Kingsmen kick off to season opening victory

TACOMA, Wash. (Sept. 9, 2006) – On opening day for California Lutheran football the Kingsmen were on the prowl. They won seven in a row to close out the 2005 season and were ready to continue their winning ways.

California Lutheran defeated Pacific Lutheran 17-14 at Sparks Stadium to open the 2006 campaign.

The difference maker in the game was junior kicker Connor Pearce’s foot.

After trailing the entire game, the Kingsmen got that long awaited “spark” in the fourth quarter. With 10:30 remaining in the game, junior quarterback Danny Jones threw a screen pass to Louis Montano, who ran 59 yards into the end zone. The momentum immediately changed and the intensity picked up. The play got the Kingsmen and their three hundred plus fans up and cheering, while the large and loud Lutes’ crowd quickly quieted down. Pearce finished off the 7-point play to knot the game at 14.

Pearce’s foot wasn’t done just yet.

On the kick off, Pearce sent the ball into the Lutes’ end zone for a touchback. The CLU defense held the PLU offense to only 10 yards during the possession before they punted to sophomore Sean Coen.

The Cal Lu drive began at the PLU 40 yard line before three rushes left the Kingsmen at 4th and 1. Jones connected with Coen for seven yards and a first down. Jones found junior wide receiver Brandyn Bennett and sophomore running back Jared Nelson for 21 and five yards respectively. After a Kingsmen timeout and a fumble, that CLU recovered, the ball was at the PLU 22 yard line.

Pearce was called upon for a 38-yard attempt. His kicking foot sent the ball sailing through the goal posts to give CLU a 17-14 lead with 2:15 remaining in the game.

Knowing that it was a crucial moment in the game, Pearce said he knew what he had to do. “Kicking is a mental game and you want your mind to be clear.” In the back of his mind though he was focused on not slipping on the astro turf again because he did on the first PAT attempt, which was good.

On the first play of the Lutes next drive, junior linebacker Chase King intercepted the ball and ran it back 14 yards. The Kingsmen ran the clock out as they picked up their first victory of the 2006 season.

The victory marks the eighth straight game that the Kingsmen have won, dating back to the 2005 season.

But, victory did not come easy for the Kingsmen today.

A rough start left the Kingsmen trailing 7-0 just 3:53 into the game. CLU received the ball to start the game, but their first possession was short lived. A fumble put the ball in the hands of the PLU Lutes (0-1) and they capitalized on the early mistakes of the Kingsmen.

CLU came back to tie the game at seven when Jones found sophomore wide receiver Danny Hernandez in the end zone for a 14 yard touchdown pass. However, the Lutes came right back at the start of the second quarter when they scored on a one yard run.

Going into halftime down by seven you know you have to come back and dominate for the rest of the game, Jones said following the game. “There was a lot of adversity we had to deal with. Being down was an eye opener that the starters needed to re-group, step-up and change some things in the second half.”

Head coach Scott Squires described the game as the tale of two halves. “When I got in the locker room with the guys at half time I told them we couldn't be in a better spot because we will see what kind of character we have as a team.”

The Kingsmen missed a lot of tackles in the first half but were still in the game. “Our defense was on the field too long in the first half so the offense needed to work on sustaining a drive,” Squires said.

In the second half of football, the Kingsmen outscored the Lutes 10-0.

Jones finished the game with 234 yards as he was 14-25 with two touchdowns and one interception.

Montano was the leading rusher for the Kingsmen as he picked up 74 yards, with his longest at 17. Montano also finished with a 59 yard reception, the longest on the day. Coen picked up 82 yards on three catches with his longest at 46 yards.

The CLU defense was led by Jason Jenkins who had five solo tackles and two assists. Chris Denton picked up four solo tackles and two assists and King had three solo tackles and five assists. King, Jason Spratt and Tim Stevens each intercepted the Lutes quarterback as well.

Coach Squires picked up his first victory against Pacific Lutheran at PLU, his alma mater.

The Kingsmen will return to Mt. Clef stadium to play Willamette University on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006. Kickoff will be at 1:00 pm.