Shares of Titles Clinched

By Dennis Anderson (updated Nov. 8)

Willamette in the Northwest and Redlands in Southern California secured shares of championships Saturday, pushing their conference records to 4-0 with convincing victories.

Meanwhile, No. 19 Pacific Lutheran, the only Pacific team ranked in the AFCA poll's Top 25, rang up NAIA Simon Fraser 35-13 in Vancouver, B.C., to improve to 7-1.

Both conference races in the Pacific could end in three-way ties.

If Linfield (5-2, 3-1 NWC) beats Willamette (6-3 overall) and Pacific Lutheran (3-1 conference) handles Puget Sound (1-7, 1-3) in next Saturday's final regular-season games, Willamette, Linfield and PLU will all finish 4-1 in the Northwest Conference.

Ditto in the Southern California, where Cal Lutheran (3-1 SCIAC) is host to Redlands in the final game. Should Cal Lu spring an upset, La Verne, which has already finished its SCIAC season 4-1, would join them in a three-way championship.

At REDLANDS 73, Whittier 3: Danny Ragsdale passed for five touchdowns in the first half — four of them to Melvin White — and freshman Sean Lipscomb kicked 10 of 10 extra points and a 44-yard field goal as Redlands set a school record for points scored.

Since being shut out by Linfield 48-0 in the season opener, Redlands has averaged 50 points per game — second in D3 to national champion Mount Union.

Ragsdale had modest — for him — numbers of 376 yards gained on 22 completions in 31 attempts with no interceptions. The senior from Daniel Murphy High in Los Angeles has been a full-time quarterback less than two seasons after being switched from wide receiver, but he owns Redlands career records for pass attempts, completions and touchdowns. This was his fourth game this season with five or more TD passes; he has 29 for the year — a Redlands' record. His other numbers this season, also school records, are 212 completions in 333 attempts (63.7%), and 3,093 yards gained. He has thrown seven interceptions (that's one in every 47.6 passes thrown). Ragsdale should go over 5,000 yards for his career in the finale against Cal Lutheran.

But one of Ragsdale's school records was broken Saturday. Wide receiver Chad Hustead, a junior from Escondido, caught six passes to give him 64 for the year. In 1997, playing wide receiver, Ragsdale set a school record of 63 passes caught. Hustead caught his 16th touchdown pass of the season and moved within seven yards of becoming the second 1,000-yard pass receiver in Redlands history.

Redlands, No. 5 in D3 in total offense, outgained Whittier 509 to 201.

The Bulldogs led 45-3 at halftime and scored in the second half on a 29-yard run with a mis-hit punt by Josh Atwell, a 41-yard interception return by Jake Helveston, and two short runs by Brandon Ford, one after Redlands took possession on the Whittier 14. Ragsdale watched nearly all the second half from the sidelines and backups Ryan Dobson and Ed Nabayan were permitted by coach Mike Maynard to throw one pass each.

Ford scored three of Redlands' school-record tying 10 touchdowns. Only one of White's five catches did not go for a touchdown. He had 106 yards receiving, including TDs of 25, 12, 41 and 7 yards. Robbie Franks caught four passes for 114 yards, including a 46-yarder that was the longest play from scrimmage in the game.

Lipscomb, who is from Bend, Ore., is 41-for-43 on point-after attempts and 5-for-7 field goal attempts this season. He also punted once Saturday for 46 yards.

Senior middle linebacker Ryan Valentine led the Bulldog defense with a game-high 12 tackles. Whittier passes were sacked six times. The only bright spot in Whittier's statistics was Oti Carmichael's eight pass catches for 107 yards, including a 31 yarder. After edging out Redlands for the SCIAC championship last season, Whittier is 0-8 and 0-4 this year.

At WILLAMETTE 42, LEWIS & CLARK 6: Fourteen ballcarriers piled up 527 yards rushing for Willamette as the Bearcats clinched a tie for their third championship since the Northwest Conference resumed football four years ago.

