzer over Puget Sound, 40-14.