Southwestern Passes Pasadena City College Football By, 59-28

The Pasadena City College defense, which had been stellar in the last 10 quarters of play, parted like the Red Sea for Moses on Saturday night. The Lancers football team gave up season highs in points and yards in a 58-29 loss at Southwestern College, ending the non-conference portion of their schedule at 2-2.

PCC allowed 648 yards of total offense to the undefeated Jaguars (4-0). Southwestern scored five of its touchdows on plays of 40 or more yards. SWC quarterback Mike Glass bombed TD passes of 28 and 41 yards to Ryan Stokes, 54 yards to Tajon Mondy, and 75 yards to Marquis Williams. Later, Mondy took a lateral from Glass and fired a 70-yard touchdown dart to Stokes.

Glass, who passed for 278 yards and four touchdowns, added 70 yards rushing and two quarterback keeper TDs.

The Lancers’ offense didn’t help matters, turning it over six times, including four interceptions.

PCC kept the game close early with a 28-yard TD connection between quarterback Jesse Hanckel and wide receiver Yusef Muhammad and a 1-yard scoring run by running back Ty’rant Davis that followed a nifty 73-yard pass play from Hanckel to backup quarterback and part-time wide receiver Jett Even. The Lancers were tied 14-14 but gave up two late Southwestern TDs to fall behind 28-14 after one quarter.

Southwestern’s onslaught continued in the second quarter and led to a 41-16 lead before Amad Andrews scored on a 4-yard TD scamper that cut it to 41-23 by halftime. That score was also set up by a brilliant catch by Even for 43 yards as pulled in the Hanckel pass with a Jaguars’ defender draped on him. Defensive back Jshoun Wolfe earlier returned a special teams block of an extra point for a 98-yard conversion return.

Hanckel added a 1-yard TD plunge that capped a 14-play, 72-yard drive with a minute left in the third quarter for PCC’s only second-half points. Kicker Enrique Lozano was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts and punted well with a 40.7 yards average in six kicks.

On defense, end Tristen Chavarria made two sacks and five tackles while linebacker Matt Terlizzi added a game-high 10 tackles (eight solo) and a pass break-up.

PCC will start American Division Metro League play on Saturday, Oct. 1 when the Lancers host El Camino College-Compton Center. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.

PCC Grid Notes: Hanckel (offense), safety Kendell Jefferson (defense), and Lozano (Special Teams) made it a clean sweep for SCFA Player of the Week honors in the team’s win over San Bernadino Valley…PCC Coach Tom Maher had not coached a game at Southwestern since 2001’s South County Bowl game when the Lancers defeated Grossmont. The bowl win capped a 10-1 season for the then Mission Conference champions.