Pending receipt of Saturday's statistics nationwide, Willamette's rushing total is the third-highest this season in Division III. The Bearcats were ranked sixth with 288.8 yards per game through Oct. 30.

Willamette, completing only three of 12 passes for 34 yards, mounted drives of 88 yards in six plays, 71 in six, 63 in seven and 88 in eight before capping its scoring with a 72-yard run by freshman Greg Reed.

Bailey led the charge with 138 yards in eight carries (17.3 average) and two touchdowns. Willamette averaged 9.9 yards on 53 rushing plays. Five runners gained over 50 yards.

Three Lewis & Clark passes completed 18 of 45 for 196 yards, but threw three interceptions. Willamette has intercepted 15 passes in its last five games and 20 this season.

Freshman Chris Smith, a former wide receiver converted to defensive back, led Lewis & Clark with 10 tackles, including two for losses. He also intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble.

Lewis & Clark, 0-8 and 0-4 this year under new coach and former star QB Mike Fanger, has lost 15 in a row.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN 35, at SIMON FRASER 13: Anthony Hicks scored on runs of 57 and 32 yards and linebacker Mike Mauss scored on a 90-yard run with a fumble, all in the second quarter, for 19th-ranked PLU.

A fumbled punt snap also helped PLU scored 28 unanswered points after NAIA Simon Fraser (4-5), the only college in Canada that plays American football, had taken a 7-0 lead.

Hicks, a senior from Tumwater, Wash., who came to PLU via U. of Washington, netted 223 yards on 17 rushes, surpassing 200 yards for the second time this season and third time in his career. PLU averaged better than 8 yards on 57 snaps, gaining a total of 461 yards.

Defensively, PLU was led by linebacker Luke Gearhard with 14 tackles, including three for losses; defensive back Jon Carlson with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery, and linebacker Jeremy Johnson with 10 tackles, including three for losses of 29 yards, and a fumble forced.

Mauss may have tied the Northwest small-college record with his fumble return. But PLU sports information director Nick Dawson wants to check the game tape first. Radio described the play first as a 77-yard run, then later 82.

POMONA-PITZER 24, at CLAREMONT-MUDD-SCRIPPS 21 (OT): Jeffrey Raskin kicked a 30-yard field goal in overtime to win it.

Pomona-Pitzer ended its season 7-1, best record among Pacific independents, but the Sagehens' chances of getting a berth in the NCAA Tournament appear small. Strength of schedule is the No. 2 criteria for picking independent teams for postseason and the seven teams that Pomona-Pitzer defeated have a combined record of 12-48.

Pomona-Pitzer took a 21-14 lead with 2:46 to play on a 92-yard, 19-play drive that consumed 8 minutes, 41 seconds. But Claremont came right back with a 65-yard, six-play drive to tie it at 21 on Bryan Banta's 23-yard pass to Ben Scott with 1:08 left in regulation. In the third quarter, Banta passed to Joel Weiss for 88 yards for Claremont's first touchdown.

Banta completed 11 of 20 for 274 yards, but was sacked five times and intercepted once. Weiss had 177 yards on six catches.

P-P's Ryan Hattersley carried the ball 45 times for 168 net yards and teammate Jacob Howard caught eight of Brian Ferreette's 12 completions for 107 yards.

Claremont's Woody Bell and Dan Cella led tacklers with 15 and 14. Pomona's Ali Polychronopoulos sacked Banta three times.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finished its season 5-4 and 2-3 in the Southern California conference.

AZUSA PACIFIC 47, at LA VERNE 45: Mike Spellman kicked a 19-yard field goal on the final play of a game that had seven lead changes, 92 points, 999 yards in total offense, 74 passes and 49 completions for 691 yards.

Azusa Pacific (6-2 and ranked No. 9 in the NAIA) was behind 38-23 five minutes into the second half after La Verne's J.J. Johnson returned an intercepted pass 30 yards for his second touchdown. But Azusa Pacific scored three unanswered touchdowns — the fourth, fifth and school-record sixth of the game by Jack Williams — to go ahead 44-38 with 8:08 to play.

