Unscripted: Chapman beats Pomona-Pitzer in a wild finish

ORANGE, Calif. - The slugline for the upcoming MLB playoffs is, "You can't script October". Never was that more true than in Chapman University's 23-20 football victory over host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday night in front of 4,700 at Merritt Field.

Even after the Panthers 43-yard pass completion from sophomore QB Eric Willcockson to junior WR Chris Langstaff put Chapman on Pomona's 6 yard line, setting up what they hoped would be the game-tying field goal to send the game into overtime... Chapman head coach Bob Owens couldn't have drawn up the Panthers' final play.

With sophomore K Jimmy Adranly on hand to attempt the 23-yard kick with 6 seconds left on the clock, panic struck. The snap was bad. Adranly picked up the loose ball, scrambled and passed it to sophomore TE John Stanley in the end zone for the game winning touchdown. The Panthers had turned a tie, into a loss, and then into a win in just 6 final ticks off the clock.

That series of play immediately followed what Pomona-Pitzer thought was its own game winning drive. The Sagehens, who entered the game undefeated at 2-0, had trailed 17-14 since the third quarter. They moved the ball 94 yards in the final six minutes of the game, converting on a pair of third downs and the drive culminating in a 12-yard touchdown run by QB Jacob Caron which gave the ‘Hens a 20-17 lead with just 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter. An extra-point would have forced Chapman to get in the end zone on its next possession instead of settling for a field goal. However, the Panthers' defense blocked the ensuing PAT to keep the deficit at three.

A see-saw game, Chapman (2-1) rallied from a 6-0 hole with back-to-back scoring drives early in the second quarter. Adranly kicked a 33-yard field goal and then Willcockson found junior RB Akio Lloyd with a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 10-6 lead.

Pomona-Pitzer (2-1) took a 14-10 lead into halftime with another long, late Caron-led drive to cap the first half.

Chapman began the second half with good field position - starting at its own 45 - and marched 55 yards to regain the lead. Willcockson connected this time with senior WR Dan Delahoussaye on a 4-yard scoring pass to give the Panthers a 17-14 lead, which they would keep until the final minute of the game. Delahoussaye caught nine passes for 120 yards and Langstaff caught five passes for 84 yards as the Panthers' passing game finally came alive.

Chapman's early offensive slump appeared to be a thing of the past as Willcockson and sophomore QB Blake Vanderweil (and Adranly) combined to go 25 of 37 for 323 yards and three touchdowns. Chapman threw no interceptions and was not sacked once. Willcockson had his best game of the year tossing for 232 of those yards and two TDs.

Chapman defeated Pomona-Pitzer for the sixth time in seven meetings all-time. 

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/fball/2009-10/stats/cu-pp.htm