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Author: Linni Kral

The Oxy Tigers came back from a disheartening defeat last weekend to beat Chapman 21-14 at the Homecoming Game on November 6 at Patterson Field. Tradition prevailed as the team secured their third consecutive win against the Chapman Panthers in front of alumni, parents and students in the stands. “I was curious to see if and how we’d bounce back, and I’m glad to see that we did,” head coach Dale Wildoff said after the game.

Chapman began on a bad foot, with quarterback Eric Marty getting sacked by Oxy’s defensive lineman James Sabo (senior) and linebacker Brian Crider (senior), forcing the Panthers to punt. However, the Tigers did not fare much better on their first possession. On the Panthers’ next possession, Chapman running back Mike Christensen successfully ran the ball up the field, resulting in a touchdown run up the middle by running back Ian Galanis.

The first quarter dissolved into a mess of incomplete passes and forced punts until Oxy began to find their groove, giving the ball to running back Jason Haller (senior) and passing to wide receiver Rocky Ciasulli (senior). Ciasulli scored a touchdown for the Tigers, tying the game up at 7-7.

Oxy’s defensive back Daniel Tromello (senior) intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Brandon Koller on Chapman’s next possession, but the Tigers were unable to take advantage of the turnover. Chapman’s defensive back Chris Shiramizu intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Chris Washington (sophomore), but their offense was no match for Tromello and company, who kept the pressure on. The Panthers faked a punt but Chapman linebacker Mike Cassidy’s pass was incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.

On the Tiger’s next possession, Haller attempted to run the ball but could only bring it to the 48-yard line, where kicker Neil Martin (sophomore) attempted a field goal with no success, taking the tied game into halftime.

Haller started the second half with a 24-yard run that put the Tigers on the Chapman 10 yard line, coupled with a 15-yard face mask penalty on the Panthers. Pressure from Chapman linebackers and an incomplete pass from quarterback Justin Goltz (junior) forced Martin to attempt a 25-yard field goal that was no good.

The crowd was seized by cheers and jeers over the series of momentum swings that occurred in the final half. Chapman attempted a pass into the endzone on their next possession but Tromello and defensive back Aaron Stanton (first-year) were on the stop, followed by defensive lineman Alex Ochoa (junior) sacking Panther quarterback Eric Marty. The momentum had swung in the favor of the Tigers as Goltz, Ciasulli and Haller moved the ball down the field, but the drive ended when Shiramizu managed his second interception of the day. Spirits were low until linebacker Patrick Sarkissian (sophomore) sacked Marty, leaving the game tied at the end of the third quarter.

Defensive back Jarred Salha (sophomore) proved to be an asset to the Oxy defense in the fourth quarter and Haller continued to rush well, but the highlights of the Tigers’ next possession were Goltz’s pass to wide receiver Jordan Inabnit (sophomore) for a 20 yard gain and Goltz’s 25-yard drive to the 4 yard line. This close to scoring, the crowd hissed loudly when Chapman recovered an Oxy fumble. The Chapman drive ended in a touchdown when Marty connected with Harrison Dull in the end zone.

With 6:20 left in the game and Oxy down by 7, the demoralized crowd was not down for long as the Tigers marched it right back down the field, ending in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Goltz to Ciasulli, who laid out into the endzone to catch the ball. The re-energized Tiger defense stormed the field, with Crider sacking Marty and Tromello intercepting the ball with 43 seconds left in the game, taking it into overtime.

In overtime, Oxy had the opening possession taking the ball at the 25-yard line. Goltz continued to connect with Ciasulli, who caught it time after time, eventually ending in a touchdown. The Panthers’ subsequent possession ended when Salha broke up a pass in the endzone, sealing the homecoming victory for the Tigers in overtime.

The Tigers play Whittier College next weekend in what could be their last game of the season. “There are no guarantees of any games after this, so our focus is pretty laser-like,” Wildoff said. Wildoff also said that if Redlands beats Cal Lutheran next weekend, it would result in a three-way tie for the championship that could give Occidental its fourth championship in a row.

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