Panthers Fall to RCC
Riverside Community College heads to the playoffs after beating Chaffey 49-21 at Grigsby Field on Saturday.
The Panther's (5-4, 3-2) second half momentum came to an end as the fourth-quarter began. A bad snap to punter Rigoberto Luna awarded Riverside a safety and a 21 point lead with 15-minutes to play.
The Tigers (8-1, 5-0) gained 64 yards in their next two offensive plays. A short pass by Nicholas King was extended into a 63-yard gain by running back Isaac Whitney. A one yard touchdown run concluded the drive and made a come-from-behind win unmanageable.
Every time the Panthers made it down field, Riverside answered with scores of their own.
Early in the third quarter a one yard run by quarterback Levi Plante added to his 198 yard game and put the Panther's on the board. Luna's kickoff gave the Tigers good field position and a pick up of 25 yards and two third down conversions put them in field goal range.
A 53-yard field-goal by Tiger kicker Jimmy Camacho added to their lead and made the score 23-7.
In its opening drive, Chaffey moved the ball 32-yards in seven plays before losing a fumble at midfield. Riverside pushed the Panthers' defense to the 11-yardline, looking to catch an early lead, but a fumble recovered by Defensive Back Kendall Chambliss gave the ball back to Chaffey.
In the first half there were a combined three turnovers and nine penalties. Chaffey went on to lose 70-yards due to penalties, preventing the offense to get down field.
The Panthers' two trips to the red zone proved to be insufficient as Riverside made it passed the 20 yard line on seven occasions and more than doubled Chaffey's score.
The Tigers will host Citrus College in their last game of the regular season in hopes to keep the No. 1 spot and stay undefeated in conference match ups.
Chaffey will travel to L.A. Harbor to play the Seahawks in their final game of the season.
