Whittier's rebound just in time

By Mike Safford Jr. (posted Nov. 1)

A few weeks ago after Whittier's 43-7 loss at home to Linfield, the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference looked at the Poets, losers of 13 games in a row, and smirked -- knowing the SCIAC slate was ahead. No one is laughing now.

Whittier has run off three consecutive conference wins (24-17 at Claremont, 28-27 vs. Occidental, 52-24 vs. Cal Lutheran), the Poets now have the conference title staring them in the face, with defending champion Redlands standing in their way.

What will be playing in the minds of the Whittier players is the 73-3 pounding the Bulldogs put on the Poets last season at Ted Runner Stadium. Things this year are different.

Receiver Kenny Bohman has been the hired gun for the Poets (3-0, 3-4) this season, running up perplexing numbers. Bohman has caught 43 passes for 765 yards and eight touchdowns -- ranking him 7th in Division III in receiving yards, 12th in all-purpose yards, and 15th in receptions.

Quarterback Mark Meija has been outstanding this season, throwing for 1261 yards and ten touchdowns, with only three picks. He set a Whittier school record by throwing for 425 yards in the victory over Cal Lutheran, breaking the mark set by Steve Luce in 1997.

Redlands (5-2, 3-0) is still hoping for the outside possibility that the Division III selection committee will not overlook them for a second consecutive season. Last year, the Bulldogs and Team of the Year quarterback Danny Ragsdale finished 7-2, but 5-0 in SCIAC play.

Without Ragsdale, Redlands has turned to more of a balanced attack, which ranks No. 24 in Division III. Brandon Ford has been the workhorse for the Bulldogs on the ground, gaining 907 yards on 139 carries to lead the conference. Quarterback Clay Groefsma, who took over at quarterback two weeks ago, has been consistent (53-for-90, 848 yards, 4 INT, 6 TD).

The edge Redlands might have in this contest is the kicking game. Although Bohman is a big-play threat as a return specialist for the Poets, the Bulldogs counter in kicker/punter Sean Lipscomb. The sophomore leads the SCIAC in punting (45.1), is perfect on conversions (21-for-21) and has hit 12 field goals.

Now starting at quarterback/wide receiver
(courtesy of the Ontario Daily Bulletin)
At Pomona-Pitzer, you can be excused if you can't tell a quarterback from a wide receiver.

The truth is, head coach Roger Caron can turn a wide receiver into a quarterback in a flash. And, as last Saturday's game against Occidental proved, he can turn a quarterback into a wide receiver just as quickly.

Matt LaCoss, who had been a wide receiver at Pomona-Pitzer, has been pressed into service at quarterback the last two weeks and responded with seven touchdown passes. Two of those came in Saturday's 27-15 loss to Occidental and were thrown to Brian Ferrette, who had been the Sagehens' starting quarterback for most of the season.

The Sagehens have had mixed results with the moves. LaCoss threw five touchdown passes and almost rallied Pomona-Pitzer (4-3) to a win against Menlo, but he had four interceptions to go along with his two touchdown passes against Occidental. Ferrette caught three passes for 61 yards against the Tigers, while LaCoss caught two passes from backup quarterback Teohua Sanchez for 14 yards.

Caron said he has not decided who will start at quarterback Saturday when the Sagehens face rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2-5) for the Peace Pipe.

Johnson questionable against Southern Oregon
With Pacific Lutheran trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Lutes may be in a bit of a bind. All-American quarterback Chad Johnson, who threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 48-12 victory against 1999 Northwest Conference champion Willamette, has sat out practice this week with a contusion to his right knee. Johnson was pressured all afternoon against the Bearcats and tackle Eric Thomson, on occasion resorting to a chuck-and-duck routine. The senior ranks second in the Division III in passing efficiency (183.3), and fourth in total offense (342.9). 

"Chad Johnson is as fine a quarterback as I have seen at this level, I think he's better than John Kitna (Seattle Seahawks quarterback) was," said Bearcat head coach Mark Speckman. His status for Saturday's game at Southern Oregon is questionable -- so head coach Frosty Westering has sophomore Tyler Teeple ready to go if necessary.

Around the region
Trailing 15-14 going into the fourth quarter, Occidental (5-2) rallied for two late touchdowns to pull out a 27-15 victory against Pomona-Pitzer (4-3). Quarterback Jesus Zuniga threw for 219 yards and rushed for 40 more as the Tigers rebounded from the loss to Whittier. ... Zamir Amin was at it again. The nation's passing offense leader threw for 505 yards and four touchdowns as Menlo upset NAIA No. 11 Azusa Pacific 47-37, giving the Oaks their first road victory of the season. Tight end Nathan Jackson was the workhorse for Menlo (4-4), grabbing 18 passes for 259 yards and two scores. ... Marty Williams scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and Curt Musser passed for 224 yards and one score to lead Linfield (3-0, 7-0) to a 42-7 pounding of Puget Sound (2-2, 4-3). ... As mentioned before, Whittier quarterback Mark Meija broke the Poets' school passing yardage mark in a 52-24 pounding of Cal Lutheran 0-3, 2-5). The Poets (3-0, 3-4) scored the final 21 points of the game after CLU cut the Whittier lead to 31-24 in the third quarter. ... Scott Biglin hit Ty McGregor with a 9-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds to play to lift Whitworth (2-1, 5-2) to a 17-13 win against visiting Eastern Oregon (2-6). The Mountaineers had taken a 13-10 lead with 36 seconds to play when senior Chris Setser drilled a 51-yard field goal, but three passes -- all to McGregor -- got Whitworth into the end zone. It was the Pirates' second consecutive nail-biter against EOU -- last season Whitworth scored with 31 seconds left to beat the Mountaineers 31-28. ... Trent Thompson threw for 454 yards and four touchdowns as Lewis and Clark (2-5) broke a 10-game road losing streak, stopping Colorado College (3-5) 31-13. Pioneers receiver Jason Hill caught nine balls for 108 yards and three touchdowns. ... Trailing 27-10 in the fourth quarter, La Verne (2-2, 2-5) quarterback Aaron Becker hit Josh Long on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 5:01 left, but Flynn Turner missed the conversion, allowing Chapman (2-5) to escape with a 27-26 victory. The Panthers rode the back of Bobby Calderon, who had five receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Long (26 carries, 113 yards, two touchdowns) and Becker (27-for-47, 286 yards, two touchdowns) rallied the Leos, but it wasn't enough. ... After spotting Willamette (0-3, 3-5) a 6-0 lead, Pacific Lutheran (3-1, 7-1) responded with 34 unanswered points, leading the Lutes to the 48-12 victory. ... Sean Lipscomb hit field goals of 46, 47, 47, and 36 yards to lead SCIAC co-leader Redlands (3-0, 5-2) to a 19-13 victory over Claremont (0-4, 2-5). Brandon Ford added 164 yards rushing for the Bulldogs.

FYI: D3football.com columnist Mark Simon wrote a fine piece this week on Linfield linebacker Hans Evenson... check it out at http://www.d3football.com/features/

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