Box Score

CLAREMONT, Calif. – An all-around dominant effort led the Chapman University football team to a 21-0 road victory over Pomona-Pitzer. The Panthers ran for over 300 yards and forced four Sagehen turnovers in the first shutout victory since 2018.

The Chapman defense was dominant from the start. The Sagehens went three and out on their first two drives with only negative three yards of offense to show for it. The Panthers went on to grab three interceptions (two of which came in the red zone), jump on one fumble and sack Nick Kim five times.

With the five sacks, the Panthers held Pomona-Pitzer to -30 rushing yards – the lowest opponent total in Chapman history. Hunter Headlee had eight tackles, including one for a loss. Kade Jordan had two sacks and Kyle Sieben had 1.5 to push the Sagehens backward.

Collin Keefe ended back-to-back Sagehen drives with an interception – the latter of which came off a tipped pass inside the red zone. Hunter Headlee picked off a pass for the second week in a row. He ended a scoring threat when the Sagehens attempted a trick play to get in the end zone but instead Headlee grabbed the interception on the 1-yard line.

Offensively, the Panthers ran their way to the win. Tyler Pacheco set the tone alongside Gio Ursino and Isaiah Woods. When Pacheco left the game with an injury, Luke Peterman took over and continued to march the run-first offense. Both Pacheco and Peterman ran for a touchdown. Pacheco also hit Amir Adams for an 8-yard TD to open the scoring before following up Keefe's interception with a six-yard TD run.

The Panthers went off for 315 rushing yards, led by Woods' 134 yards on 17 carries. Woods' longest run of the night was 33 yards but he helped the Panthers control the game and the clock with several lengthy runs on third down to keep drives alive even at third-and-long. Gio Ursino also had 17 carries for 94 yards.

The Panthers put up the 14 first quarter points but Peterman proved to be a threat with his legs in the third quarter when he scrambled to his right, broke a tackle on the sideline and burst into the end zone for a 43-yard TD run on third-and-nine. After going up 21-0 late in the third quarter, the Panthers continued to go to the run game to control the clock.

The Panthers were dominant in all facets of the game. Owen Tapia punted the ball four times and landed three inside the 20 while allowing just one return for one yard. One of his punts rolled in for a touchback but another was downed on the 1-yard line.

Chapman held the ball for nearly 38 minutes of the game and threw just 15 passes between Pacheco and Peterman. The duo combined to go 11-for-15 while Nick Kim went 27-for-41 for 250 yards before leaving late in the game with an injury.

The Panthers picked up back-to-back wins to move to 2-3 on the year and 2-2 in the SCIAC, staying just behind CMS in the Surf Division SCIAC standings.

The Panthers return home next Saturday to take on Cal Lutheran at 7 p.m. in a Surf Division matchup.