La Verne (also 6-2) moved 58 yards in 10 plays after the kickoff to regain the lead 45-44 on Ricky Allen's 2-yard run and Daniel Lindner's seventh true kick in seven tries (six PATs and a 22-yard field goal). Then Azusa Pacific took the kickoff and marched 81 yards in 11 plays to the La Verne 2, setting up Spellman's short but pressure-packed field goal as the clock went to 0:00.

Williams, a senior tailback from Long Beach, rushed 26 times for 164 net yards and four touchdowns, including a 92-yard run in the first quarter. He caught three passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yarder in the second quarter.

A-P's 6-3, 285-pound senior quarterback, Neo Aoga, completed 28 of 43 passes for 362 yards and two TDs. La Verne senior Dan Blahy completed 21 of 31 for 329 yards and three TDs, including a 66-yarder to Kenny Fredieu for the first of the game's dozen touchdowns. Blahy was also La Verne's leading rusher with 61 yards.

Fredieu led receivers with 183 yards on eight catches. Deon Jordan caught nine for 104 yards and Houn Hib seven for 102 yards for APU.

The game's first four touchdowns were lightning bolts from 48 yards or further. They were followed by three scoring "drives" of 71, 71 and 62 yards that took 3, 3 and 4 plays, respectively. In the second half, however, the longest offensive score was a 19-yard run by Williams.

Total yardage was as close as the score: La Verne had 501, Azusa Pacific 498.

La Verne's Mike Sanchez led tacklers with 15, including two quarterback sacks, and Mike Barreiro had 10.

At MENLO 41, CAL LUTHERAN 38 (OT): Wide receiver Nathan Jackson made a leaping catch of Zamir Amin's 9-yard pass in the end zone to win for Menlo in overtime.

It was Menlo's second overtime victory this season and Cal Lutheran's second overtime defeat in two weeks.

Menlo, driving 80, 51, 76, 81 and 65 yards for touchdowns, was dominating 35-14 midway through the third quarter. But Cal Lutheran outscored the Oaks 21-0 in the fourth quarter on three Chris Czernek touchdown passes.

Israel Bolechala's fumble recovery set up the second score with 1:20 left and the CLU's Sean McGaughey then recovered Ryan Geisler's onside kickoff. Czernek moved the Kingsmen moved 53 yards in nine plays and 76 seconds, tying the game at 35-35 with 4 seconds to play when he and Eugene Sullivan connected for the second time in the quarter, a post pattern from 24 yards, and Geisler kicked his fifth PAT.

Cal Lu got the ball first in overtime and called upon Geisler. The No. 1 field-goal kicker in D3 made his 12th three-pointer of the season, from 35 yards. But Menlo trumped that on Jackson's third TD catch of the day.

It was a similar scenario the previous week's second overtime against La Verne, when Geisler kicked a field goal but the Leos countered with a touchdown pass to win.

The last touchdown gave Menlo a 447 to 446 edge in total offensive yards, but the Oaks had only 66 plays to Cal Lutheran's 92.

Playing catch-up in the second half, Czernek set a Cal Lutheran record of 71 pass attempts. He completed 43 to nine different receivers for 367 yards and four touchdowns and was intercepted once. Brad Greetis and Dorian Scott each caught eight and Sullivan got seven for 111 yards.

Menlo's Amin, scrambling from a Cal Lutheran rush that sacked him four times, completed 23 of 35 for 359 yards, no interceptions, and also four touchdowns.

Cal Lu's Dorian Stitt and Menlo's Terrence Flowers led rushers with 77 and 73 yards. Each rushed for a TD and Stitt caught a TD pass.

Geisler missed a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, his first miss of the season after 11 made.

Independent Menlo won for the third time in four weeks to improve to 5-3. Cal Lutheran slipped to 3-5, but is 3-1 in the Southern California conference and can force a three-way tie for the championship by beating Redlands (4-0) at home in next Saturday's season-ending game.

LINFIELD 42, at PUGET SOUND 0: Linfield's defense pitched its third shutout of the season as the Wildcats gave themselves a chance to tie for the Northwest Conference championship.

