WALNUT -- If it is big plays that change the course of a game, then Brian
Casey's 49-yard interception for a touchdown for Pomona in the fourth quarter
will be one the Red Devils will talk about as they tied Chaffey, 14-14, Friday
at Mt. SAC.
 Chirs Jones of Chaffey finds running room
against Pomona Red Devils Friday Night during their
nonleague game at Mt. SAC. The Tigers and the Devils tied at 14-14. |
Chaffey (3-1-1) came in ranked sixth in CIF Division 5 and was hoping for a
tune up before opening league play next week. Pomona came in with a record of
2-1-1 and was playing only its second home game after three straight on the
road. But it was the Red Devils who felt they fought back to earn the tie.
"It was a big game. We played a very good football game," said
Pomona coach John Capraro. "(Chris) Jones [Chaffey running back] got his
yards, but they were on missed tackles.
Pomona's efforts were rewarded on Casey's interception which tied the game
7-7 with 8:07 left in the contest. |
Not to be outdone, Jones broke away on the third play of the next drive for a
76-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a seven point advantage with 6:43
left.
Chaffey relied heavily on its running game as Jones finished with 233 yards
on 29 carries. Eight of the Tigers' 11 first downs came on the ground.
The last couple of games when we threw the ball we had success," said
Chaffey coach Bart Goldstein. "We didn't have success tonight. When we
threw the ball we didn't come up big."
Down a score, the Pomona sideline was still confident. With 6:35 left, the
Red Devils offense put together its only real drive of the night. But it was the
one that counted.
A face mask penalty and a pass interference call helped continue the drive
with Pomona tailback Keith Hall doing most of the work. Hall carried on eight of
the 13 plays of the drive and pulled his team to within one point when he went
over the top for a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:16 left. The decision to kick
for the tie was easy for Capraro.
"I didn't want to put the kids in a position of a letdown after such a
big comeback," he said. "We really trust our kicker."
The Tigers held the lead most of the game after Mitchell Hall scored on a
3-yard run with 8:28 left in the first half. |
