Wes Quiroz

Senior inside linebacker Logan Bowers celebrates after forcing a crucial turnover.

California Lutheran University’s Kingsmen football team pulled off a 22-17 comeback victory over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags (2-2, 0-2) on Saturday night at William Rolland Stadium, improving its overall record to 4-0.

The Kingsmen came into this game hot off of a victory over the Redlands Bulldogs, which saw them capture the Smudge Pot Trophy for the first time since 2012, according to CLU Sports.

Senior tight end Cameron Davis said he credits the Kingsmen’s success this season to the close bond the team has formed.

“We’ve got brothers to the right and left of us, we just play for each other and that’s it at the end of the day,” Davis said. “We just have that brotherhood already. It’s hard to explain, but once you have it, you know you got it.” 

The Stags took advantage of two early scoring opportunities to open Saturday’s game, jumping ahead 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.

After a slow start, Cal Lutheran found its footing and began to rally midway through the second quarter.

Senior offensive lineman Gabriel Anguiano said the Kingsmen “made a bunch of mistakes on both sides of the ball,” in the first half, but ultimately knew they were “better than [the Stags].”

Coming out of halftime, the Kingsmen defense, who finished with four sacks and an interception, shut down the Stags offense, holding them scoreless in the second half.

The Kingsmen gradually chipped away at the deficit with help from their special teams and consistent defensive stops. Junior wide receiver TeNorris Merkel provided a spark on offense, catching six passes for 80 yards.

First-year kicker Matthew Montegna converted three field goals, including two in the fourth quarter, which gave Cal Lutheran the lead and, ultimately, the win.

The turning point, according to Anguiano, came midway through the fourth quarter when the Kingsmen defense forced a fumble and recovered it deep in Stags territory, giving the offense a short field to set up the go-ahead score.

Senior defensive lineman Hunter Hall said the team’s halftime conversation helped them reset and remember the standard at which they wanted to play.

“Honestly, in the first half we kind of came out thinking we were just going to just walk all over them,” Hall said. “We didn’t really change anything, we just came out with a different mindset.”

On the Kingsmen’s final defensive drive, Hall said the mindset was to come out in full force.

“It was just ‘pressure, pressure, pressure,’” Hall said. “There was 30 seconds left, ‘either you want it or you don’t.’”

After three losing seasons, and now having a 4-0 record, Hall said the Kingsmen are “finally putting the pieces together” and “firing at 100.”

Davis said the Kingsmen will continue to build on the momentum of their successes, but not let it make them overconfident.

“We can’t let it get to our heads,” Davis said. “We’ve got to take it one step at a time and act like we’re 1-0 every week.”

The Kingsmen will look to carry this energy into next weekend when they travel to face the University of La Verne Leopards in another conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 11.