CMS Football Responds to Challenge, Takes 24-17 Win over Pacific Lutheran

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team saw a 17-0 lead slip away, but it regrouped to swing the momentum back in its favor and take a 24-17 win over Pacific Lutheran on Saturday afternoon at Zinda Field.

Senior running back Garrett Cheadle carried for 148 yards on 29 carries, including the go-ahead touchdown from four yards out with 12:51 to go, as CMS concludes its non-conference schedule with a 2-1 record. Sophomore Benjamin Cooney and first-year Michael Colangelo added interceptions for the Stags, who have seven picks through three games, including three from Cooney and two from Colangelo. Pacific Lutheran slips to 1-1 with the loss after defeating Cal Lutheran in its opener. 



CMS appeared to be in strong shape with a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Zack Fogel found junior wide receiver Carter Henderson from four yards out for a touchdown in the first quarter, and then found Cheadle for a 19-yard touchdown on a swing pass with 12:38 left in the half. A 32-yard field goal from sophomore Alessandro Maiuolo made it 17-0 with 5:16 on the clock, capping off a drive of 6:11. 

Pacific Lutheran answered with a touchdown on the final drive of the half, scoring with 27 seconds left on a two-yard touchdown run, and then struck with a blocked punt for a touchdown after the first CMS possession of the second half with Ashton Burton scooping up the ball from three yards out and suddenly making it a 17-14 game. 

After an interception gave Pacific Lutheran a short field, CMS came up with a key stop on 3rd-and-1 at the five-yard line to force the Lutes to settle for a tying field goal with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

That seemed to swing the momentum back to CMS, as the Stags marched 65 yards in seven plays to go back in front. Junior running back Jordan Leonard set up the score with a big 33-yard run to get the ball inside the Pacific Lutheran 10-yard line, and Cheadle finished it off with his second touchdown of the day. 

The CMS defense took it from there, as first-year linebacker Christopher Wicke batted down a third-down pass to kill one Pacific Lutheran drive, and Colangelo intercepted a pass on third down to kill another, after heavy pressure from sophomore linebacker Dylan Porter.

Pacific Lutheran threw three incompletions on its next drive to turn the ball over to CMS with 5:58 to go and CMS was able to kill the rest of the clock behind its running game. Cheadle had four straight carries for 21 yards, including a key nine-yard rush on 3rd-and-3, and Leonard added another nine-yard carry on third down to move the chains again. Leonard then ended the came with one carry for seven yards and another for five for the last first down the Stags needed to finish off the game on the Pacific Lutheran 14-yard line. 

CMS outgained Pacific Lutheran 342-157 on the day, and held a 20-9 edge in first downs, contributing to a 39:08 to 20:52 advantage in time of possession. Sophomore safety Stiles Satterlee led the defense with eight tackles (five solo), followed by six from Wicke, who also forced a fumble and broke up a pass. 

CMS will be back in action in two weeks when it begins SCIAC play with a road contest at La Verne on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.