WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier Poets took on the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, falling 28-0.
Whittier's defense came out strong in the first quarter, forcing a three-and-out on the Sagehens' opening possession to keep the game scoreless. On Pomona-Pitzer's next series, Gavyn France intercepted an overthrown pass at the Poets' 15-yard line, ending a promising scoring opportunity.
An 11-yard reception from Cameron Weaver and a 14-yard run by Ashton Keyes highlighted Whittier's ensuing eight-play drive. The Poets advanced to the Sagehens' 45-yard line, but an incompletion on fourth down ended the possession. The opening period finished in a scoreless tie.
Pomona-Pitzer broke through early in the second quarter with a 28-yard touchdown run, taking a 7-0 lead.
Quarterback James Mertz connected with Xander Arias for a 20-yard gain on Whittier's next series, but the offense was unable to convert on fourth down.
The Sagehens doubled their advantage to 14-0 on a three-yard touchdown run with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
Eddie Don hauled in a 38-yard reception as the Poets threatened to score before halftime. Punter Jayden Icasiano lined up for what appeared to be a field goal attempt, but the holder tossed the ball back to Icasiano, who converted the fake on fourth-and-12 with a 12-yard run.
However, an interception in the end zone prevented Whittier from putting points on the board before the break, leaving the Poets trailing 14-0.
The Sagehens were forced to punt on their opening possession of the second half, giving Whittier an early defensive stop.
France continued his impressive afternoon by securing his second interception of the game and returning it 21 yards to the Poets' 44-yard line.
Whittier's ensuing possession stalled, but Icasiano continued his strong performance on special teams with a 52-yard punt that pinned Pomona-Pitzer at its own two-yard line.
With the Sagehens backed up near their goal line, the Poets forced another punt and took over at Pomona-Pitzer's 31. However, a fumble on the first play gave the ball back to the visitors.
A 58-yard touchdown pass extended Pomona-Pitzer's lead to 21-0 with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth, Mertz found Keyes for a 10-yard gain on third down, helping Whittier advance into Sagehens territory before the series ended on downs.
A pass breakup from Ethan Silber helped the Poets' defense force another three-and-out, keeping Pomona-Pitzer off the scoreboard.
Later in the quarter, Julian Mercado recovered a Sagehens fumble near the goal line, preventing another scoring opportunity.
Pomona-Pitzer eventually capped the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass, securing the 28-0 victory.
France highlighted Whittier's defensive performance with two interceptions, five tackles and two pass breakups. Jordan Barber also made his presence felt, recording a team-high 10 tackles and one pass breakup.
Offensively, Don finished the afternoon with seven receptions for 74 yards, while Mertz completed 19 passes for 164 yards to help move the ball downfield.
Icasiano made an impact on special teams, converting a fake field goal and averaging 38.3 yards across six punts.
The Poets will head to Claremont to take on the CMS Stags on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. Catch all the action on FloCollege.
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