Quarterback Curt Musser wedged for the first two touchdowns from the 1 and passed 17, 5 and 19 yards for the next three. Junior receiver John Nosler caught 14 passes, second most in Linfield history, for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

Musser completed 24 of 36 for 326 yards, his second biggest yardage game of the season and seventh highest among Northwest small-colleges, including the Division II Columbia Football Association. Musser, who is a senior but has another year of eligibility available, has passed for 1,907 yards and 16 touchdowns in eight games this year with but two interceptions.

Linfield's defense gave up a net of three yards rushing and 226 total. The offense gained 484.

Puget Sound senior wide receiver Jeff Halstead caught nine passes for 106 yards and returned four kicks for 84. Linfield junior Scott Cannon increased the number of kickoffs that have not been returned against him this year to 21. Linfield junior Carl Haberberger led rushers with 74 yards.

In the opening game of the season, Linfield shut out Redlands, which has averaged 50 points per game since then. Whitworth's only points against the Wildcats came on an interception return. Linfield (6-2, 3-1) can share the Northwest Conference championship by winning at Willamette (6-3, 4-0) next Saturday. Puget Sound (1-7, 1-3) finishes up at No. 19 Pacific Lutheran (7-1, 3-1).

CHAPMAN 62, at OCCIDENTAL 17: Phillip Cruz rushed for four touchdowns and Stanley Villanueva completed 85% of his passes (17-for-20) for 326 yards and three touchdowns in Chapman's biggest offensive outburst of the season.

The independent Panthers, who led 41-7 at halftime, rolled up 504 yards as they won their third in a row to improve to 5-3. Occidental dropped to 1-7.

Eric Del Conte caught seven passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yarder, and Dino Rossi returned a kickoff 85 yards to score for Chapman. Cruz, whose touchdowns were from 24, 1, 1 and 4 yards, rushed for 82 on 11 carries.

Oxy's Paul Smith ran 69 yards to tie the score at 7 three minutes into the game, but Chapman responded with 48 unanswered points. Smith was Oxy's biggest yardage maker with 123 yards net on 17 carries. Kamron Jones got 56 in nine tries and Oxy rushed for 261 yards.

At one point Villanueva completed 16 consecutive passes, one short of the Division III record.

WHITWORTH 31, EASTERN OREGON 28: Taking advantage of a personal foul and a kickoff out of bounds, Whitworth won with 32 seconds left on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Josh Parbon to Matt Stueckle.

The Pirates drove 50 yards in 59 seconds and six plays after Eastern Oregon had gone ahead 28-24 on Justin Marshall's third touchdown run of the game with 1:31 left. Eastern was penalized 15 yards after the TD and had to kick off from the 20. When Chris Setzer's kickoff bounced out of bounds at the Whitworth 17, it was placed by rule at the 50. From there, Parbon completed five-of-six passes for all 50 yards.

Ivan Gustafson, who caught touchdown passes of 28 and 15 yards from Parbon as Whitworth rallied from a 7-21 deficit in the third quarter, caught three for 25 yards on the winning drive.

Eastern moved 80 yards in six plays for the go-ahead score on Marshall's 4-yard run. His other scoring runs were 26 and 36 yards and he had 105 total on 12 carries. 245-pound fullback Tim Sicocan led Eastern with 134 yards on 16 carries.

Parbon completed 15 of 25 for 166 yards and no interceptions and running back Damien Putney gained 157 yards on 43 carries for Whitworth.

Eastern's Chuck Nyby came into the game with a 63.3 completion percentage but was nine of 26 for 127 yards. Eastern's Kyle Washburn caught three passes for 57 yards and completed his career with 145 receptions for 2,246 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Eastern Oregon's Brian Gaines had 13 tackles and Whitworth's Sky Blake and Eastern's Jeremy Fullenwider and Chris Lewis each had 11.

Independent Eastern ended its season 5-5, losing three times in the final minute. Whitworth (4-5) ended a four-game losing string and can achieve a .500 season next Saturday against winless Lewis & Clark.

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