Valley Glen, CA (Football) – After starting the game with a lackluster first half, freshman quarterback Travis Gowan put together a stellar performance in the second half to help guide the Fighting Owl’s to a 28-14 victory over Los Angeles Valley College on Saturday night. Gowan finished the game 15 of 24 with two touchdowns, both coming in the second half.
The Owl’s offense opened the game trying to pound the ball against one of the WSC’s topped ranked defenses. Citrus had limited success moving the ball up the middle, but found some light on the out-side early on in the 1st quarter. Freshman Dwight Broadnax was the Owl’s biggest threat as he rushed for 40 yards on eight carries, including the first score of the game a five-yard touchdown to give Citrus a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
While the Owl’s were struggling to establish themselves on the ground, the Monarch’s were very effective in their running game. Anthony Dickson proved to be a head-ache for the Owl’s as he rushed for 126 yards on 20 carries, and both LA Valley touchdowns. His 11 yard TD run in the 2nd quarter would tie the game up at 7-7 with just over seven minutes to play in the 1st half.
The Owl’s would get another chance to get on the board late in the 2nd quarter after linebacker Demarcus Flanagan’s interception gave Citrus the ball back deep in LA Valley territory. With the ball on the one yard line and only four seconds left on the clock, Broadnax got his second touchdown of the game as he jumped over his offensive line and into the end-zone to give Citrus a 14-7 lead going into half-time.
The third quarter saw the Owl’s offense continue to struggle, as they failed to get on the board. Meanwhile, Dickson got his second score of the night as he broke off a 52-yard run to tie the game up at 14 a piece with only 56 second left to play in the 3rd quarter.
With the game tied, Gowan began to settle down, and took over the reigns of the game. Running a no-huddle offense the Owl’s used a series of short passes to move their way up the field. Facing a third and long in Monarch’s territory, Gowan finally made his big play hitting Michael Shay for a 36 yard score to give the Owl’s a 21-14 lead.
After the Owl’s defense forced Valley to punt, Gowan once again proved his mettle. With the ball on his own 48 yard line, Gowan took the snap only to find himself surrounded by a swarm of Valley jerseys. Gowan evaded the defenders and rolled right and sent a beautiful deep spiral to Mark Castaneda who had worked himself wide open in the end-zone. The 52-yard bomb gave the Owl’s a commanding 28-14 lead, and propelled them to their fourth straight victory.
In the win, the Owl’s picked up 319 total yards of offense including 249 through the air. Michael Shay was the Owl’s leading receiver with 5 receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown. Mark Castaneda finished right behind him with 4 catches, 78 yards, and one touchdown. Marquish Winbush was Citrus’ leading rusher with 17 carries for 62 yards.
With the win the Fighting Owl’s improve to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in WSC Pacific Division play. Citrus will have a bye next week, but return back home on October 13th. The Owl’s will face their toughest opponent of the year, as the nations #1 ranked team Bakersfield College comes to Citrus stadium for a WSC cross-divisional game. Kick-off is set for 2:00 PM.
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