Football Rocked By Chaffey

Host Chaffey College extended the state's current longest winning streak to 14 games at the expense of the Pasadena City College football team, 56-6, Saturday night. After a sparkling 2-0 defensive start, the Lancers have allowed 109 points in consecutive losses to state coaches poll #3-ranked Saddleback and sports information poll #12-rated Chaffey to drop to 2-2.

The Panthers (4-0 overall) jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and dominated both sides of the line. Chaffey piled up 689 yards total offense and 30 first downs while averaging a whopping 10-plus yards per play. The Lancers showed some offensive flair, but most of that came from the dart-and-dash style of Mr. Deception--freshman quarterback Edward Norton.

The lefty option running Norton rushed for a game-high 103 yards in 18 carries and passed for an additional 76 yards (9-for-14). PCC's lone offensive highlight came at the start of the second half as running back Salman Gurung took a draw and raced 38 yards into Chaffey territory. On the very next play, Norton bombed a 37-yard touchdown pulled in by wide receiver David Telles. 

While that was the only points scored by PCC, even the Chaffey assistant coaches in the press box were impressed by Norton's ability to use fakes and jukes to get out of potential sacks and turn them into nifty positive rushes. Norton has turned into one of the most entertaining players to dress in a PCC uniform and his plethora of misdirection runs while eluding many tacklers is becoming a norm in the team's offensive make-up. 

Telles, an All-State selection as a freshman, broke out a bit with 151 all-purpose yards, including his TD catch. 

While the team's defense had trouble containing the speed and depth of Chaffey's offense, there were a few highlights. Linebacker Mark Navarro made 11 tackles while Jeremiah Hartfield had four tackles, a break-up and a 30-yard interception return from the end zone that prevented a Chaffey score. Safety Andy Reyes added nine tackles while linebacker Drew Pendleton forced a fumble. 

For Chaffey, running back Manny Castaneda had two TD runs as did second-string quarterback Maximillian Davila. Davila also contributed on the biggest play of the night as he connected on an 85-yard TD pass to receiver Tyler Sweet. More impressive was the Panthers' starting QB Caleb Arreola, who passed for 267 yards (14-for-18 and one TD) in playing just one half.

It doesn't get easier for PCC next week (Saturday, October 5) when it travels to face state #20-ranked San Bernardino Valley (3-1) and the state's top quarterback in Jeremy Moussa, who is averaging 435 yards and passed for 21 touchdowns in only four games. Kickoff is 6 p.m.