CMS Football Opens 2021 Season at Pomona-Pitzer Saturday

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The last time the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team was in action, it defeated Pomona-Pitzer in the 2019 season finale to win the Sixth Street Trophy. Its first game in almost two years will also come against Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, as the Stags cross the street to open the 2021 campaign on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The circumstances of this game will be a little different, as the game will be a non-league contest that won't count towards the SCIAC standings, but the trophy will still be at stake until the teams meet again in November. Due to the uncertainty of travel when booking schedules, and the fact that Occidental dropped its football program in the meantime, several SCIAC opponents scheduled additional games against each other to fill up the four-game non-conference slate. In fact, CMS will play another one on Sept. 25 when it welcomes in Chapman for a non-league game, after hosting Lewis & Clark (Sept. 11) and Whitworth (Sept. 18) from the Northwest Conference in between. 

Although it will be a non-league game, the intensity of the Pomona-Pitzer contest on Saturday will likely still have the feel of the annual season-ending battle. The nature of the Sixth Street rivalry makes every game a spirited one, but there is also the fact that the teams lost an entire season in 2020, and the itch to get back out and play again for the first time in two years would have everyone fired up no matter who they were playing. 

"It's going to be just like the last Sixth Street game," said senior defensive lineman Torben Deese. "We're ready to go. We've been working our butts off this whole camp these last three weeks. We're looking forward to it."

CMS will of course have to replace a lot of its key players from 2019 after graduating two classes, but the Stags can feel comfortable that they have a solid core of talent to build around. Defensively, CMS is in great shape up the middle, as senior defensive linemen Torben Deese, Mason Hernandez, and Tyson-Jay Saena are back as interior linemen, seniors Dylan Porter and Trent Lindsey return at middle linebacker, and seniors Stiles Satterlee and Ben Cooney are back at safety (although Cooney could play corner as well).  

The Stags also have juniors Michael Colangelo and Jack Holden returning in the defensive backfield, where they started as first-years, and junior Christopher Wicke returning at outside linebacker. Emmett Thomas King III also increased his role at linebacker as his rookie season went on, while Josh Allen earned some time at defensive end. 

Offensively, CMS returns starting quarterback Zach Fogel, although the rest of the Stag backfield has departed in the last two classes, including SCIAC Player of the Year Garrett Cheadle in 2020 and former All-SCIAC specialist Jordan Leonard in 2021. All-SCIAC left tackle Jacob Lyle returns to anchor the offensive line, with junior Anthony Carrano book-ending a strong unit from his right tackle position. Juniors Kamarion Porter, Dylan Phares and William Zhang earned some experience at guard in 2019 that they will look to take with them into 2021. 

The Stags will also have great depth at tight end, where seniors Will Smith and Nick Parise are back with lots of experience in paving the way for a potent run game that helped CMS lead the nation in time of possession in 2019 (after finishing second in 2018). Senior Jack Grasberger and junior Kaden Gallant were the top two receivers on the team in 2019 and will look to increase their impact in 2021 from their wide receiver spots.   

The kicking game is in strong shape as well, as senior Alessandro Maiuolo returns as the placekicker after making a 52-yard field goal against Redlands as a sophomore, as well as 30 of his 31 extra points, while senior Grant Braught is back after averaging 38.9 yards a punt as a sophomore. 

After facing Pomona-Pitzer, CMS will have four straight home games, culminating with its conference opener against Redlands on Oct. 2. The Stags will also end their season at home, when they welcome Pomona-Pitzer back to Zinda Field for their second meeting of the year for a SCIAC contest, with the Sixth Street Trophy at stake for a second time.  

For now, though, the Stags are excited just to get back out there and play again, no matter who the opponent.  

"As a team we worked so hard this extended offseason," said Deese. "We came together as a team online, and now we get to actually be back in person playing football again. It feels great to have that opportunity."