Ground Game Leads CMS Football to Lopsided Win over Occidental

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Seniors Garrett Cheadle (108) and Jonah Cartwright (101) each rushed for over 100 yards and sophomore Brian Loudermilk Jr. ran for 99 as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team roared out to a 49-0 halftime lead and captured a 56-9 win over Occidental on Saturday afternoon at Zinda Field.

Cheadle had three touchdowns, Cartwright had two and senior Christian Curcio had two, as the senior class accounted for seven of the team's eight touchdowns, as the Stags scored on all seven of their first-half possessions. With the win, CMS moves to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SCIAC, while Occidental slips to 0-5 overall and 0-4 in league play. 

As a team, CMS finished the day with 376 yards rushing, compared to -1 for Occidental. Most of that came in the first half, when the Stags managed 317 yards on the ground while holding Occidental to -3 yards. 

Sophomore linebacker Dylan Porter had an interception and a fumble recovery in the first half, including an interception on the second play of scrimmage from Occidental, setting CMS up with the ball on the Tigers' 41-yard line. Six rushes later, Cheadle carried over from the two-yard line to make it a 7-0 game at the 11:48 mark of the first quarter. 

After holding the Tigers to three-and-out, CMS took over on its own 35-yard line and went 65 yards in five plays, with Cheadle breaking several tackles to account for the last 25 yards to paydirt, giving the Stags a quick 14-0 lead. 

FB: Touchdown Stags! A great individual effort from Cheadle on a 25-yard TD run. CMS leads Oxy 14-0. pic.twitter.com/msuhLUOpBJ

— CMS Athletics (@AthleticsCMS) October 26, 2019

Occidental got into CMS territory on its next drive, but junior Cade Moffatt broke up a third-down pass at the CMS 41-yard line, and Occidental's punt went into the end zone for a touchback. The Stags then went 80 yards in seven plays, with Loudermilk scoring from two yards out with eight seconds left in the first quarter to make it a 21-0 CMS lead heading into the second. Loudermilk set up his own scoring run on the previous play with a 41-yard carry to bring the ball down to the two-yard line. 

The Stags tacked on four more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a commanding 49-0 lead into halftime. Occidental quarterback Joshua Greaves had the ball slip out of his hand on a pump fake on the final play of the first, where Porter recovered for his second turnover in the first 15 minutes. Four plays later, Cheadle scored his third touchdown of the day to push the lead to 28-0. 

Curcio then had the next two touchdowns, the first on a five-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Zach Fogel and the second on a five-yard rush. Cartwright then ended the half with his first of two scores with 1:39 left in the half. 

FB: Touchdown Stags! Christian Curcio runs it in untouched from five yards out. CMS extends its lead to 42-0. pic.twitter.com/696WOtafmo

— CMS Athletics (@AthleticsCMS) October 26, 2019

Occidental scored nine points in the third quarter as Greaves threw a 58-yard pass to Arman Henry to get the ball down to the CMS eight-yard line, and one play later, he found Henry again from five yards out to put Occidental on the scoreboard. Ethan Kearns added on a safety with 5:46 left in the third when he blocked a punt out of the end zone to make it 49-9 before Cartwright scored from 19 yards out in the fourth quarter for the final points of the game. 

Stiles Satterlee led the CMS defense with 10 tackles (seven solo), while first-year linebacker Emmett Thomas King III and senior defensive lineman Luke Livingston each had sacks. CMS finished with a 426-188 advantage in total offense and a 22-12 edge in first downs, while having 38:24 of possession time. 

The Stags return to action next Saturday when they take on Whittier for a 1 p.m. contest.