Citrus College Football (1-4) secured their first win of the season against Santa Ana City College (1-4) winning 31-28 on Sept. 26 in a last minute tiebreaker.
Although they secured the win, it was definitely far from easy. During the first quarter, Citrus quarterback Connor Underhill threw a touchdown pass to Cameron Bateman for the first score of the game, bringing the Owls up 7-0.
In the next quarter, Underhill threw another touchdown pass to wide receiver Lorenza Simmons.
With 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Underhill threw his third touchdown pass of the night to receiver Keon Taylor. The half concluded 21-0, with Citrus rallying strong in the lead.
The Dons entered fierce territory to start the third quarter, allowing them to score early with their first touchdown of the game.
During the last quarter, the game became even more competitive. Santa Ana was able to score two more touchdowns and catch up to the Owls.
However, Citrus was not done fighting for the win. Citrus receiver Cameron Bateman scored his second touchdown of the day, resulting in him setting the school record for career receptions.
Santa Ana scored again due to a Citrus fumble. However, the touchdown was overturned because the Santa Ana player was brought down to the ground on full contact by a Citrus defender.
The away crowd wasn’t happy with this decision. However, with 53 seconds left on the clock, Santa Ana managed to successfully score, and once again tie the game.
After helping to lead the team on a potential game-winning drive, head coach Brandon Hayashi called a time out with three seconds left. Aaron Wang kicked a field goal to deliver the first win of the season for Citrus football.
Citrus will be on the road in the next game against Long Beach City College at 4 p.m. Oct. 10 at St. Anthony High School’s athletic complex.
